".  Hi 


OF  THE 

Theologiscal   Seminary, 

PRINCETON,    N.  J. 

^'f'-^f.  Division  .~BS.l556, 

She/J,  Section.;^  j^i  2f. 

'^««/..  No I.SU 


n^g^ 


/ 


DISSERTATION 


PROPHECIES, 

'.HAT  HAVE  BKEN  FULFILLED,  ARE  NOW  FULFILLING,  OK  WILL 
HEREAFTER  BE  FULFILLED, 

RELATIVE  TO  THE 

GREAT  PERIOD  OF  IQ60  YEARS ; 

THE   PAPAL  AND  MOHAMMEDAN  APOSTACIES ; 
•LUE  TYRANNICAL  REIGN  OP  ANTICHRIST,  OR  THE  INFIDFL 

POWER ; 

AND 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWS. 

TC  i«/HICH    IS    ADDED, 

AN  APPENDIX. 


BY  THE  REV.  GEOUCE  STANLEY  FADER,    B.  D. 
VICAR  OF  STOCKTON-UPON-TEES. 


Secotiil  .American  from  the  secotid  London  Edition. 
tN  TWO  VOLUMES. 


Shut  up  the  Words,  and  seal  the  Book,  even  to  the  lime  of  the  end  :  many 
shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased."     dan.  xii.  4. 


NEW-YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  M.  AND  VV.  WARD,    AND  EVERT    CUYCKINCK. 

George  Long,  printer. 

isa 


HONOURABLE    AND    RIGHT    REVEREND    FATHER    IN    GOD, 

mUTE  BAHRIXGTOX  LL.  D. 


LORD     BISHOP    OF    DUIIHAM, 


ilY   LORD, 

THE  kindness  which  I  have  uniformly  experien- 
ced, particularly  in  a  late  instance,  from  your  Loi  dship, 
encourages  me  to  request  permission  to  place  the  follow- 
ing Work  under  your  protr<"tioxi. 

It  treats  of  :i  subje^J^t  peculiarly  interesting  to  every 
serious  Protestant :  for  the  famous  period  of  I960  pro- 
phetic days,  so  frequently  mentioned  by  Daniel  and  St. 
John,  comprehends  the  tyrannical  reign  of  those  three 
great  oppnents  of  the  Gospel,  Popery,  Mohammedism, 
and  Infidelity.  This  period  indeed  may  not  impro|)erly 
be  styled  the  permitted  hour  of  the  powers  of  darkness  ; 
since  the  true  Church  is  represented  as  being  in  an  af- 
flicted and  depressed  state  during  the  whole  of  its  con- 
tinuance, and  since  its  expiration  will  be  marked  by  a 
signal  display  of  the  judgments  of  God  upon  his  enc 
mies  and  by  the  commencement  of  a  new  and  happy 
order  of  thinsfs. 

In  the  subject  which  I  have  chosen  so  raauy  eminent 
expositors  have  preceded  lue,  that  I  fear  my  choice  of  it 


4 

alone  may  render  me  liable  to  the  charge  either  of  need- 
less repetition,  or  of  unwarrantable  presumption.  Your 
Lordship  howe\'er,  I  am  confident,  will  not  prejudge  me 
from  the  mere  statement  of  my  subject:  and  tlie  can- 
dour, whicli  I  anticipate  from  my  venerable  Diocesan,  I 
feel  myself  justified  in  claiming  from  the  Public. 

In  fact,  had  I  nothing  new  to  ofier  upon  the  subject, 
the  discussing  of  it  afresh  would  have  been  plainly  su- 
perfluous ;  but  an  attentive  examination  of  the  writings 
of  Daniel  and  St.  John  has  led  mo  to  think,  that  in  some 
points  my  predecessors  have  partially  erred,  and  that  in 
others  they  have  been  altogether  mistaken.  In  the  in- 
terpretation of  Prophecy  knowlc(]ae  is  undoubtedly  pro- 
gressive. The  predictions  of  ScrijyYure,  extending  as  they 
do  from  the  earliest  periods  to  the  consummation  of  all 
things,  although  they  be  gradually  opened  partly  by  the 
hand  of  time  and  partly  by  human  labour  undertaken  in 
humble  dependence  upon  the  divine  aid,  are  yet  necessa- 
rily in  some  measure  a  sealed  booky  even  to  the  time  of  the 
end.  As  that  time  approaches,  we  may  expect,  agi-eeablj' 
to  the  angel's  declaration  to  Daniel,  that  majiy  will  run  to 
andfrOy  and  that  knowledge  will  be  increased.  Hence  it 
was  observed  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  that  "  amongst  the  in- 
terpreters of  the  last  age  there  is  sciirce  one  of  note,  \x\\& 
hath  not  made  some  discovery  worth  knowing."  Noth- 
ing however  requires  so  much  caution  and  prudence,  so 
much  hesitation  and  circumspection,  as  an  attempt  to 
unfold  these  deep  mysteries  of  Cod.    Ah  intemperate 


introduction  of  new  interpretations  is  highly  dangerous 
and  mischievous  :  because  it  has  a  natural  tendency  to 
unsettle  the  minds  of  the  careless  and  the  wavering,  and 
is  apt  to  induce  them  hastily  to  take  up  the  preposterous 
opinion  that  there  can  be  no  certainty  in  the  exposition 
of  Prophecy.  On  these  grounds  I  have  ever  l>een  per- 
suaded, that  a  commentator  discharges  his  duty  but  very 
imperfectly,  if,  w^hen  he  advances  a  new  interpretation 
of  any  prophecy  that  has  been  already  interpreted,  he 
satisfies  himself  with  merely  urging  in  favour  of  his 
scheme  the  most  plausible  arguments  that  he  has  been 
able  to  invent.  Of  everj^  prediction  there  may  be  many 
erroneous  expositions,  but  there  can  only  be  one  that  is 
right.  It  ia  not  enough  therefore  for  a  commentator  to 
fortify  with  elaborate  ingenuity  his  own  system.  Before 
Ke  can  reasonably  expect  it  to  be  adopted  by  others,  he 
must  shew  likewise,  that  the  expositions  of  his  prede- 
cessors are  erroneous  in  those  points  wherein  he  differs 
from  them.  Such  a  mode  of  writing  as  this  may  un- 
doubtedly expose  him  to  the  charge  of  captiousness  : 
it  will  likewise  unavoidably  increase  the  size  of  his 
Work  ;  and  may  possibly  weary  those  readers,  who  dis- 
like the  trouble  of  thoroughly  examining  a  subject : 
but  it  will  be  found  to  be  the  only  way,  in  ^vhich  there 
is  even  a  probability  of  attaining  to  the  truth.  This 
plan  I  have  adopted  :  and  it  has  at  least  been  of  infinite 
use  to  myself.  It  has  at  once  compelled  me,  in  the 
course  ef  writing  and  revising  the  present  Dissertation. 


to  relinquish,  as  utterly  untenable,  many  opinions  which 
I  had  once  adopted  ;  and  it  has  confirmed  me  in  adher- 
ing to  those,  which  I  have  retained.  In  short,  it  en- 
ables me  to  say,  that  not  a  single  new  interpretation  is 
here  advanced  without  having  been  previously  subject- 
ed to  the  severest  scrutiny.  Whatever  would  not  bear 
the  test  of  nil  the  objections,  which  I  was  able  to  alledge 
against  it  myself,  has  been  rejected,  as  still  less  being 
able  to  bear  the  test  of  those  which  others  might  al- 
ledge. 

Flattering  as  the  countenance  of  the  great  may  be, 
that  of  the  good  as  well  as  great  is  much  more  rational- 
ly satisfactory.  Your  Lordship's  character  can  be 
heightened  by  no  testimony  of  mine.  Yet  1  may  be 
allowed  to  say,  that  the  favours  which  I  have  received 
from  you,  have  been  rendered  doubly  valuable,  both  by 
the  manner  in  which  they  have  been  conferred,  and  by 
the  recollection  of  the  hand  that  conferred  them. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be. 
My  Lord, 
Your  Lordship's  much  obliged  and 
dutiful  humble  Servant, 

GEORGE  STANLEY  FABEK. 
StocIcton-7ipov-Ttes, 
June  ^9,  1805. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION, 


THE  work,  which  is  here  offered  to  the  Public,  is 
founded  iijwn  the  three  following  very  simple  princii-les. 

1.  to  assign  to  each  prophetic  symbol  its  proper  definii^ 
meaning,  and  never  to  vary  from  that  meaning ; 

Q.  To  allow  no  interpretation  of  a  prophecy  to  be  valid, 
except  the  prophecy  agree,  in  every  particular,  with  the 
event  to  which  it  is  supposed  to  relate ; 

S.  And  to  deny,  that  any  link  of  a  chronological  pro- 
phecy is  capable  of  receiving  its  accomplishment  in  more 
than  one  event. 

If  we  examine  the  predictions  of  Daniel  and  St.  John 
agreeably  io  these  principles,  we  shall  find,  that  two  great 
enemies  of  the  Gospel,  Fopenj  and  Mohammedism,  are 
described  as  commencing  th^ir  tyrannical  career  together 
at  the  beginning  of  a  certain  period  which  comprehends 
\lm years,  and  as  perishing  together  at  the  end  of  it: 
that,  towards  the  close  of  this  period,  a  third  power  is  in- 
troduced ;  whose  characteristic  marks  are  a  total  disre- 
gard of  all  religion,  an  impious  determination  to  do  ac- 
cording to  his  will,  and  an  open  profession  of  absolute 
atheism,  blended  nevertheless  with  the  worship  of  a  cer- 
tain foreign  god  and  other  tutelary  deities  whom  his  fa- 
thers never  knew :  that  this  last  power  is  likewise  destin- 
ed to  be  destroyed  at  the  end  of  ilie  1  ?60  years  :  that  he 
will  previously  unite  himself,  for  political  reasons,  ^^  ith 
Popery :  that  the  stage  of  th?ir  joint  overthrew  will  be 
Palestine:   and  that,  when  the  period  of  IQ,Q0  years  h 
completed,  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  will    commence. 
All  these  matters  may,  I  think,   be  clearly  deduced  from 
prophecy :  and  the  actual  completion  of  many  predictions 
relative  to  them  aftbrd  us  ample  warrant  for  concludijirr, 
that  the  rest  will  likewise  be  accomplished  in  God"s  own 
good  season. 


The  present  awful  state  of  the  world  naturally  leads 
all  serious  men  to  search  tlie  Scriptures  :  and  the  atten- 
tion of  more  than  one  modem  writer  has  been  laudably 
directed  to  the  elucidation  of  those  prophecies,  which 
either  have  been  fulfilled,  or  are  now  fulfilling.  Those, 
who  have  considered  the  subject  most  at  large,  are,  I  be- 
lieve, Mr.  Whitaker,  Dr.  Zouch,  IMr.  Kett,  and  Mr.  Gal- 
loway.* Mr.  Whitaker  and  Mr.  Zouch,  with  some  ex- 
ceptions, have  undertaken  to  defend  the  scheme  of  in- 
teipretation  adopted  by  Mr.  Mede  and  Bp.  Newton : 
while  Mr.  Kett  and  Mr.  Galloway,  though  they  diflfer 
from  each  oUier  in  many  points,  have  avowedly  attempt- 
ed to  establish  a  new  scheme  of  interpretation. 

1.  Although  I  am  not  able  to  assent  to  several  of  Mr. 
Whitaker's  opinions,  most  sincerely  can  1  recommend  his 
Coviinentari)  on  the  Revelation  to  the  attention  of  eveiy 
protestant,  particularly  every  English  protestant.  At  the 
present  juncture,  when  Popery  once  more  begins  to  rear 
its  hydra  head,  a  full  stateuitjut  of  its  abominable  princi- 
ples was  })eculiarly  seasonable.  This  has  been  most  sa- 
tisfactorily executed  by  Mr.  Whitaker  :  but  he  apj^ears  to 
me  at  the  same  time  io  have  exceeded  his  commission, 
in  branding  the  Papacy  with  the  title  of  Antichrist. 
Many  indeed  and  wonderfully  explicit  are  the  prophecies, 
which  describe  the  detestable  cruelties  and  unholy 
superstitions  of  that  great  Apostacy  ;  which  teach  us 
the  precise  duration  of  its  persecuting  tyranny ;  which 
foretell  its  union  with  rebellious  Infidelity  ;  which  point 
out  both  the  place  and  manner  of  its  destruction  :  but  I 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  discover  upon  what  scriptural 
irrounds  the  name  of  Antichrist  has  been  so  generally 
appliexl  to  it.  St.  John  is  the  only  inspired  writer  who 
uses  the  term  ;  and  nothing  that  he  says  relative  to  it, 
affords  us  any  warrant  for  coiiierring  it  upon  the  Papacy. 
"  He  is  Antichrist,  thatdenieth  the  Father  and  the  Son  :" 
the  Chnrch  of  Borne  never  denied  either  the  Father  or 

•  To  these  1  miplit  have  added  Archdeacon  Woodhouse  and  Mr.  Bicheno  ; 
but  1  had  not  read  tlieir  \vritini?s  at  tlie  time  wlien  tlie  first  edition  of  this 
work  was  publisiicd.  In  the  present  edition,  those  of  Mr.  Bicheno  are  occa- 
sionally animadverted  upon  in  the  notes  :  but  the  scheme  of  the  Archdeacon 
possesses  so  much  unity  of  design,  that  I  found  it  more  couvementto  considei" 
it  altogether  apart  in  an  appendix. 


9 

tlip  Son  :  therefore  the  Church  of  Rome  cannot  bo  tJie 
Antichrist  intended  by  St.  John.  As  for  the  identity  of 
Antichrist  and  the  little  horn  of  the  Roman  beast,  it 
seems  to  me  to  have  been  rather  taken  for  granted,  than 
proved. 

Valuable  however  as  Mr.  Whitaker's  Commentary  is 
in  many  respects,  he  is  guilty  of  one  inconsistency  which 
must  not  be  passed  over  unnoticed.  While  he  asserts, 
that  he  gives  no  interpretation  of  a  symbol  but  what 
may  be  justified  by  some  text  of  Scripture,  he  verj^  un- 
warrantably explains  the  prophecies  of  the  Apocalypse 
sometimes Jfgur a tive I i/  and  sometimes  literalli/.  Thus, 
for  instance,  the  elTusion  oithe  frst,  the  fourth,  and  the 
jifthy  trials  he  interprets  //^'«r«^/re/j/ ;  and  yet  to  the  ef- 
fusion of  the  second  und  the  third  he  affixes  an  absolutely 
literal  meaning,  supposing  those  two  vials  to  describe  a 
series  of  wars  carried  on  both  by  sea  and  by  la?id.  Now 
it  is  obvious,  that,  if  we  interpret  these  predictions  some- 
times Jigurafiveli/  and  sometimes  Uterallyy  we  involve 
them  in  the  same  indecision  and  uncertainty,  as  if  we 
apply  a  sj^mbol  sometimes  to  one  thing  and  sometimes  to 
another  :  for,  if  the  mode  of  interpretation  is  in  every 
particular  instance  to  be  left  to  the  option  of  the  com- 
mentator, who  shall  draw  the  line  between  the  literal 
and  the  figurative  prophecies  of  the  Apocalypse  ?  The 
whole  book,  excepting  those  very  few  passages  which 
are  avowedly  descriptive,  must  be  understood  either  lite- 
rally throughout  or  figiirativeli/  throughout :  otherwise 
it  will  be  utterly  impossible  to  ascertain  the  meaning  de- 
signed to  be  conveyed. 

The  whole  of  the  present  Dissertation  was  written, 
and  the  corrections  of  it  were  nearly  completed,  before 
I  had  perused  Mr.  Whitaker's  former  publication,  intitled 
A  general  and  connected  view  of  the  prophecies.  I  there 
found,  what  gave  me  no  small  satisiaction,  that  the  mere 
force  of  evidence  had  led  two  writers,  between  whorn  no 
communication  had  ever  passed,  to  adopt  the  same  opin- 
ion relative  to  the  little  horn  of  the  Macedonian  he-goat 
and  the  proper  method  of  ascertaining  the  date  of  the 
X^QO years.  Unconnected  as  we  have  been  with  each 
other,  we  have  naturally  treated  the  subject  with  some 

VOL,  I.  "      '2 


10 

degree  of  difTerence  ;  and,  while  I  assent  in  the  general 
to  Mr.  VVhitakcr's  opinions  on  these  points,  I  feel  myself 
compelled  to  protest  against  his  idea,  that  any  of  the 
jiiimhcrs  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  may  be  considered  as 
round  mimbers.  The  perfect  accuracy,  with  which  some 
of  them  have  been  already  filled  up,  alTords  the  best  war- 
rant for  believing  that  the  rest  will  likewise  be  filled  up 
with  equal  accuracy.  Indeed  the  very  notion  of  a  round 
number  is  irreconcileable  with  that  of  a  definite  and  spe- 
cijic  number.  Hence  I  think,  that  Mr.  Whitaker's  at- 
teinj>t  to  harmonize  the  number  mentioned  in  the  eighth 
chapter  of  Daniel,  with  the  date  which  he  rightly  assigns 
to  the  1^260  years,  by  adopting  the  reading  of  the  Seven- 
ty, entirely  tails  of  success,  because  the  calculation  pro- 
duces 2404  year  Si  instead  of  Q^iOO  years  y  which  it  ought 
to  have  produced  had  it  been  founded  upon  just  princi- 
ples, even  were  the  reading  of  the  Se\enty  the  genuine 
reading."*  A  similar  train  of  ideas  had  once  led  me  to 
adopt  this  very  hypothesis  of  Mr.  Whitaker  ;  but  the 
same  reason  which  forced  me  to  erase  it  from  my  own 
work,  forces  me  also  to  reject  it  in  his.  On  the  same 
grounds,  his  opinion,  that  the  holy  city  mentioned  in  the 
etcventh  chapter  of  the  Revelation  is  the  literal  city  of 
Jerusalem,  \\'\\\  be  found  equally  untenable,  even  inde- 
pendent of  other  objections  to  which  it  is  liable.  The 
taking  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Persians  in  the  year  1614, 
can  never  be  made  to  synchronize  with  the  delivering  of 
the  saints  into  the  hand  of  the  Papal  little  horn  in  the 
year  C06  ;  nor  is  it  tome  at  least  at  all  satisfactory  to  be 
told,  that  the  nearest  round  number,  which  will  include 
the  whole  time  intervening  from  the  year^li  to  theyear 
1866,  will  be  1360.t  Since  the  saints  are  to  be  given 
into  the  hand  oithe  little  //o?7/ during  the  precise  period 
of  \^Q0  yeai^s,  and  since  the  holy  city  is  to  be  trodden 
under  foot  by  the  Gentiles  during  the  self-same  period 
of  42  prophetic  months  ;  the  reign  of  the  little  horn  and 
the  treading  of  the  holy  city  under  foot  must  be  exactly 
commensurate.  Consequently,  if  the  saints  were  lirsi 
given  into  the  hand  of  the  litcle  horn  in  tht  year  606. 

♦  CenersU  View,  p.  272— 2r7.  f  l^'d. 


11 

ike  holy  city  must  have  begun  to  be  trodden  'under  foot 
in  that  same  year.  But  the  literal  Jerusalem  did  not 
then  begin  to  be  trodden  under  foot  by  the  literal  Gen- 
tiles!'^ Therefore  the  literal  Jerusalem  cannot  be  meant 
by  the  holy  city  ;  nor  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem  siir- 
rounded  with  the  abominatiom  of  3Iohamrnedism  by  the 
two,  witnesses.  Mr.  Whitaker  seems  to  allow  that  this 
prophecy  may  be  understood  in  &.  fgur alive  sense,  as  it 
is  by  Bp.  Newton,  no  less  than  in  a  literal  one :  I,  on 
the  other  hand,  will  venture  explicitly  to  assert,  that  it 
is  incapable  of  any  other  than  2l  figurative  sense.  In 
short,  in  the  self-same  year  that  the  saints  were  first  de- 
livered into  the  hand  of  the  little  horn,  the  mystic  holy^ 
city  began  to  be  trodden  under  foot  by  a  new  race  of 
idolaters,  the  mystic  witnesses  began  to  prophesy  in  sack- 
cloth, the  mystic  woman  fled  into  the  wilderness,  and  the 
ancient  pagan  Roman  bead  revived.  So  again:  in  the 
self-same  year,  at  the  termination  of  ^Z^^-  1360  days,  that 
series  of  events  will  commence,  by  which  the  kingdom 
shall  be  given  unto  the  saints,  the  power  of  the  tittle 
horn  shall  be  destroyed,  the  sanctuary  shall  be  cleansed, 
and  the  beast  shall  be  slain.  These  synchronisms  must 
ever  be  kept  in  view :  and,  unless  they  be  absolutely  per- 
fect, they  are  in  effect  no  synchronisms.  A  failure  oijour 
years  or  of  eight  years,  as  in  the  two  cases  which  have 
been  last  discussed,  destroys  a  synchronism  no  less  com- 
pletely than  a  failure  of  as  many  centuries. 

9..  Dr.  Zouch's  fVor/c  on  Prophecy  is  liable  to  many 
of  the  same  objections  as  the  two  works  of  Mr.  Whit- 
aker :  but  it  deserves  the  same  commendation  and  at- 
tention from  the  protestant  reader,  on  account  of  its  se- 
vere though  just  censures  of  Popery.  Differing  as  I  do 
very  essentially  from  Dr.  Zouch  in  many  points,  I  with 
pleasure  acknowledge  my  obligation  to  him  for  the  in- 
terpretation of  the  apocalyptic  image  of  the  beast,  which 
I  have  adopted  in  the  present  work :  an  interpretation 
so  simple,  so  natural,  so  perfectly  according  both  with 
the  text  and  with  the  event,  so  little  liable  to  any  rea- 

*  In  strictness  of  speech  the  literal  Jerusalem  bej^an  to  be  trodden  under  foot 
Inn^  before,  even  in  the  year  70  ;  so  that  Mr.  Wliit.iker's  scheme  is  untenal.'lc 
either  wav.    See  Luke  sxi.  24,  which  can  h.ave  no  relation  to  Kev.  -si.  2. 


sonable  objection,  that  I  cannot  hut  wonder  how  it  came 
to  be  overlooked  both  by  Mr.  Mede,  Sir  Isaac  Newton, 
and  Bp.  Newton. 

]\Ir.  Kelt's  History  the  Interpreter  of  Prophecy^  and 
j\Ir.  Gallowaj's  Commentary  on  the  lie'cclation,  I  have 
read  with  much  attention  :  but  I  have  risen  from  the 
perusal  of  them  unconvinced.  Both  of  these  respect- 
able authors  appear  to  me  to  have  fallen  into  several 
considerable  errors ;  although  the  general  idea,  that 
7nany  receid  events  are  foretold  by  the  inspired  writers, 
is,  I  think,  well  founded. 

o.  Mr.  Kctt  has  involved  the  beautifully  simple,  and 
chronologically  accurate,  prophecies  of  Daniel  in  much 
needless  confusion,  by  his  scheme  of  ascribing  to  the 
same  prediction  a  primary  and  a  secondary,  and  some- 
times even  a  three- fold  and  afour-foldy  accomplishment. 
Had  he  more  fully  considered  the  nature  of  chronologi- 
cal prophecy,  he  would  not  have  fallen  into  this  mistake. 
Whatever  may  be  the  case  with  insulated  predictions,  it  is 
physically  impossible  that  a  chronological  one  can  admit 
of  more  than  a  single  completion.  The  only  difference 
between  a  connected  jicries  of  chronological  prepheciesy 
and  a  regular  hisfory,  is  this :  a  scries  of  strictly  chro- 
nological prophecies  is  a  prospective  detail  of  successive 
future  events;  a  history  is  a  retrospective  detail  of  suc- 
cessive past  events.  As  well  therefore  might  we  suppose, 
that,  when  a  history  relates  07;c  circumstance,  it  ultimate- 
ly means  another  ;  as  expect  to  find,  in  a  chronological 
prophecy,  v/hat  Mr.  Kett  terms  double  links  of  accom- 
plishment.  The  thing  in  both  cases  is  equally  impossi- 
ble. The  very  circumstance  of  a  prophecy  being  a 
chronological  one  excludes  every  idea  of  a  twofold 
completion.  And,  when  it  is  further  recollected,  that 
Daniel  more  than  once  connects  his  predictions  with 
certain  specific  numbers  of  years,  it  will  appear  yet  more 
evidently,  that  Mr.  Rett's  system  is  perfectly  untenable. 

4.  The  preceding  error  cannot  be  charged  upon  Mr. 
Gailov;ay :  but,  although  he  escapes  this  fault,  he  is  re- 
peatedly guilty  of  another  ;  I  mean  iJie  want  of  a  strict 
adherence  to  unity  of  symbolical  interpretation.  If  a 
symbol  may  signify  one  thing  in  one  part  of  a  prophecy, 


13 

•and  another  thing  in  another  part,  there  never  can  be 
even  any  approximation  to  certainty  in  explaining  an 
hieroglyphical  prediction.  The  whole  must  be  mere 
vague  conjecture :  for  a  prophecy,  delivered  in  symbols 
which  admit  of  no  specific  definition,  may  safely  bid  de- 
fiance to  the  most  elaborate  efforts  of  the  most  acute 
commentator.  This  injudicious  method  of  exposition 
has,  I  am  persuaded,  excited  a  greater  degree  of  preju- 
dice against  every  attempt  to  explain  the  writings  of 
Daniel  and  St.  John,  than  any  other  cause  whatsoever. 
It  has  given  a  handle  to  the  ignorant  and  the  irreligious 
to  represent  these  portions  of  Scripture  as  altogether  un- 
intelligible :  whereas  figurative  language  is  undoubtedly 
as  plain  as  any  mere  hteral  language,  provided  only  the 
symbols  of  which  it  is  composed  be  accurately  and  de- 
finitely understood  ;  and  for  the  right  understanding  of 
them  Scripture  itself  furnishes  a  key. 

Besides  the  preceding  general  objections  to  the  re- 
spective schemes  of  Mr.  Kett  and  Mr.  Galloway,  1  have 
many  particular  ones  to  their  application  of  certain  pro- 
phecies both  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  to  the  tremendous 
infidel  power  of  France  ;  a  power,  which  nevertheless  I 
cannot  refrain  from  esteeming  the  long  expected  Antichrist, 
But  I  will  not  anticipate  the  observations  which  will  ap- 
pear with  more  propriety  in  the  body  of  my  work.  For 
the  present,  suffice  it  to  say,  that  I  am  not  conscious 
of  ever  having  been  guilty  of  the  worse  than  childish 
vanity  of  introducing  a  new  exposition  merely  because 
it  is  a  new  one.  The  Scriptures  contain  subjects  much 
too  solemn  to  be  trifled  with  :  and  a  commentator  upon 
the  prophecies  ought  never  to  displace  any  interpreta- 
tion of  his  predecessors,  without  first  assigning  very 
weighty  reasons  for  it. 

VVith  regard  to  the  1260  prophetic  days,  I  have  fol- 
lowed the  most  usual  interpretation,  which  supposes 
them  to  be  1260  natural  or  solar  ijears,  Mr.  Fleming 
indeed  is  of  opinion,  that,  although  these  prophetic  days 
be  doubtless  1260  years,  yet  they  are  1260  years,  each 
consisting  of  no  more  than  o60  natural  days  ;  because 
each  great  prophetic  year  contains,  not  ^Q^  years,  but 
on\y  3(\0year^.     Hence  he  argues,  that  the  1260  years. 


]4 

being  years  consisting  of  only  360  natural  daijs  each,  arc 
in  reality  no  more  than  124'2  solar  years  ;  and  that  they 
must  be  estimated  as  such  in  all  computatims  that  are 
m^de  respecting  them.*  Independent  however  of  the 
conlusion  introduced  by  such  a  mode  of  reckoning  (for, 
would  we  be  perfectly  exact  in  it,  we  ought  to  attend 
both  to  the  surplus  of  days  above  l/te  12  i-'S  years,^  and 
to  the  hours  and  minutes  by  which  the  true  solar  year 
exceeds  o65  days, J  the  Apocalypse  itself,  I  think,  aflords 
us  a  suflicient  proof  of  its  erroneousness.  Many  other 
numbers  are  mentioned  in  that  mysterious  book  besides 
the  12160  years ;  we  must  unavoidably  therefore  con- 
clude, that  the  same  mode  of  reckoning,  which  is  used 
in  one  case,  must  be  used  likewise  in  another.  Now 
Mr.  Fleming  himself  allows,  compelled  thereto  by  the 
exact  accomplishment  of  the  prediction,  that  tht  five 
prophetic  months  of  the  Saracenic  locusts  are  150  natural 
yearsy  not  150  years  of  no  more  than  S60  days  each ;% 
and  Bp.  Newton  has  admirably  shewn  from  the  event, 
that  the  prophetic  knur,  and  day,  and  month,  and  year,  al- 
lotted to  the  victories  of  the  EuphraI.ean  horsemen,  are 
equivalent  to  391  solar  years  and  15  days-,  being  the  pe- 
riod comprehended  between  A.  D.  1281  and  A.  D. 
1672.^  Such  then  being  the  case,  since  both  these  sets 
of  numbers  are  evidently  to  be  computed  by  solar  years, 
the  number  1260  must,  if  we  would  preserve  consisten- 
cy, be  computed  by  solar  years  likewise.  Consequently 
the  1260  prophetic  days  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  are  126o 
complete  svlar  year  Si  not,  as  Mr.  Fleming  supposes,  only 
1242  i,olar  years. 

•  Fleming's  Apoc.  Key,  p.  20,  21,  22. 

f  \2(>0  years  of  560  days  each  are  equivalent  to  1242  yeays  and  270  days, 
4  3600  270 

1260  X  360=453600. =l24i 

365  365 

i  Apoc  Key,  p.  Z7,  38 
$  Mr.  Fleminf^  attemptt  to  reconcile  this  period  with  his  own  scliemc  by 
computing'  it  from  the  rise  of  the  Turknh  empite  to  the  takinff  nf  C<.itstantinople  • 
but  he  forjjetb  that  the  prophet  directs  us  to  compute  it  from  the  time  when 
the  four  Sul  tallies  were  prepared  to  be  let  loose  against  the  Greek  empire  ;  an  ex- 
pression, which  implies  that  they  were  already  in  existence,  tliougli  as  yet 
botmd  fa.st  by  the  dispensations  of  Providence,  previous  to  tlic  commencement 
•>l"tlie  period  in  question.    See  Apoc  Key,  p,  3?,  40. 


15 

To  conclude  :  whatever  may  be  the  faults  of  the  pre- 
sent work,  they  are  exclusively  my  own.  Had  this,  and 
my  two  former  publications,  been  perused  by  the  emi- 
nent characters  to  whom  they  are  respectively  inscribed, 
previous  to  their  being  sent  to  the  press,  they  doubtless 
would  have  been  much  more  perfect  than  they  are :  as 
it  is,  I  alone  am  responsible  for  the  errors  which  they 
may  contain. 

Jan.  SO,  1805. 


PREFACE 

TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION 


WHEN  t]ie  first  edition  of  this  Work  was  pub- 
lished, we  had  not  received  intelligence  of  the  disastrous 
termination  of  the  campaign  of  1805,  at  the  battle  of 
Austerlitz :  noWy  although  one  decisive  victor}'-  has  been 
gained  over  the  armies  of  Prussia,  we  are  nevertheless 
in  a  state  of  somewhat  similar  uncertainty  respecting  the 
final  issue  of  the  present  contest.  I  can  therefore  only 
again  observe,  as  I  then  observed,  that  "  the  Christian 
cannot  reasonably  doubt,  that  the  hand  of  God  is  stretch- 
ed forth  over  the  earth  in  a  peculiar  and  remarkable 
manner  ;  and  that  all  things  \\\\\  assuredly  work  together 
to  fulfil  those  prophecies  which  yet  remain  unaccom- 
plished, and  to  prepare  a  way  for  the  last  tremendous 
manifestations  of  God's  wrath." 

The  Work,  of  which  a  second  edition  is  now  offered 
to  the  public,  was  wholly  written  in  the  year  1804. 
After  it  was  written,  and  even  while  I  was  revising  and 
correcting  it  for  the  press,  so  many  important  events  oc- 
curred, that  I  soon  found  it  an  endless  labour  perpetually 
to  alter  the  text :  hence  I  adopted  the  plan  of  preserv- 
ing the  text  substantially  the  same  as  it  was  originallij 
written,  and  of  introducing  into  additional  notes  any  re- 
markable passing  circumstances  that  seemed  to  throw 
fresh  light  on  my  subject.  The  same  plan  is  still  pur- 
sued in  the  present  edition.  Except  where  I  have  cor- 
rected some  errors  (of  no  very  great  moment  so  far  as 
my  main  subject  is  concerned,)  into  which  I  have  since 
seen  reason  to  believe  that  I  had  fallen,  the  text  remains 
the  same  as  it  stood  in  the  year  1801.:  and  whatever 
matters  of  importance  have  occurred  previous  to  my 
sending  to  the  press,  in  June  180^  the  revised  copy 
from  which  this  second  edition  has  been  printed,  are  all 
thrown  into  the  notes.  Yet  so  rapidly  do  great  events 
succeed  each  other,  that  even  this  has  not  been  sufficient 


17 

to  bring  the  present  edition  perfectly  down  to  the  day  of 
its  publication  :  and  it  is  only  in  a  Preface  that  I  have 
an  opportunity  of  mentioning  the  formal  resignation  of 
the  Roman  C'arlovingian  emperorship  by  the  chief  of 
the  house  of  Austria,  the  entire  dissolution  of  the  Ger- 
^  jnanic  body,  and  the  rapid  formation  of  a  new  feudal 
empire  subject  to  France  under  the  title  of  the  Rhenish 
confederacy .*'  While  the  reader  therefore  is  ret[uested 
to  consider  the  body  of  the  work  as  written  in  tJie  yar 
1804,  he  will  find  its  proper  date  annexed  to  every  note 
which  has  been  subsequently  added.  Such,  when  the 
peculiar  nature  of  rny  subject  is  considered,  a  subject  on 
which  every  day  throws  new  light,  was  thought  to  be  on 
the  whole  the  best  plan  which  I  could  adopt. 

Nothing  is  more  favourable  to  the  cause  of  truth  thaii 
fair  and  open  discussion.  My  work  has  l>een  attacked , 
and  I  have  answered  the  attack.  As  yet  I  have  seen  no 
reason  to  alter  any  of  my  main  positions  :  however,  both 
the  attack  and  the  reply  are  before  the  public.  Though 
I  am  little  inclined  to  be  swayed  entirely  by  mere  au- 
thority, it  would  nevertheless  argue  an  intolerable  degree 
of  presumption  to  slight  with  wayward  petulance  the; 
opinions  of  those,  whose  superiority  of  learning  and  tal- 
ents is  acknowledged  by  all.  Two  of  my  positions, 
which  were  impugned  with  peculiar  acrimony,  were  the 
application  of  Daniel'' s  wilful  king]  to  injidel  France, 
svhich  I  conceived  to  be  the  great  Antichrist  of  the  last- 
days  ;  and  the  reference  of  the  remarkable  e.cpedition 
tigainst  Palestine  and  Egypt  ^Xi^of  to  the  king  of^  he  nor  thy 
but  to  this  xvilful  king.  Yet  in  both  these  positions  I 
have  the  satisfaction  to  say  that  I  am  supported  by  the 
Very  high  authority  of  the  late  Bp.  Horsley.  A  letter, 
tvhich  I  received  from  him,  contains  the  following  pas- 
sage. "  I  entirely  agree  with  you,  that  the  latter  part  of 
the  11th  chapter  of  Daniel  (i.  e.  all  that  follows  the  30th 
verse)  has  no  sort  of  relation  to  Antiochus  or  any  of  the 

*  In  one  of  the  last  sheets  which  was  sent  to  me  previoufi  to  the  impression 
-being  struck  off,  I  have  had  it  in  my  power  to  notice  the  assembling'  of  tiie 
Jews  by  Buonaparte  :  but  I  have  Caret'nlly  avoided  indulging  myself  in  any 
speculations  on  this  event. 

t  Dan.  xi.  3^39.  *  Dan.  si.  40—45. 

VOL.  I.  3 


!8 

Syrian  kings.  And  the  wilful  kin.s;  of  the  last  ten  verses 
I  can  iTnderstand  of  nothing  but  the  great  Antichrist  of 
the  last  ages."  Tliis  alone  is  a  sufTiciently  explicit  de- 
claration, tliat  his  Lordship  conceived  the  wilful  king  to 
be  the  subject  of  all  the  last  ten  verses  of  the  1 1th  chap- 
ter, and  that  he  did  not  refer  the  si.v  last  of  those  ten 
verses  to  the  king  of  the  north,  as  Mr.  Whitaker  main- 
tains that  we  ought  to  do.  If  however  the  declaration 
contained  in  the  Bishop's  letter  to  me  required  any  ex- 
planation, a  most  full  explanation  of  it  would  be  found 
in  his  Lordship's  letter  to  Mr.  King  on  Isaiah  xviii. 
He  there  scruples  not  to  avow  his  belief,  that  in  the 
monstrous  tyranny  of  infidel  France,  he  beheld  the  rise 
of  the  Antichrist  of  the  West,  or  at  least  of  a  principal 
and  conspicuous  branch  of  Antichrist:  and  to  this  An- 
tichrist thus  interpreted,  the  Antichrist  depicted  in  Dan. 
xi.  06 — 39,  he  unreservedly  ascribes  the  whole  expedi- 
tion into  Palestine,  foretold  in  Dan.  xi.  40 — 45  ;  adding, 
in  perfect  harmony  with  ver.  45,  that  he  thinks  there  is 
ground  for  believing,  as  the  early  fathers  believed,  "  that 
Palestine  is  the  stage  on  which  Antichrist,  in  the  height 
of  his  inapiety,  will  perish."*  Thus  it  appears,  that  his 
Lordship  held  the  very  opinion  which  drew  upon  me 
the  censure  of  Mr.  Whitaker.  He  supposed  Daniel's 
wilful  king  to  be  the  great  Antichrist  of  the  last  ages  ; 
lie  supposed  the  great  Antichrist  of  the  last  ages  to  be 
infidel  France ;  and  he  supposed,  that  the  expedition 
into  Palestine  would  be  undertaken  by  the  great  Anti- 
christ or  the  wilful  king,  and  consequently  not  by  the 
kins:  of  the  north. 

Nov.  24,  I8O6. 

•  See  Kp.  Horsley's  Letter  on  I&alah  svlii.  p.  102, 105,  106, 107, 108,  8^,  87. 
£8,  98,  lUJ,  104,  103,  and  see  Uie  citfttion  from  this  letter  in  the  second  vol 
umc  of  tliC  present  work. 


CONTENTS. 


VOL.  I. 

CHAP.  L 

General  statemejit  of  the  subject. 

THE  1260  years  cannot  have  any  connection  with  the  persecutions 
^of  piig.in  Rome,  p.  25. — They  are  the  period  of  the  doniinuncx  of 
the  great  Apostacy,  and  of  the  reign  of  the  two  little  horr.s,  p.  27.—. 
They  conipreheHd  likewise  towards  their  conclusion  the  tyranny  of 
the  Infidel  king,  who  was  destined  to  arise  after  the  era  of  the  Re- 
formation, p.  35. — At  the  end  of  the  126©  years  all  these  enemies  of 
God  will  be  destroyed,  and  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  will  com- 
mence, p.  36.— These  matters  are  predicted  in  four  of  the  prophecies 
of  Daniel.  1,  The  dream  of  Nebuchadnezziu-.  2.  The  visior.  of 
the  four  beasts.  3.  The  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he~goat.  4.  The 
latter  end  of  the  prophecy  of  the    Scripture  of  trutl-,  p.  36. — With 

these  four  prophecies  the  Apocalypse  is   closely  connected,  p.  46 

This  grand  chronological  prediction  contains  a  history  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  from  the  days  of  St.  John  to  the  end  of  the  world,  p.  47.— -It 
is  divided  into  three  successive  periods  of  seven  seals,  seven  trumpets, 
and  seven  vials,  p.  48. — Under  the  three  last  trumpets  the  period  of 
1260  days  is  comprehended  ;  the  final  trumpet  containing  the  seven 
vials,  p.  49.— .This  period  is  equal  to  the  whole  duration  of  the  great 
two-fold  Apostacy  in  its  dominant  state,  p.  49  .—The  History  of  the 
Apostacy  is  detailed  in  two  distinct  parallel  prophetic  lines,  p.  50.. — 
The  little  book  contains  the  peculiar  history  of  the  Western  Apos- 
tacy under  all  the  three  woe-trumpets,  p.  SI. — .Under  the  last  woe- 
trumpet  Antichrist  is  fully  revealed,  p.  52. — This  last  woe-trumpet 
comprehends  along  with  its  seven  vials  two  remarkable  periods  of 
God's  wrath,  the  harvest  and  the  vintage,  p.  54 The  harvest  syn- 
chronizes with  the  three  first  vials;  and  the  vintage  with  the  last 
vial,  p.  55.— After  all  the  vials  have  been  poured  out,  and  the  enemies 
of  the  Lord  have  been  destroyed,  the  Millennium  will  commence, 
p.  56. — Points  of  correspondence  between  the  prophecips  of  Daniel 
4nd  §t.  John,  p.  5,9. 


CHAP.  IL 

On  the  symbolical  language  of  Jirofihecy. 

One  symbol  docs  not  represent  many  different  things,  though  one 
vhlng  is  frequently  represented  by  many  diilerent  symbols,  p.  62.— 


20 

Symbols  typify  at  once  both  temporal  and  spiritual  things,  provided  the 
matlers  thustypificd  havcaiiuituul  relation  and  correspondence,  p.  63. 
— Svn.bols  may  be  reduced  into  various  classes. —  1.  Heaven,  -with  its 
suboi'dinate  symbols,  p.  64. — 2.  Earth,  witli  its  subordinate  symbols, 
p.  65. — 3.  A  city,  ^vith  its  subordinate  symbols,  p.  68. — 4.  A  woman, 
1).  72. — 5.  A  vine,  p.  73. — 6.  A  beast,  vith  its  subordinate  sytti" 
Dols,  p.  73. 


CHAP.  HI. 

Concerning'  the  scriptural  fihrases  of  the  latter  day  s^  the  last  days^and 
the  ti7nc  of  the  e7id. 

In  the  old  Testament,  the  phrases  of  the  latter  days  and  the  last 
days,  are  synonymous  ;  for  the  original  expression,  thus  variously 
translated,  is  the  end  of  days,Y)-  77. —  ^he  end  of  days  denotes  pri- 
marily any  time  yet  to  co?ne,  but  secondarily  the  period  of  the  Millen^ 
7U117H,  p.  78. — In  the  new  Testament,  the  last  days,  when  not  spoken 
of  prophciically,  signify,  the  ivhcle/u-riod  of  the  Gospel  disJiensa:io7iy 
p.  80. — But,  when  the  latter  days,  and  the  last  dtiys,  are  spoken  of 
prophetically,  tlien  they  bear  two  entirely  distinct  significations,  p.  80. 
.—In  this  case,  the  laiu-rdays  import  fhereig7inf  snperstiiion,  which 
continues  during  the  greater  part  of  the  Aposlacy :  while  the  last  days 
Tucan/Af  rciff7i  of  Jlrhtisinand  l7ifidelity, which  openly  commences  un- 
der the  lastwoe-trumpet  towards  the  termination  of  the  Aposiacy,  p.  81. 
— The  propriety  of  this  distuiction  appears  from  a  survey  of  the  dif- 
ferent prophecies  professedly  descriptive  of  the  latter  days  and  the 

last  days,  p.  82 ^Vhat  we  are  to  understand  by  the  term  Jntichrist^ 

p.  ST.— The  ti/ne  of  the  end  is  the  ter/ni/ia-ion  of  the  126G  day  ft  ;  and 
it  apparently  extends  through  tlie  75  years,  which  intervene  between 
that  termination  and  the  commencement  of  the  Millennium,  being 
the  period  of  God's  great  controversy  with  his  enemies,  p.  91. 


CHAP.  IV. 

Concer7iing  the  tvjo  first  prophecies  of  Daniel^  and  the  little  horn  of 
the  fourth  beast. 

From  the  days  of  Nebuchadnezzar  tc  the  commencement  of  the 
Millennium,  there  arc  to  l)c  no  more  than  four  empires,  universal 
&o  far  as  the  Church  is  concerned  :  the  Babylonian  ;  the  Medo-Per- 
bian  ;  the  Macedonian  ;  and  the  Honmn,  p.  98. — These  are  doubly 
symbolized  by  the  difierent  parts  of  a  large  human  image,  and  i)y  four 
distinct  beasis,  p.  98. — The  last  or  Ronvan beast  is  described  as  hav- 
ing ten  horns,  and  a  little  horn  rising  up  among  and  behind  them,  p. 
py.: — The  history  of  the  little  horn  is  not  an  epitome  of  the  whole 
Jijstory  of  Antichrist,  considered  jts  Papal,  Moh^inimedan,  and  In- 


21 


CA.)  T.   102— Nor  is  the  little  horn  itself  revolutionary  France,  p, 
106  -On  the  contrary,  it  is  the  Papacy,  p.  1 17.-Yet  it  cannot  be  the 
temnoi-al  kingdom  of  the  Papacy;  but  must  be  that  spu-,tual  kmg- 
dom  of   he  Bishop  of  Rome,  which,  small  as  it  originally  was,  grew 
at  Leth  into  a  catholic  spiritual  empire,  symbolized  by  the  second 
beS  tie  Apocalypse,  p.  I17.-It  was  to  arise  during  the  period 
that  the  Roman  empire  was  divided  into  ten  kingdoms,  p.  11 9. -It 
wasto  be  harmless  during  the  first  part  of  its  existence  ;  but.  after 
the  s^ts  had  been  given  by  the  secular  power  into  its  hand,  it  was 
Jo  become  an  univei  sal  ecclesiastical  tyrant,  utterly   offensive  _m  the 
eves  orcod  p     19.-At  that  period  of  their  being  thus  given  mto  its 
hind,  he  1260  days  of  the  great  Apostacy  of  the  man   of  sin,   con- 
sSei4d hi  its  dominant  state,  commenced,?.  1 20.~Exact  correspon- 
dence of  the  character  of  the  little  horn  with  ^l^e  character  of   the 
Papacy,  p.  127.-The  three  horns,  which  were  to  be  plucked  up  be- 
fore the  little  horn,  are  not  the  Greek  sovereignty  m  Italy,  the  kmg- 
dom  of  the  Lombards,  and  the  western  imperial  authority  in  Italy,  p. 
IS^lNeither  are  they  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna,  the  kingdom  of 
the  Lombards,  and  the  state  of  Rome,  p.  1 32.-But  they  are  the  kmg- 
1  o    the  Heruli,  the  kingdom  of  the  Ostrogoths,  and  the  kingdom 
o?The  Lombards,  p.  1 35.-The  body  of  the  foVr%^'^^^Tri44 - 
the  whole  Roman  empire,  both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West,  p.    44.- 
But  the  ten  horns  are  to  be  sought  for  only  m  the  ^Vest,  p.  1 44  — 
FortheConstantinopolitan  Emperor  was   the   representative  of    he 
sixth  head,  and    consequently  cannot   be  esteemed  one  of    the  ten 
honfslile;ise,p.l45.-i.Theten  horns  are  the  ten  kingdoms,  into 
which  the  Empire  was  originally  cUvided,  p.  148. 


CHAP.  V. 


Concernins  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat,  and  the  little  hom. 
of  the  he-goat. 

The  ram  symbolizes  the  same  power  as  the  bear  in  the  preceding 

Vision  ;  and  Uie  he-goat,  the  same  as  the  leopard  ••thejam  therefore 

is  the  Medo-Persian  empire;  and  the  he-goat,  the   Macedonian,  p. 

149.— The  great  horn  of  the  he-goat   is  the  imperial  dynasty  ot 

Alexander,  p.  150.-His  four  horns  are  the  four  Greek  kingdoms 

erected  by  Cassander,  Lysimachus,  Ptolemy,  and  Seleucus,  p.    50.- 

The  little  horn  of  the  he-goat  is  not  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  p.    5  .— 

Neither  is  it  the  Roman  power  in  Macedon  and  the  Last,  p.   151.— 

Nor  is  it  a  compound  symbol,  typifying  at  once  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 

the  Roman  power  in  the  East,  Mohammedism,  and  the  infidel  lepub- 

licof  France,  p.    158.-But  it  relates  to   Mohammedism   alo^ie- 

because  nothing,  except  the   spiritual  empire  of  Mohammed,  cm - 

responds  with  it  in  every  particular,  local,  circumstantial,  and  chi  o- 

nolosricahp.  159.— The  tyrannical  reign  of  both  the  spiritual  little 

horns,  Papal  and  Mohannncdan,  is  to  be  dated  from  the  same  year 

^06,  p.  163.— The  propriety  of  fixing  upon  this  date  snewn,  both 


^^2 

from  the  circumstance  of  the  saints  having  been  deUvcred  into  the 
hand  of  the  Pupal  horn  in  this  very  year,  and  from  its  beinijthe  only 
date  which  will  make  all  the  prophetic  numbers  of  Daniel  harmonize 
together,  p.  164 — Date  of  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  as- 
cei'tumed  by  a  computation  deduced  from  the  year  606,  p.  173. — The 
character  of  the  little  norn  of  the  iie-goat  perfectly  corresponds  with 
the  character  of  Moaammcdism  in  every  particular,  p.  165. — Whence 
it  is  concluded,  that  it  symbolizes  Moharamedism  aiui  nothing  but 
Mohammedism,  p.  2 1  h 


CHAP  VI. 

Concerning  Daniels  last  vision,  and  the  king  tvho  magnijied  himself 
above  every  god. 

The  first  part  of  this  prophecy  is  both  unconnected  with  the  period 
of  the  1260  days,  and  has  been  so  amply  and  satisfactorily  explained 
by  Bp.  Newton,  that  it  is  impossible  to  add  any  new  observations  to 
those  which  he  has  already  made,  p.  212. — But  the  second  pait  is  at- 
tended with  considerable  difliculties,  p.  213. — What  power  did  Daniel 
mean  to  describe  under  the  character  of  tlie  king,  who  vt'asto  mag- 
nify himself  above  every  god  ?  p.  213. — He  is  not  a  compound  pow- 
er, including  both  the  Eastern  Emperors  and  Western  Popes,  p.  213, 
216. — Neither  is  he  a  double  type  ;  relating  piimarily  to  the  Papacy, 
and  ultimately  cither  to  Mohammedism  or  Infidelity,  p.  214,  233. — 
What  are  we  to  understand  by  his  disregarding  the  desire  of  womc»  ? 
p.  225. — He  cannot  be  the  same  power  as  the  man  of  sin,  p.  230 — 
The  power,  which  he  typifies,  must  be  sought  for  after  the  Reforma- 
tion, as  appears  from  the  chronological  series  of  events  detailed  by 
Daniel  previous  to  the  first  mention  of  him,  p.  221,  234.— It  must 
likewise  be  sought  for,  as  is  manifest  from  the  character  of  the  king, 
in  the  last  days  of  Atheism  and  Infidelity,  p.  225. — The  king  however 
is  not  to  be,  like  the  mockers  of  the  last  days,  any  single  individual, 
but  a  nation  composed  of  individuals  who  openly  profess  the  princi- 
ples of  the  mockers,  p.  238. — This  nation  is  revolutionary  France, 
the  long-predicted  Antichrist,  p.  2-'0. — The  Atheism  of  France,  p. 
241. — Her  worship,  notwithstanding  this  Atlieism,  of  a  foreign  god 
and  tutelary  deities,  p.  241. — In  what  manner  she  caused  her  foreign 
god,  and  the  upholders  of  her  tutelaiy  deities,  to  rule  over  many,  p. 
243 — In  what  manner  she  honoured  them  with  desirable  things,  p. 
247. — In  what  m;  nner  she  has  divided  the  land  among  the  upholders 
of  her  tutelary  deities  for  a  price,  p.  248. — Although  the  principles 
of  Antichrist  were  working  even  in  the  apostolic  age,  yet  eventually 
the  main  cause  of  his  success  in  propagating  his  blasphemous  opinions 
■was  the  corrujnion  of  the  truth  by  Popery,  p.  249. — It  was  predicted 
however,  that  some  of  those,  who  had  clean  escaped  from  them  that 
live  in  error,  should  be  deluded  by  the  false  teachers  of  the  last  days, 
p.  251. — This  accordingly  has  hap])encd  in  various  prolestant  coun- 
tries, p.  251 — The  possible  objection,  that  the  French  have  agaiu 


93 

Ci'ofessed  themselves  Christians,  answered,  p.  251. —1.  The  pstah- 
lislied  religion  in  France  is  a  mere  political  puppet,  p.  251— 2.  Th^ 
prophecies  relative  to  the  duration  of  the  great  dominant  Apostacy, 
could  not  have  been  accomplisned,  unless  Antichrist  had  become 
the  avoxved  supporter  of  it,  p.  252.-3.  The  prophecies,  relative  to 
the  great  events  which  are  about  to  take  place  at  the  close  of  the 
1260  years,  could  liOt  have  been  exactly  fulfilled,  xmless  Anticlirist, 
at  some  period  or  another  of  his  existence,  had  actually  lea,L-ued  him- 
self with  the  Papacv,p.  253.— The  wars  of  the  infidel  king  with  the 
kings  of  the  North 'and  the  South  are  not  to  take  place  till  the  time 
of  the  end,  and  consequently  are  still  future,  p.  256.— Such  'ikewise 
is  the  case  with  his  invasion  of  Palestine,  and  his  destruction  there, 
at  the  period  of  the  restoration  of  the  Jews,  p.  267. 


CHAP  VII. 

Of  the  four  first  aj[iocalytiti<:  trwnJieiM. 

The  seven  apocalyptic  trumpets  may  be  divided  into  the  four, 
which  prepare  the  way  for  the  revelation  of  the  man  of  sin  ;  and  the 
three  which  comprehend  the  whole    history  of  the  apostacy   in  its 
dominant  state  both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West,  and  which  are  styled 
ivoe-trumpets,  p.  270. — The  silence  at   the   opening  of  the   seventh 
seal  indicates  the  anxious  expectation  of  the  troubles  about  to  be 
produced  by  the  sounding  of  the  trumpets,  p.  271. — By  the  sounding 
of  the  four  first  trumpets,  he,  that  letted  or  prevented  the  revelation 
of  the  man  of  sin,  is  taken  out  of  the  way,  p.  273.— At  the  sounding 
of  the  first  trumpet,  the  northern  nations,  under  Alaric,  Radagaisus, 
and  Attila,  overrvm  the  Roman  empire,  p.  273. — At  the  sounding  of 
the  second,  Genseric  king  of  the  Vandals  assaults  the  Western  Em- 
pire from  the  South,  and   hurls  it  from  its  base,  like  a  huge  blazing 
mountain,  p.278.— -At  the  sounding  of  the  third,  the  line  of  the  Westertx 
Cesars  becomes  extinct  in  the  person  of  Augustulus,  p.  280. — At  the 
sounding  of  the  fourth,  the  Roman  Empire,  considered  as  one  great 
whole,  experiences  an  eclipse  of  its  poAver  and  splendor, by  the  down- 
fell  of  its  Western  half,  p.  282. — Statement  of  the  grounds  on  which 
this  explanation  of  the  four  first  trumpets  is  adopted  in  preference  to 
that  of  Bp.  Newton,  p.  283. 


CHAP.  vni. 

JOfthe  three  last  aiiocalyfitic  trumfiets^  or,  as  they  are  peculiarly  stifl- 
ed^ the  three  woe-trumpets. 

The  prophecy  here  divides  itself  into  two  distinct  lines,  treating 
severally  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  branches  of  the  great  Apos- 
tacy, p.  215 The  first  of  the  three  W0Q-trumpet5  describes  the  com- 


-24 

menccmcnt  of  the  dominance  of  the  two-fold  Apostacy,  p.  286. — '< 
The  second  represents  it  in  the  zenith  of  its  power,  till  the  primary 
and  only  partial  manifestation  of  Antichrist,  p.  286. — The  third  ex- 
hibits its  downfall,  displaying  at  the  same  tunc  the  multiplied  horrors 
of  the  harvest  and  vintage  of  the  Lord,  or  the  uncontrolled  reign  of 
the  atheistical  king  and  his  subsequent  destruction  along  with  the 
otliei-  enemies  of  God,  p.  286. 


CHAP.  IX. 

Concerning  the  effects  of  the  t%vo first  woe-trumfiets  in  the  East. 

At  the  sounding  of  the  fifth  trumpet,  or  the  first  woe-trumpet,  in 
the  East,  the  Apostate  star  Sergius  opens  the  door  of  the  bottomless 
pit,  and  lets  out  the  impostor  Mohammed  with  his  Saracenic  locusts, 
p.  287 At  the  sounding  of  the  sixth  trumpet,  or  the  second  woe- 
trumpet,  the  four  Sultanies  of  the  Turkish  horsemen  are  loosed  from 
the  river  Euphrates  ;  and,  in  due  season,  slay  the  third  part  of  men, 
or  subvert  the  Constantinopolitjin  moijarchy,  p.  291. 


DISSERTATION,  ^c. 


CHAPTER    I, 


General  Statement  of  the  Subject. 

IN  the  Prophecies  of  Daniel  and  St.  John,  fre- 
cjuent  mention  is  made  of  a  certain  period,  during  which, 
for  wise  purposes,  unknown  to  us,  the  enemies  of  God 
should  be  allowed  to  persecute  and  oppress  his  Church. 
This  period  is  indifferently  described  as  consisting  of 
three  times  and  a  Jialf,  42  months,  or  12.60  days :  for  if 
we  reckon  a  time  or  a  year  to  contain  360  daijs,  42 
months^  or  IQQO  days,  will,  in  that  case,  be  exactly  equal 
to  three  such  years  and  a  half.  In. the  language  of  pro- 
phecy however,  as  it  is  well  known,  natural  years  are 
iermeddays.  Hence  1260  days  mevLW  I'^QO years :  and, 
by  a  parity  of  reckoning,  42  months  mean  so  many  months 
of  years  ;  and  three  years  and  a  half  the  same  number 
of  years  rf  years.  Consequently  the  period,  during 
which  the  Church  is  to  be  oppressed  by  her  enemies, 
amounts  to  1260  nainral  years. ^ 

*  That  days  mean  years,  ma)%  I  tliink,  be  proved,  so  far  as  matters  of  this 
nature  are  capable  of  proof,  from  the  writings  even  of  Daniel  and  St  John  them- 
selves. 

We  may  venture  to  assume,  tliat  the  same  mode  of  computation,  whicli  is 
used  by  these  writers  in  one  passag'e,  Ti'ill  be  used  by  them  in  all  other  passag'es; 
at  least  in  all  those,  wbich  arc  marked  by  the  common  feature  of  treating", 
not  of  the  fate  of  individuals,  but  of  the  fortune  of  communities  Hence,  if 
any  of  their  numerical  prophecies  be  fl^rertf/f/  accomplisiied,  we  shall  thereby 
have  a  clue  for  ascertaining'  the  proper  method  of  interpreting  all  the  rest 

Upon  these  principles,  when  we  find  that  Daniel's  famous  prophecy  of  tlie  70 
7veeks  has  been  proved  by  the  event  of  our  Lord's  advent  to  speak  of  70  weeks 
of  years,  or  490  years,  we  may  infer  that  his  three  years  and  a  half  mean  years  of 
years,  and  that  his  2300,  1290,  and  1335,  days,  mean  the  savie  number  of  natural 
years.  In  a  similar  manner,  finding  equally  from  the  event  that  the  ten  days  per- 
secution of  the  chvrch  of  Swi'rr.nme&n  the  ten  years  persecution  carried  on  by  ])io- 
cletian,  that  thefve  tnonths  ravages  of  the  Saracenic  Iccitsts  mean  150  years,  and 
that  the  year,  the  montr,the  day,  and  the  hour  of  the  Eitpliratean  Iiorseir^en  mean  391 
years  and  \  5  days :  v/e  may  thence  infer,  that  St.  John's  three  years  and  a  hafnre 
years  of  years  ,-  liis  42  months,  months  of  years,-  and  his  1260  days  and  bis  three 
days  and  a  half,  the  same  ninnber  of  natural  years.  But  we  find  that  the  three  years 
and  a  half  the  42  months,  and  the  1560  days,  are  all  plainly  descriptive  of  one  and 

VOL.  r.  4 


'26 

h()[h  Daniel  and  St.  Jolui  have  given  us  abundantly 
sullicient  reasons  for  concluding,  that  this  period  of  per- 
secution and  trouble  has  no  connexion  with  the  per- 
secutions which  f//e  Church  endured  from  the  pagan 
Roman  Emperors.     The  first  of  these  prophets,  in   his 

the  same  period ;  lie^nce  we  are  circumstatitiall;/  led  to  conclude,  even  a  priori, 
that  they  all  denote  the  same  space  of  time-  If  then  we  adopt  the  ancient  mode 
of  con^piiUng  by  years  of  ;3C0  days  each,  we  shall  find,  that  by  such  a  mode  of 
compulation  three  vcars  ami  a  half  exactly  contain  42  -lUonfL^,  or  1260  daus  : 
hence  we  are  numericaUtt  led  to  conclude,  that  tlie  three  expressions  are  only 
different  modes  of  describing  one  and  the  same  period.  The  result  of  the 
whole  is,  that  prophetic  days  mean  years  .-  and  tliat  the  three  years  and  a  half,  the 
42  months,  and  the  1260  days,  are  alike  used  to  denote  12'JU  natural  years. 

I  am  aware  that  o  year  is  sometimes  used  in  its  literal  sense,  as  in  Isaiah  vli. 
8  xxiii.  "iT-  Jerem.  xxv.  11,  12,  and  even  bv  Daniel  himself  when  predicting 
the  punishment  of  the  individual  Nebuchadnezzar  (Dan.  iv.  25.)  ;  yet  other  in- 
stances may  be  brought,  as  well  as  those  already  adduced,  to  prove  that  day.i, 
in  the  language  of  prophecy,  mean  years. 

"After  the  number  of  the  days  in  which  ye  searched  the  land,  even  forty  days, 
each  day  for  a  year,  sliall  ye  bear  your  iniquitie*,  even  forty  years."  (Kumb. 
xiv.  34.)  "Lie  thou  also  upon  thy  left  side,  and  lay  the  iniquity  of  the  house  of 
Israel  ti^^on  it;  according  to  the  number  of  the  days  that  thou  .shalt  lie  upon  it, 
thou  shalt  be.ir  their  iniquity.  For  1  have  laid  upon  thee  the  years  of  their  in- 
iquity, according  to  the  number  of  the  days,  three  hundred  and  ninety  days  : 
so  shalt  thou  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  house  of  Israel.  And,  when  tliou  liast 
accomplished  them,  lie  again  on  thy  right  side,  and  thou  shalt  bear  the  iniqui- 
ty of  tlie  house  of  Judah  forty  days  :  I  have  appointed  thee  each  day  for  a 
year."     (Ezck.  iv.  4,  5,6.) 

The  only  writers,  that  I  have  met  with,  who  are  unwilling  to  allow  (he  three 
timcn  and  a  half  to  be  the  same  period  as  the  1260  duys,  are  Mr.  Burton  and 
Mr.  (i.alloM-ay.  The  former  asserts,  without  a  shadow  of  authority  from 
Daniel,  that  eaih  time  comprehends  70  prophetic  ^l^eelfs,  or  490  years,  mr rely  be- 
cause the  famous  prophicy  relative  to  the  Messiah,  includes  a  i)ciiod  of  70 
■weeks  ;  (Dan.  ix.  24.)  and  he  dates  </je  three  times  and  a  half  horn  ihc  year  ^9, 
or  the  preacliing  of  the  (iospel  to  the  Gentiles  :  consequently  they  bring  him 
down  to  the  year  1764,  when  the  .fesuils  were  suppressed.  Now,  independent 
of  his  having  no  warrant  for  asserting,  that  a  time  comprehends  70  Meik.!,  the 
event  itself  has  shown  him  to  be  mistaken  :  for,  whenever  the  three  times  and  a 
/w//" shall  expire,  the  Jews  will  begin  to  be  restored.  (Sec  Dan.  xii.  7.)  ^  time, 
however,  as  we  leain  from  Daniel  Iiimself,  is  a  year.  (Dan.  iv.  25.)  But,  a  year, 
according  to  the  old  computation,  comprehends  360  days,  not  70  'u:<;cks.  Each 
lime,  theiefore,  mu.st  comprehend  Z60 prophetic  daji.  Consequently  three  such 
times  nrul  a  half  are  exactly  equal  to  1260  days.  W'hence  v.e  may  naturally 
conclude,  that  the  two  expressions  mean  the  same  period.  In  addition  to 
these  objections  to  Mr.  Burton's  scJieme,  it  may  be  observed,  that  Daniel  di- 
rects us  to  date  the  three  times  and  a  half  from  the  era  when  the  suinis  were  de- 
livered into  the  hand  of  the  little  hun.  (Dan.  vii.  25.)  I'he  little  hum,  however, 
was  not  to  arise  until  tlie  Roman  Empire  was  divided  into  ten  Ungdonis.  (Dan. 
vii.  8)  It  will  follow,  thrreforc,  that  the  three  timet  and  a  half  c&nnot  be  dated 
from  the  year  4'',  which  expired  long  before  the  Ei:ipire  was  thus  divided. 
(  Bii' ton's  r.siay  on  the  Numbers  of  Daniel  and  St.  John,  p.  C47.  et  tifru.)  Mr. 
li.ilUnvay  maintains,  that  the  three  times  and  a  half  are  merely  thee  natural 
years  and  a  half  Yet  lie  asserts,  that  the  1260  days  are  not  natural  but  proplietic 
days  The  use  which  lie  makes  of  this  separation  of  the  two  periods  from  each 
other,  shall  be  considered  hereafter.  The  Papists  maintain  the  1260  days  to 
be  mere  natural  days.  This  they  do  for  obvious  reasons. 


9,1 

vision  of  the  four  gj'eat  beasts  or  empireSy^  intimates, 
that  the  power,  into  whcse  hand  the  saints  should  be 
aiven  during  the  appointed  period  of  1260  ijcnrs,  should 
be<^in  to  arise  in  the  age  in  which  the  last  beast,  or  the 
Ro'iimn  Empire,  was  divided  into  ten  horns  or  kingdoms. 
The  Roman.  Empire,  however,  was  not  thus  divided  till 
after  it  had  become  Christian,  and  till  all  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  pagan  Emperors  had  ceased.  Whence  it 
will  necessarily  follow,  that  the  period  of  1260  years 
cannot  include  the  persecutions  of  Paganism,  and  that 
the  power  symbolized  by  the  little  horn  of  the  Roman 
beast  must  be  some  power  at  once  posterior  to  and  dis- 
tinct from  the  line  of  the  pagan  Emperors.  The  second 
of  these  prophets,  in  a  similar  manner,  describes  a  variety'' 
of  important  events -as  taking  place  between  his  own  age 
and  that  in  which  the  1260  years  may  be  supposed  to 
Iiave  commenced;  and,  like  Daniel,  teaches  ns,  that  the 
date  of  those  1^260  i/ears  is  to  be  sought  for,  not  at  any 
era  while  the  Roman  Empire  was  one  great  monarchy, 
but  after  it  had  been  broken  into  ten  kingdoms.  Inde- 
pendent indeed  of  chronological  considerations,  the  very 
term  of  1260  years  plainly  shews,  that  that  period  can 
have  no  relation  to  the  tyranny  of  pagan  Rome.  Con- 
stantine  published  his  famous  edict  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  Christianity,  and  the  abolition  of  all  persecution, 
in  the  year  313.  The  primitive  Church,  therefore,  was 
only  subject  to  the  malice  of  Paganism  during  the  space 
of  313  years  :\  whereas  it  is,  more  or  less,  to  be  sub- 
jected to  the  malice  of  the  little  horn  during  the  space  of 
\'2Q0  years. 

But,  although  the  pagan  Roman  Empire,  has  no  con- 
nection with  the  persecution  of  1260  years,  we  are  evi- 
dently to  look  for  the  grand  promoter  or  promoters  of  it 
within  the  limits  of  the  old  Roman  Empire.  The  little 
horn,  the  ten  horns,  and  the  last  head  of  the  fourth  beast, 
all  arise  out  of  thai  beast  ;  the  Roman  Empire,  therefore, 
must  necessarily  comprehend  every  one  of  these  powers. 

So  again :  since  the  Roman  Empire  had  embraced 
Christianity  pre\ious  to  its   division   into  ten  kingdoms, 

*  Daniel  vii. 
t  This  u-ill  of  course  be  understood  as  only  a  loose  computation.     It  serres, 
however,  for  the  present  purpose,  as  well  as  a  more  exact  one. 


28 

since  all  those  ten  /kingdoms  were  converted  very  soon 
after  tJieir  foundation,  and  since  the  little  horn  is  repre- 
sented as  being  contemporary  with  them,  and  as  spring- 
ing up  among  them  :  the  liltle  horn,  whatever  it  may  be 
designed  tos^mboh'ze,  must  be  some  power  at  least  nomi- 
na'Iij  Christicin.  This  point  is  proved  by  history:  for, 
at  the  time  when  the  Roman  Empire  was  divided,  we 
shall  in  vain  look  for  the  rise  of  any  pagan  power  within 
the  limits  of  the  Empire,  that  at  all  answers  to  the  pro- 
phetic character  of  the  little  horn.  Yet  it  is  manifest, 
that  the  little  horn  must  have  been  long  since  in  exis- 
tence, because  it  is  described  as  first  beginning  to  make 
its  appearance  at  the  era  of  the  division  of  the  Roman 
Empire. 

If  then  the  little  horn  be  the  type  oi  some  Christian 
power,  it  must  be  one  that  has  greatly  fallen  away  from 
the  purity  and  simplicity  of  the  primitive  Church  ;  be- 
cause it  is  described  as  wearing  out  the  saints  during  the 
space  of  three  times  and  a  half  ,  or  \Q,QO  natural  years, 
and  as  speaking  great  words  by  the  side  of  the  Most  High, 
so  as  to  place  itself  upon  an  equality  with  God. 

The  nature  both  of  this  power,  and  of  its  apostaaj,  we 
are  clearly  taught  by  St.  John.  In  the  Apocalypse  the 
same  ten-horned  beast,  or  Roman  Empire,  as  that  men- 
tioned by  Daniel,  is  described  as  standing  in  tlie  wilder- 
ness. Here,  however,  he  appears  without  his  little  horn ; 
and  instead  of  it  is  represented  as  supporting  a  harlot, 
who,  precisely  like  the  little  horn,  is  said  to  be  a  great 
persecutor  of  the  faithful ;  for  St.  John  beheld  her 
"  drunken  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the 
bloodof  the  martyrs  of  Jesus."  Now  we  learn  from  the 
ancient  prophets,  that  an  adulterous  woman  is  the  type 
of  an  aposfale  and  idolatrous  church;^'  the  apocalyptic 
harlot,  therefore,  must  symbolize  some  such  church.  But 
St.  John  tells  us,  that  this  harlot  is  Uie  ^reat  cit\f  which 
in  his  time  reigned  over  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
whoso  seat  of  em})ire  was  founded  upon  seven  hills:  the 
harlot,  therefore,  must  be  some  apostate  church,  whose 
influence  extends  over  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
\vhose  scat  is  in  the  seven-hilled  city  Rome. 

!?  Sec  Isaiah  Ivii.  3—10.    Jerem.  ii.  20.     ili.  1—20.    Ezek.  xvi.  sxili. 


Q9 

As  for  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  aposiacp  with  which 
this  church  is  stigmatized,  it  is  very  largely  described  by 
the  Apostle  in  the  course  of  his  prophetic  vision.  The 
church  in  question  was  to  be  notorious  for  persecuting 
the  saints  of  God ;  for  making  all  nations  drunken  with 
the  cup  of  her  spiritual  fornication  or  idolatry  ;  for  work- 
ing pretended  miracles  ;  for  compelling  the  whole  world 
to  worship  an  image ;  for  laying  such  as  presumed  to 
dissent  from  her  under  the  severest  interdicts ;  and  for 
carrying  on  an  iniquitous  traffic  in  all  sorts  of  valuable 
commodities,  and  (what  distinguishes  her  from  common 
traders)  in  the  souls  of  men. 

This  same  ecclesiastical  powder  is  likewise  described 
by  St.  Paul,  and  its  deflection  from  primitive  Christia- 
nity is  expressly  styled  by  him  an  Apostacy.  "  Now  we 
beseech  you,  brethren,"  says  he  to  the  Thessalonians, 
"  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Ghrist,  and  by  our 
gathering  together  unto  liim,  that  ye  be  not  soon  shaken 
in  mind,  or  be  troubled,  neither  by  spirit,  nor  by  word, 
nor  by  letter,  as  from  us,  as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at 
hand.  Let  no  man  deceive  you  by  any  means :  for  that 
day  shall  not  come,  except  there  come  an  Apostacy  first, 
and  that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of  perdition ; 
who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself  above  all  that  is 
called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped ;  so  that  he,  as  God, 
sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is 
God.  Remember  ye  not,  that,  when  I  was  yet  with  you, 
I  told  you  these  things  ?  And  now  ye  know  what  with- 
holdeth,  that  he  might  be  revealed  in  his  time.  For  the 
mystery  of  iniquity  doth  already  work:  only  he,  who 
now  letteth,  will  let,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way.* 
And  then  shall  that  wicked  be  revealed,  whom  the  Lord 
shall  consume  with  the  spirit  of  his  mouth,  and  shall 
destroy  with  the  brightness  of  his  coming :  even  him, 
whose  coming  is  after  the  working  of  Satan,  with  all 
power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  de- 
cievableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish :  be- 
cause they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they 
might  be  saved.  And  for  this  cause  God  shall  send  them 
strong  delusion,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie  ;  that  they 


30 

all  might  be  damned  who  believed  not  the  truth,    but 
had  pleasure  in  unrighteousness."* 

The  nature  of  this  apostacy,  which  should  be  upheld 
hy  the  man  of  sin,  he  also,  like  St.  John,  elsewhere  sets 
forth  at  large.  "  iVow  the  spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that 
in  the  latter  times  some  shall  apostatize  from  the  faith, 
giving  Jieed  to  seducing  spirits  and  doctrines  concerning 
demons,  through  the  hy})ocrisy  of  liars,  f  having  their 
conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron,  forbidding  to  marry, 
and  commanding  to  abstain  from  meats,  which  God  hath 
created  to  be  received  with  thanksgiving  of  them  which 
believe  and  know  the  truth. — Refuse  profane  and 
old  wives'  fables,  and  exercise  thyself  rather  unto  godli- 
ness. For  bodily  exercise  profitcth  little:  but  godliness 
is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come. "J  Here  we 
learn,  in  addition  to  the  marks  of  the  apostate  church 
given  us  by  St.  John,  that  it  should  be  noted  for  the 
worship,  not  only  of  idols,  but  of  demons  or  canonized 
dead  men ;  for  its  prohibition  of  marriage  to  certain 
classes  of  men :  for  its  superstitious  injunctions  to  abstain- 
from  particular  kinds  of  food ;  and  for  its  attachment  to 
vain  traditions  and  bodily  mortifications,  which  have 
no  warrant  from  scripture,  and  which  are  very  far  from 
being  conducive  to  real  godliness. 

Though  I  have  cited  the  prophecies  relative  to  the  vian 
of  sin  and  the  Apostacy-,  I  shall  purposely  refrain  from 
discussing  the  character  of  that  arch  enemy  of  sound  re- 
ligion, because  I  have  nothing  to  add  to  J3p.  Newton's 
excellent  Dissertation  upon  the  subject.  I  am  aware 
that  some  great  modern  names  have  applied  the  prophecy, 
ol  the  man  of  sin  to  French  Iiffdeliti/ ;  but  1  have  not 
yet  seen  any  arguments  which  convince  me  of  the  pro- 
priety of  such  an  application.     In  evert/  |)articular,  as 

*  2  Thes.  iv.  1. 

f  The  Ingenious  Mr.  Wliitaker  conceives  the  word  ^x^fj^fi'Mv  to  be  an  adjec- 
tive, and  translates  the  passage  "  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits,  and  doc- 
trines et'  wretched  men  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy."  How  far  such  a  transla- 
tion be  allowable  according  to  the  general  idiom  of  the  inspired  writers  of  tlie 
New  Testament,  I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  determine.  It  certiunly  accords 
very  well  with  the  context  of  the  passage.  General  View  of  the  Prophecies 
p.  231. 

*  ITim.  iv.  1 


31 

Bp.  Newton  hath  fully  shewn,  the  prediction  answers  to 
Popery  and  the  Pope :  in  several  particulars  it  by  no 
means  answers  either  to  French  hifidelity  or  the  French 
Republic.  Hence  I  conclude,  that  Bp.  Newton's  inter- 
pretation is  the  true  one  * 

I'he  period,  assigned  both  by  Daniel  and  St.  John  to 
the  tyrannical  reign  of  iJw  man  of  sin  or  the  little  horn  of 
the  Roman  beast,  and  thp  dominance  of  the  great  ivestern 
Apostacy,  is  three  times  and  a  half  or  1260  years.  Here, 
therefore,  we  must  define  the  proper  mode  of  dating  that 
period. 

In  prophecies,  which  are  strictly  chronological,  the 
overt  acts  of  communities,  or  the  heads  of  communities, 
are  necessarily  alone  considered  in  the  fixing  of  dates ; 
because  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to  know  how  to 
date  any  particular  period  from  the  insulated  and  unau- 
thorized acts  of  individuals.  But  in  prophecies  which  are 
not  strictly  chronological,  the  scope  is  much  more  wide, 
and  much  less  definite ;  extending,  not  merely  to  com- 
munities and  their  heads,  but  to  every  individual  whose 
actions  the  prophecies  may  describe.  On  these  grounds 
there  are  two  entirely  different  dates  to  the  Apostacy. 
The  first  is  its  date  when  considered  as  relating  to  indi- 
Didnals :  the  second  is  its  date,  when  considered  as  relat- 
ing to  that  community  over  which  the  man  of  sin  presides. 
St.  Paul  describes  the  apostacy  in  its  first,  or  individual 
character ;  Daniel  and  St.  John  sj)ecify  its  triumphant 
duration  in  its  second  or  general  character.  Now  it  is 
manifest,  that  the  date  of  the  Apostacy,  when  consider- 
ed individually,  is  the  very  day  and  hour  when  any  single 
Christian  individual  was  first  guilty  of  Ri\y  one  of  those 
acts  which  characterize  the  Apostacy  ;  and  it  is  equally 

*  In  one  point,  however,  I  certainly  think  his  Lordship  mistaken.  He  singu- 
larly confounds,  as  it  appears  from  his  citations,  the  man  of  sin,  whom  he  rlght- 
lyjudges  to  be  the  first  little  horn  mentioned  by  Daniel,  both  with  the  second  Ht- 
lle  horn,  andwitli  the  king  -who  maginfied  himself  above  every  god.  Thus  he  makes 
the  tivo  little  horns  and  the  king  to  be  all  one  and  the  same  poiver  ;  herein  being 
inconsistent  even  with  his  own  scheme  of  interpretation,  which  had  previous- 
ly i*epresented  the  second  little  horn  as  the  Eoman  Empire  invading  the  East  by 
■way  of  Macedon.  Mr.  Kett,  agreeably  to  his  favourite  plan  of  double  accom- 
plishments of  the  same  prophecy,  fancies,  that  the  man  of  cin  is  at  once  both  the 
Papal  and  the  Infidel  potutr.  (Compare  Hist,  the  Interp!  Vo!  ii.  p.  'lo,  24.  with 
Vol.  i.  p.  381.)  I  shall  hereafter  shev.%  that  such  a  plan  is  altogelha-  un- 
tenable. 


m 

manifest,  that  this  date  never  can  be  ascertained  by  i?iaih 
but  is  known  unto  God  alone.     \Ve  can  say,  indeed,  in 
general  terms,  that  monkish  celibacy,  and  a  superstitious 
veneration  of  saints  and  angels,  were  creeping  fast  into 
the  Church  during  the  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  centuries ; 
but  we  shall  find  it  impossible  to  point  out  the  precise 
year  of  their   commencement.      Such    being  the   case, 
Daniel  and  St.  John,   in  their  chronological  prophecies, 
consider  the  Apostacy  only  in  its  public  and  mttlwrized 
capacity  ;  and  teach  us  to  esteem /^/z^*  1'260  years,  as  being 
the  period  of  the  public  dominance  of  the  Apostacy,  not 
of  its  individual   contiimance.      Accordingly  they   both 
specify,  with  much  exactness,  the  era,  from  which  those 
years  are  to  be   computed.     Daniel   directs  us  to  date 
them  from  the  time  w^hen  the  xainfs  ivcre  by  some  public 
act  of  the  state  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  little  horn  : 
and  St.  John,  in  a  similar  manner,   teaches  us   to  date 
them   from  the  time  when  the  woman,  the  true  Churchy 
fled  into  the  wilderness  tioni  the  face  of  the   serpent i 
when  the  mystic  city  of  God  began  to  be  trampled  under 
foot  by  a  new  race  of  Gentiles,  or  idolaters ;  when  the 
great  Roman  beast,  which  had  been  slain  by  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  re\dved  in  its  bestial  character,  by  set- 
ting up  an  idolatrous  spiritual  tyrant  in  the  Church,  or, 
as  Daniel  expre?ses  it,  by  delivering  the  saints  into  the 
hand  of  such  a  tyrant ;  and  when  the  witnesses  began  to 
prophecy  in  sackcloth.     A  date,  which  will  answer  to 
these  concurring  particulars,  can  certainly  have  no  con- 
nection with  the  mere  acquisition  of  a  temporal  princi- 
pality by  the  Pope.     It  seems  most  probably  to  be  the 
year,  in  which  the  Bishop  of  Rome  was  constituted  su- 
preme head  of  the  Church,  w  ith  the  proud  title  of  Uni- 
versal Bishop:  for  by  such  an  i\c\   the  whole  Church, 
comprehending  both  good  and  bad,  both  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High  and  those  who  were  tainted  with  the  gentil- 
ism  of  the  Apostacy,  considered  individually,  were  formal- 
ly given  by  the  chief  secular  power,  the  head  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  into  the  hand  of  the  encroaching  little  horn.    This 
year  was  tlie  year  606,  w  hen  the  reigning  Emj)eror  Pho- 
cas,  the  representative  of  the  sixth  head  of  the  beast,  de- 
clared Pope  Boniface  to  be  Universal  Bishop :  and  the 


<io 

Roman  church  hath  ever  since  shown  itself  to  be  Uial  lit- 
tle horn,  into  whose  hands  //ze  ^(^//z/^^  were  then  delivevecl, 
by  styhng  itself,  with  equal  absurdity  and  presumptioiij 
the  Catliolic  or  universal  Church.  The  year  6o6  then 
seems  to  be  the  date  of //^<?  1260  years,  and  the  era  of 
what  St.  Paul  terms  the  revelation  of  the  man  of  sm.  The 
Apostacy,  in  its  individual  capacity,  was  already  in  exis- 
tence ^^7'^  wV??;  9  to  such  revelation;  hence  he  represents  it 
as  commencing  before  it :  but,  as  soon  as  the  vian  of  sni 
M'as  openly  revealed,  by  having  the  saints  delivered  into 
his  hand,  then  apparentlj^  commenced  the  1:^50  years  of 
iiie  Apostacy  in  \ts public  and  dominant  ci\\^iidiy^^^ 

Hitherto  I  have  s]3oken  only  of  the  western  Apostacy 
of  tlie  Romish  Ctmrch,  predicted  by  8t.  Paul,  and  repre- 
sented by  Daniel  under  the  symbol  of  «  Utile  liorn  spring- 
ing up  out  of  the  fourth  or  Roman  beast,  which  should 
exercise  a  tyrannical  authority  over  t/ie  saints  during  the 
period  of  13l"60  years  ;  I  must  now  notice  t/ie  contempo- 
rary eastern  Apostacy  of  ATohammedism. 

In  the  A])ocalypse,  St.  John  describes  the  origin  of  this 
false  religion  at  the  beginning  oi  tlte  first  ivoe-trumpet ; 
the  blast  of  which  introduces,  in  the  self-same  year  QOQ, 
the  universal  episcopacy  of  the  Roman  prelate,  and  the 
commencement  of  Mohammedism.  From  the  description, 
which  he  gives  us  of  the  rise  of  Mohammedtsyn,  it  appears, 
that  we  are  to  consider  it  in  the  light  of  an  apostacy,  no 
less  than  Popery,  though  an  apostacy  doubtless  of  a  very 
different  nature.  A  star  which  had  fallen  from  heaven, 
or  an  apostate  Christian  minister,  is  said  to  open  tlie  bot- 

*  I  with  pleasure  strengthen  myself  with  the  concurring  opinion  of  Mr.  Whit- 
aker,  relative  to  the  proper  inode  of  dating  the  1-60  years:  and  the  more  so,  be- 
cSiuse  my  own  sentiments  on  the  subject  were  decidedly  formed,  so  far  as  we 
may  be  allowed  to  form  sentiments  on  such  a  subject,  p.  evious  to  my  knowing 
what  he  hadwritten  respecting  it.  "  When  then  were  they  (the  saintsjt\\y\s  giv- 
en into  his  Cthe  little  horii's)  hand  ;  and  any  authority,  that  may  be  called  unl- 
T-ei'sal,  granted  to  the  Pope  ?  Was  it  not,  when  he  was  first  acknowledged  Uni- 
i-ersal  Hishop  ?  'I"hen  did  he  become  a  monarch  diverse  from  the  iirst.  Then 
were  the  souls  of  men,  an  article  of  merchandize  in  the  m)st:c  Babylon,  given 
into  his  hand.  And  so  well  was  this  title  dtemed  to  merit  the  rej)roach  of 
speaking  great  tilings,  tliat  Mr  Gibbon  has  made  the  foP.uwing  remark  on 
fjregor_v.  '  In  his  rival  tiie  Patriarch  of  Constantinopie,  he  condemred  tlie  Jlnti^ 
christian  title  of  Universal  Bishop,  ivhich  tlie  successor  of  St.  Peter  ivas  too  hmig-h- 
t>!  to  concede,  andtoo  feeble  to  assume  '  Yet,  within  a  few  ^Lars,  in  , he  year  606, 
did  Boniface  assume  the  title  of  Universal  Bishop,  in  viriue  of  a  grant  from  the 
•yrant  Phocau."     General  r.nd  conn-ected  Vievr  of 'she  Proi^ijecic's,  u.  i'07,  V.OS. 

vor,.  T.  .J 


^4 

iomles:i  pit,  nudtolet  o\it  ApcUyon  and  his  j/guralive  lo- 
(uslsj  and  we  sliall   liiul,    in  exact  harmon}'  with  the 
pro{)hccv,  that  Mohammed  ism  is  in  realify  a  Sd't  of  cor- 
rupted nud  apostate  Ckristiaiiiii/.      Like  the  divine  reli- 
gion of  the  Messiah,  it  claims  to  be  a  revelation  from  God, 
at  the  hand  of  an  inspired  prophet,  to  call  the  world  from 
the  vanities  of  polytheism  to  the  worship  of  the  one  true 
God,  and  to  decUire  authoritatively  a  state  of  future  re- 
winds and  punishments.     Like  the  Gospel,  it  professes 
to  build  itself  upon  the  law  of  Moses  ;  and  allows  the 
divine  commission  both  of  the  Jewish   legislator,  and  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.     But,  borrow  ing  the  pecu- 
liar tenet  of  the  fallen  star,  it  pronounces  the  Saviour 
of  the  world  to  be  a  mere  nicn-tal,  and  makes  void  the 
whole  of  the  Gospel;  it  contaminates,  with   licentious 
impurity,  the  doctrine  of  luture  retribution;  it  presump- 
tuously thrusts  the  Messiah  from  his  oHice;  and,  like  its 
fellow  apostacy  Popery,  it  propagates  and  upholds  itself 
by  the  sword.     It  appears,  moreover,  from  a  computation 
which  will  hereafter  be  made  from  t!ie  numbers  of  Dan- 
iel, that,  like  Popery,  it  is  to  reign  precisely  IQ60  years  ; 
and  consequently,  since  doth  these  apostacies  commenced 
Ui  the  same  year,  that   they  are  both  likewise  to  begin  to 
be  overthrown  in  the  same  year.      Of  this  jieriod  nearly 
twelve  Qcniuries  have  already  elapsed  :  we  arc  thccforo 
fast  approaching  to  the  Vnne  of  the  end,  and  to  the  day  of 
God's  controversy  with  the  nations.      The   prosperous 
i\\XTAi\o\\X\\2noi  Mohammedism   being  the  very  same   as 
the  prosjierous  duration  oi  Popery,'^  and  each  being  con- 
sidered by  the  inspired  a\  ritcrs  as  an  apostacy  or  dejlec- 
tion  frovi  pure  Christianity,  we  shall  not  wonder  to  find 
them  botl)  represented  by  the  very  same  symbol  of  a  little 
horn.     Accoidingly,  as  we  shall  hereafter  sec,  Daniel  de- 
scribes Poj'cry,  or  the  wcstcru  apostacy  of  the  vian  of  sin, 
under  the  image  of  fl  little  horn  springing  up  among ///r 
ten  conternporarii   horns  of  the   Horn  an  beast;  while  h^ 
predicts  the  tyranny  oi Mohammed isvi,  or  the  eastern  apos- 
tacy founded  upon  the  anli-trinit;.rian  doctrines  of  the 
fallen  star,  under  the  kindred  image  of  another  little  horn 

•  The  leailcr  will  of  course  understand  that  1  mean  I'uf/erv  proper lu  go  calh-n. 
or  lite  rci^n  of  the  lilflf  horn  after  (Ik  saints  hail  been  rciicii  into  his  hanii. 


35 

arising  out  of  the  ruins  of  ojw  of  the  four  Greek  horns  of 
the  yiacedonian  6easL* 

These  t\\  o  great  enemies  of  the  Gospel  flourish  during 
the  whole  space  of  the  1:260  2/ears  comprehended  under 
the  three  woe-trumpets ;  a  third  enemy  is  predicted  as 
arising  tovviirds  the  close  of  those  yecars,  as  continuing 
only  a  short  space  of  time,  and  as  perishing  firmly 
leagued  with  Popery  at  the  veri)  time  of  the  eiid,  or  after 
tiie  termination  of  the  \^<Q0 years.  St.  John  brings  hnn 
upon  the  grand  stage  of  the  world  with  the  blast  of  the 
third  woe-trumpet^  and  foretells  that  his  open  develope- 
ment  should  be  immediately  preceded  by  the  fall  of  a 
tenth  part  of  the  great  Roman  City.  The  miseries,  with 
which  he  should  afflict  mankind,  he  liguratively  de- 
scribes as  a  harvest  oj  God's  wrath  which  should  precede 
the  dreadful  vint^ige  of  the  time  of  the  end  ;  and  he  sets 
forth  more  distinctly  the  nature  of  those  miseries  under 
the  pouring  out  of  a  certain  number  of  tlie  seven  vials. 
Daniel  describes  the  same  pojver,  as  a  king  or  state  rising 
up  after  the  era  of  the  Reformation ,  and  marked  by  a 
lawless  contempt  for  all  religion.  And  St.  Paul,  St.  Pe- 
ter, and  St.  Jude,  concur  in  describing  with  wonderful 
accuracy  the  principles  which  should  be  adopted  by  the 
adherents  oi  this  power.  As  for  St.  John,  in  addition  to 
Avhat  he  has  said  upon  the  subject  in  the  Apocalypse, 


of  the  he-goat 

ker's  opinion  on  the  subject.  '"  In  the  seventh  chapter  of  Daniel  there  is  evi- 
dently given  the  prediction  o?  the  oiian  of  sin,  or  the  slavery  of  the  Jp'estern  evi- 
pire  ;\nd  in  the  eighth  appears  to  be  described  the  rise  and  progress  ofJIoham- 
'ined  and  liis  followers,  or  the  subjugation  of  the  Eastern.  I  here  use  the  language 
of  hesitation,  not  from  any  doiibt,  but  from  a  sincere  desire  to  avoid  any  just 
iinputation  of  arrogance  in  bringing  forward  an  interpretation,  in  wliich  I  am 
not  patronized  by  any  preceding  writer.  Let  however  only  the  latter  part  of 
the  vision  of  the  Ravi  and  the  Goat  be  seriously  considered  ;  and  I  think  the 
rise,  the  progress,  and  the  character,  rf  Mo havivied  will  he  "  fuUy  manifest." 
(Gen,  View  ofthe  Proph.  p  91,92.)  Mc  Whilaker  would  have  expressed 
himself  with  greater  accuracy  had  he  considered  the  little  horn  as  being  Mo- 
hammedisin,  instead  oi  .Mohamtned  and  hi'sfolloivers.  Ills  present  mode  of  in- 
terpreting the  prophecy  has  led  him  into  the  error  of  applying  the  expression, 
"  he  shall  be  broken  without  hand,"  (Dan.  viii.  25.)  to  the  dwindling  away  of 
the  Saracenic  empire  and  the  personal  fall  of  Mohammed  ;  whereas  it  relates 
to  the  destruction  of  the  little  horn  itself  or  the  Mohammedan  religion  at  the 
end  of  the  period  mentioned  in  the  14th  verse;  for,  xl  the  king  of  fierce  counte- 
nance, be  tht  little  horn,  the  hreckivg  ofthe  king  must  h^the-brer.lring  nfthekontii 
Gen.  View  of  the  Proph.  p,  1?'!. 


S6 

he  teaches  us,  that  the  leading  badge,  whereby  this  mon- 
ster whom  he  styles  Avticliriri  might  be  known,  should 
be  an  open  denial  of  the  Father  and  the  Son* 

At  the  conrnevcemcvt  of  the  time  of  the  nid,  which  syn- 
chronizes with  the  termination  of  the  IQ.i^O  years ^  when 
the  judgments  of  God  begin  to  go  forth  against  these 
three  enemies  oH  the  Messiah,  the  restoration  rf  the  Jews 
will  commence  ;  and,  when  God's  great  controversy  with 
the  nations  is  fully  decided,  and  when  not  only  Jndah 
but  likewise  the  whole  hou^e  of  Israel  has  been  brought 
back  into  the  land  of  their  fathers,  then  will  begin  the 
long-expected  period  of  millennian  happiness.  This  pe- 
riod, which  is  styled  the  reign  oj  Christ  and  his  saints 
vpon  earthy  or  the  reign  of  the  symbolical  mowdain^  will 
comprize  the  space  cither  of  1000  years  or  of  o60,000 
years,  according  as  the  number  predicted  be  composed 
of  natural  or  proj)hetic  years.  Which  of  the  two  be  in- 
tended by  St.  John,  the  event  must  determine. 

These  are  the  principal  matters,  of  which  the  prophe- 
cies relative  to  the  1'260  years  will  be  found  to  treat. 
Previous  to  my  discussing  them  at  large,  I  shall  bring 
together  in  one  point  of  view  the  four  predictions  of 
Daniel  which  relate  to  them,  and  afterwards  briefly  state 
the  manner  in  which  I  conceive  the  Apocal^^pse  ought 
to  be  arranged. 

1.  The  first  of  these  four  predictions  is  the  dream  of 
Nebvrhadiiezzar  with  Daniel's  interpretation  of  it. 

"  Thou,  O  king,  sawest ;  and,  behold,  a  great  image. 
This  great  image,  whose  brightness  was  excellent, 
stood  before  thee  ;  and  the  form  thereof  was  terrible. 
This  image's  head  was  of  line  gold,  his  breast  and  liis 
arms  of  silver,  his  belly  and  his  thighs  of  brass,  his  legs 
of  iron,  his  feet  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay.  Thou 
Rawest,  till  that  a  stone  was  cut  out  without  hands, 
which  smote  the  image  upon  his  feet  that  were  of  iron 
and  clay,  and  brake  them  to  pieces.  Then  was  the  iron, 
the  clay,  and  the  brass,  the  silver  and  the  gold,  broken 
to  pieces  together,  and  became  like  the  chalVof  the  sum- 
mer threshing  floors ;  and  the  wind  carried  them  aw'ay, 
thnt  no  place  was  found  for  them  :  and  the  stone,  that 

•  1  John  ii,  22. 


37 

smote  the  image,  became  a  great  mountain,  and  filled 
the  whole  earth.  This  is  the  dream,  and  we  will  tell 
the  interpretation  thereof  before  ti  e  king — Thou  art  this 
head  of  gold.  But  after  thee  shall  arise  another  king- 
dom inferior  to  thee,  and  another  third  kingdom  of  brass, 
which  shall  rule  over  all  the  earth.  And  the  fourth 
kingdom  shall  be  strong  as  iron :  forasmuch  as  iron 
breaketh  in  pieces  and  subdueth  all  things  :  and,  as  iron 
that  breaketh,  all  these  shall  it  break  in  pieces  and  bruise. 
And,  whereas  thou  sawest  the  feet  and  toes,  part  of  pot- 
ter's clay,  and  part  of  iron;  the  kingdom  shall  be  divid- 
ed; but  there  shall  be  in  it  of  the  strength  of  the  iron, 
forasmuch  as  thou  sawest  the  iron  mixed  with  miry  clay. 
And,  as  the  toes  of  the  feet  were  part  of  iron  and  part 
of  clay,  so  the  kingdom  shall  be  partly  strong  and  partly 
broken.  And,  whereas  thou  sawest  iron  mixed  with 
miry  clay,  they  shall  mingle  themselves  with  the  seed  of 
men  :  but  they  shall  not  cleave  one  to  another,  even  as 
iron  is  not  mixed  with  clay.  And  in  the  days  of  these 
kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  which 
shall  never  be  destroyed :  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be 
to  other  people ;  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  con- 
sume all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  foi'ever."* 

2!.  The  second  is  Daniel's  vision  of  the  four  beasts, 
and  the  little  horn  of  the  fourth  beast. 

"I  saw  in  my  vision  by  night;  and,  behold,  the  four 
winds  of  heaven  strove  upon  the  great  sea.  And  four 
great  beasts  came  up  from  the  sea,  diverse  from  one  an- 
other. The  first  was  like  a  lion,  and  had  eagle's  wings : 
I  beheld  till  the  wings  thereof  were  plucked,  and  it  was 
lifted  up  from  the  earth,  and  made  stand  upon  the  feet  as 
a  man,  and  a  man's  heart  was  given  to  it.  And  behold 
another  beast,  a  second,  like  to  a  bear ;  and  it  raised  up 
itself  on  one  side,  and  it  had  three  ribs  in  the  mouth  of 
it  between  the  teeth  of  it :  and  they  said  thus  unto  it. 
Arise,  devour  much  flesh.  After  this  I  beheld,  and  lo 
another,  like  a  leopard,  which  had  upon  the  back  of  it 
four  wings  of  a  fowl ;  the  beast  had  also  four  heads ;  and 
dominion  was  given  to  it.     After  this  I  saw  in  the  night 

*Dan.  ii.  31. 


3S 

visions,  and  behold  a  fourth  beast,  dreadful  and  terrible 
and  strong  exceedingly  ;  and  it  had  great  iron  teeth  :  it 
devoured  and  break  in  pieces,  and  stamped  the  residue 
with  the  feet  of  it :  and  it  was  diverse  from  all  the  beasts 
that  were  before  it :  and  it  had  ten  horns.     1  considered 
the  horns  ;  and,  behold,  there  came  up  among  them  an- 
other little  horn,  before  whom  three  of  the  first  horns 
were  })lucked  up  by  the  roots :  and,  behold,  in  this  horn 
were  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man,  and  a  mouth  speaking 
great  things.     I  beheld,  till  the  thrones  were  set,  and  the 
Ancient  of  days  did  sit,  whose  garment    was  white  as 
snow,  and  the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool :  his 
throne  was  Uke  the  fiery  flame,   and  his  wheels  as  burn- 
ing fire.     A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  be- 
fore   him:    thousand   thousands    ministered   unto   him, 
and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him: 
the  judgment  was    set,    and  the    books   weve   opened. 
I  beheld  then  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great  words 
which   the   horn   spake:    I  beheld   even   till  the   beast 
was  slain,  and  his   body  destroyed,   and   given  to  the 
burning  flame.     As  concerning  the  rest  of  the  beasts, 
they   had  their  dominion  taken   away :   yet  their   lives 
were  prolonged  for   a   season  and  a   time.     I   saw  in 
the  night  visions;    and,    behold,    one  like   the  Son   of 
man  came  with   the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  th6 
Ancient  of  days,  and  they  brought  him.  near  before  him. 
And  there  was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,   and   a 
kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations  and  languages,  should 
serve  him :    his   dominion  is  an   everlasting   dominion, 
which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which 
shall  not  be  destroyed.     I,   Daniel,  was  grieved  in  my 
spirit  in  the  midst  of  my  body,  and  the  visions  of  my  head 
troubled  mc.     I  came  near  unto  one  of  them  that  stood 
by,  and  asked  him  the  truth  of  all  this.     So  he  told  me, 
and  made  me    know   the  interpretation  of  the    things. 
These  great  beasts,  which  arc  four,  are  four  kings,  w^hich 
shall  arise  out  of  the  earth.     But  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High  shall  take  the  kingdom,  and  }X)ssess  the  kingdom 
for  ever,  even  for  ever  and  ever.     Then  1  would  know  the 
truth  of  the  fourth  beast,  which  was  diverse  from  all  the 
others,  exceeding  dreadful,  uhose  teeth  were  of  iron,  and 


his  nails  of  brass  ;  which  devoured,   break  in  pieces,  and 
stamped  the  residue  with  his  ieet ;  and  of  the  ten  horns 
that  were  in  his  head ;  and  of  the  other  which  came  up, 
and  before  whom  three  fell;  even  of  the  horn  that  had 
eyes,  and  a  mouth  that  spake  very  great  things,    whose 
look  was  more  stout  than  his  fellows.     I  beheld,  and  the 
same    horn  made    w^ar    with  the    saints,  and   prevailed 
against  thera  :  until  the  Ancient  of  days  came,  and  judg- 
ment was  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most  High ;  and  the 
time  came  that  the  saints  possessed  the  kingdom.     Thus 
he  said,    The  tourth  beast  shall  be  the  fourth  kingdom 
upon  earth,  which  shall  be  diverse  from  all  kingdoms, 
and  shall  devour  the  whole  earth,    and  shall   tread   it 
down,  and  break  it  in  pieces.     And  the  ten  horns  are 
ten  kings  that  shall  arise  out  of  this   kingdom  :   and  ano- 
ther shall  rise  behind  them  ;"^  and  he  shall  be  diverse  from 
the  first,  and  he  shall  subdue  three  kings.     And  he  shall 
speak  great  words  by  the  side  of  the  Most  Hight,  and 
shall  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  think  to 
change  times  and  laws  :  and  they  shall  be  given  into  his 
hand  until  a  time,  and  times,  and  the  dividing  of  a  time. 
But  the  judgment  shall  sit,  and  they  shall  take  away  his 
dominion,   to  consume  and  to  destroy  it  unto  the  end. 
And  the  kingdom,  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of 
the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to 
the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  whose  king- 
dom is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall 
serve  and  obey  him. "J 

»  I  have  adopted  this  translation  of  the  passage  from  Mr.  Mede  ;    "who, 

Instead  of  after  the  kingdoms,  would  render  tlie  original  expression  behind  them, 
following  therein  tke  Greek  version  aTJo-iuauTwv :  and  he  takes  the  meaning  to  be, 
that  the  trn  horns  were  not  aware  of  the  growing  up  of  Me  iittie  horn,  till  it  over- 
topped thera.  (Works  Book  iv.  Epist.  24.)  In  reality  the  little  horn,  as  we  shall 
hereafter  see,  did  not  spring  up  posterior  in  point  of  time  to  the  ether  horns,  but 
gradually  arose  among  them  during  the  turbulent  period  in  which  the  Roman 
empire  was  broken  into  ten  kingdoms  by  the  northern  nations. 

t  This  is  the  literal  translation  of  the  original  passage  :  and  its  import  I  ap- 
prehend to  be,  not  that  the  little  horn  should  speak  great  words  against  the 
Most  High,  but  that  he  should  arrogantly  place  himself  upon  an  equality  with 
Ciod  ;  or,  as  St.  Paul  expresses  it,  that  he  should  sit  as  God,  in  the  temple  oi 
God,  bliewing  himself  that  he  is  God.  Symmachus  appears  to  me  to  come 
nuich  ne.irer  the  real  meaning  of  the  expression  than  our  present  English  ver- 
sion ;  "  Ut  interpretatus  est  Symmachus,  sermones  quasi  JJeus  loqxtctcr."  Hie- 
rf^n.. Comment.  Vol,  iii.  p.  1103.  cited  by  Bishop  Newton. 

r  Dan.vii.  5. 


40 

3.  The  third  is  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goai, 
and  the  little  hoini  which  was  to  spring  out  of  one  of  the 
four  horns  of  the  he-goat. 

"I  lifted  up  mine  ejes,  and  saw;  and,  behold,  there 
stood  before  the  river  a  ram  which  had  two  horns :  and 
the  two  horns  were  high ;  but  one  was  higher  than  the 
other,  and  the  higher  came  up  last.  I  saw  the  ram 
pushing  westward,  and  northward,  and  southward  :  so 
that  no  beasts  might  stand  before  him,  neither  was  there 
any  that  could  deliver  out  oi  his  hand;  but  he  did  ac- 
cording to  iiis  will  and  became  great.  And,  as  1  was 
considering,  behold,  an  he  goal  came  from  the  west  on 
the  face  oi  the  whole  earth,  and  touched  not  the  ground: 
and  the  iie-goat  had  a  notable  horn  between  his  eyes. 
And  he  can^e  to  the  ram  that  had  two  horns,  which  I 
had  seen  standing  before  the  river,  and  ran  unto  him  in 
the  fury  of  his  power.  And  I  saw  him  come  close  unto 
the  ram,  and  he  was  moved  with  choler  against  him,  and 
smote  the  ram,  and  break  his  two  horns  :  and  there  was 
no  power  in  the  ram  to  stand  before  him,  but  he  cast 
him  down  to  the  ground,  and  stamped  upon  him  ;  and 
there  was  none  that  could  deliver  the  ram  out  of  his 
hand.  Therefore  the  he-goat  waxed  very  great :  and, 
when  he  was  strong,  the  great  horn  was  broken  ;  and  for 
it  came  up  four  notable  ones  toward  the  four  winds  of 
heaven.  And  out  of  one  of  them  came  fourth  a  little 
horn,  which  waxed  exceeding  great  toward  the  south, 
and  toward  the  east,  and  toward  the  pleasant  land.  And 
it  waxed  great  even  against  the  host  of  heaven;  and  it 
cast  down  some  of  the  host  and  of  the  stais  to  the  ground, 
and  stamped  upon  them.  Yea,  he  magnified  himself 
even  against  the  Prince  of  the  host ;  and  by  him  the  daily 
sacrifice  was  taken  away,  and  tl:c  place  of  his  sanctuar}- 
was  cast  down.  And  the  host  Vv  as  given  over  to  him  by 
reason  of  their  transgression  against  the  daily  sacrifice; 
and  it  cast  down  the  truth  to  the  ground,  and  it  })ractised, 
and  })rospered.  Then  I  heard  one  saint  speaking,  and 
anothor  saint  said  unto  that  certain  saint  which  spake. 
For  how  long  a  time  shall  the  vision  last,  the  daily  sacri- 
fice be  taken  away,  and  tlie  transgression  of  desolation 
continue,  to  give  both  the  sanctuary  and  the  host  to  bo 


41 

trodden  under  foot ?*  And  he  said  unto  me,  Until  two 
thousand  and  three  hundred  days  ;t  then  shall  the  sane- 
tu-'ry  be  cleansed.  And  it  came  to  pass,  whm  I,  e  en 
1  Daniel,  had  seen  the  Vision,  and  sought  i'or  the  mean- 
ing ;  then,  behold,  there  stood  before  me  as  the  appear- 
ance of  a  man— And  he  said  unto  me,  Understand,  O 
son  of  man,  for  the  Vision  shall  reach  even  unto  the 
time  of  the  endj — And  he  said.  Heboid,  I  will  make  thee 
know  what  shall  be  in  the  latter  end  of  the  indionation : 
for  it  (the  Vision)  shall  reach  even  to  the  appointed  time 
of  the  end.  The  ram,  which  thou  sawest,  having  two 
horns,  are  the  kings  of  (the  ui":ited  empire  of)  Media  and 
Persia.  And  the  rough  goat  is  the  King  of  Grecia. 
And  the  great  horn,  that  is  between  his  eyes,  is  the  first; 
king.  Now,  that  being  broken,  whereas  fr>ur  stood  up 
in  its  stead,  four  kingdoms  shall  stand  up  out  of  the  na- 
tion, but  not  in  his  power.  And  at  the  end  of  their 
kingdom, 9  when  the  transgressors  are  come  to  theftdl, 
a  king  of  fierce  countenance,  and  teaching  ||  dark  senten- 
ces, shall  stand  up.  And  his  power  shall  be  mightj^? 
but  not  by  his  own  power;  and  he  shall  destroy  won- 
derfully, and  shall  prosper,  and  practise,  and  shall  destroy 
the  mighty  and  the  people  of  the  holy  ones.  And 
through  his  policv  also  he  shall  cause  craft  to  prosper  in 
his  hand;  and  he  shall  magnify  himself  in  his  heart  and 
he  shall  destroy  many  in  negligent  security .H     He  shall 

*  See  Bp  Newton's  Dissert,  xv. 

t  'l"he  Seventy  read  240(J  days,  and  certain  copies  mentioned  by  Jerome  ?200 
days.     These  varying  numbers  will  be  discussed  hereafter. 

:j;  So  the  i,xx  and  the  Arabic  version  translate  this  passage,  and  I  believe 
very  rightly,  as  the  context  indeed  sufficiently  shows.  It  had  just  before  been 
declared,  that  the  length  of  the  vision  should  be  2300  ■lays  :  it  is  no»v  declared, 
that  the  vision  should  be  to  r/.e  tivie  of  the  end  or  to  f.'jf  tennination  of  those 
days  :  and  it  is  immediately  after  declared,  that  it  should  be  to  tie  appointed 
time  of  the  end.  All  these  seem  to  be  only  different  modes  of  specifying:  the 
same  thing,  namely,  xol.at  the  angel  cons  dered  to  be  the  length  fthe  vision. 

%  I'he  meaning  of  the  expression  (if  we  may  judge  from  the  symbolical  part 
of  the  prophecy.)  is,  not  duri„g  the  latter  perio  '  of  titeir  kingdom,  but  after  tlte 
ccmplete  tennination  rf  their  ki.igdom  :  that  is  to  say,  the  king  of  fe.-ce  countC' 
nance  was  to  stand  up,  not  ivhile  they  luereyet  reignifig,  but  some  time  or  other 
after  they  had  ceased  to  reign. 

II  The  word,  here  used  in  the  original,  is  in  the  Hiphil  or  causal  form  ; 
whence  it  will  not  signify  under staiulmg  as  it  is  rendered  in  our  English  trans- 
lation, hwt  cmisijiff  to  understand,  or  teaJiing 

^  1  conceive  the  phrase  to  mean,  '•  lie  shall  destroy  many  while  in  a  state  of 
negligent  stcurity,  and  little  suspecting  that  any  attack  would  be  made  upon 
them  from  that  quarter."  vSee  Parkhurst's  Heb.  Lex.  Vox.  T]^^.)  The  Sev- 
VOL.  I.  6 


also  stand  up  against  the  prince  of  princes ;  but  he  shall 
be  broken  without  hand.  And  the  Vision  of  the  even- 
ing and  the  morning  which  was  told,  is  true  :  wherefore 
shut  thou  up  the  Vision ;  for  it  shall  be  for  many  days."* 

4.  The  fourth  is  contained  in  tlw  latter  end  of  I  lie  elev- 
enth Chapter y  and  extends  to  the  cow^lnsion  of  the  Bonk. 

*'  And  after  him  (Antiochus  Epiphanesf)  arms  shall 
stand  i:p,  and  they  shall  pollute  the  sanctuary  of  strength, 
and  shall  take  away  the  daily  sacrifice,  and  they  shall 
place  the  abomination  that  niaketh  desolate.  And  such 
as  do  wickedly  ag.dnst  the  covenant  he  shall  cause  to 
dissemblej  with  fla>ieries:  but  the  people,  that  do  know 
their  God,  shall  be  strong  and  do  exploits.  And  they 
that  understr.nd  among  the  people  shall  instruct  many  : 
yet  they  ^hall  fall  by  the  sword  and  by  ilame,  by  captivity 
and  by  spoil,  many  days.  Now,  when  they  shall  fall, 
they  sh^U  be  hol;)en  with  a  little  help :  but  many  shall 
cleave  lo  them  with  fl-atteries  And  some  of  them  of 
understanding  shall  fall^  in  purifying  them,  and  in  pu  g- 
ing  them,  and  in  making  them  whitr,  even  to  the  time  of 
the  end  :  because  it  is  yet  unto  thf  time  appointed  And 
(after  this  second  persecution  of  the  men  of  understand- 
ing) a  king  shall  do  according  to  his  will;  and  he  shall 
exalt   himself,   and    magnify    himself  above  every  god, 

enty  and  the  Arabic  translate  the  passajre  "  he  shall  destroy  many  by  fraud," 
which  conveys  an  idea  nearly  similar  There  is  a  passage  in  the  book  of  Jud- 
ges, which  is  an  excellent  comment  on  these  words  of  the  pro])het.  "  Then 
the  five  men  tleparted  and  came  to  Laish,  and  saw  the  people  thil  were  there- 
in, hoiu  they  dwelt  careless,  after  the  manner  f;f  the  Zidonians.  quiet  and  se- 
oure. — And  they  came  unto  Laish,  ur.to  a  people  tliat  were  at  quiet  unJ  secure  .- 
and  they  smote  them  with  the  edfjc  of  the  sw onl,  and  burnt  the  city  with  fire." 
(Judg-.  xviii  7,  27.)  The  same  idea  occurs  in  the  book  t)f  Proverbs :  "  Devise 
not  evil  against  thy  neighbour,  seeing  he  dwelleth  sccurrli/  by  thee'"  (Prov  iii. 
29.  See  also  Ezek.  xxxviii.  11.^  Tacitiis  uses  a  similar  mode  of  expression. 
"  In  latere  Cliaucorum  Cattorumque,  (Iherusci  nimiam  ac  marcentum  diu  pa- 
cem  illacessiti  nutrierunt  :  idque  jucundious  quam  tutius  fuit;  quia  inter  impo- 
tentes  ac  validos  /also  quiescas."     Tac.  de  mor  tierm.  C-  36. 

*  Dan.  viii.  3. 

f  Sec  sir  Isaac  Newton's  Observ.  on  Dan.  c  12.  p.  188,  189. 

^  The  Arabic  version  and  the  i.xx  read  this  verb  plurally  ;  and  I  firmly  be- 
lievf  that  .such  is  tlie  proper  reading,  for  the  Jioman  arms  are  here  spoken  of. 
Hence,  as  it  is  said,  they,  (tlie  arms)  shall  pollute,  they  shall  take  away,  titcy  shall 
place  ;  so  it  seems  to  have  been  likewise  originally  said,  tliey  shall  cause  to  dit- 
scmhle. 

§  That  is  perish.  The  word  used  here  is  tlie  same  as  that  which  occurs  im- 
mediately above,  when  the  men  of  under  atandiv^  are  said  to  fall  by  the  sword 
and  by  flame. 


45 

and  shall  speak  marvellous  things  against  the  God  of 
(rods,  and  shall  prosper  till  the  indignation  be  accom- 
plished: for  that,  that  is  determined,  shall  be  done. 
Neither  shall  he  regard  the  God  of  his  fathers,  nor  (him 
who  is)  tlie  desire  of  women,=*  nor  regard  any  god  :  for 
he  shall  magnify  himself  above  them  all.  Yet,  when  he 
is  established  (in  power,)  he  shall  honour  tutelary  gods 
together  v/ith  a  godf ;  even,  together  with  a  god 
whom  his  fathers  knew  not,  he  shall  honour  them  with 
gold,  and  silver,  and  with  precious  stones,  and  desirable 
things  :  and  he  shall  practise!  (prosperously).  Unto  the 
upholders  of  his  tutelary  gods,5i  together  with  the  foreign 
god  whom  he  shall  acknowledge,  he  shall  multiply  glo- 
ry :  and  he  shall  cause  them  to  rule  over  many :  and  he 
shall  divide  the  land  (among  them,  selling  it)  for  a  price. 
And  at  the  time  of  the  end  a  king  of  the  South  s'  all 
butt  at  him ;  and  a  king  of  the  North  shall  come  against 

*  Such.I  ara  conTinced,  is  the  proper  translation  of  the  phrase  D>Uf2  mOIT. 
It  means,  not  the  Jesh-e  of  women  by  others,  or  the  wish  to  have  ijomen,-  but,  on 
the  contrary,  that -which  wotnen  themselves  desired  to  have.  This  point  will  be 
discussed  at  large  hereafter. 

t  "  Whereas  the  preposition  7  in  TOVh  is  usually  neglected,  I  express  the 
preposition  ^,  and  construe  God  and  Mahuzzitn  apart  as  two ;  mz.  To  or  tO' 
pether  with,  God  he  shall  honour  Mahuzzim.  For  the  preposition  7  is  made  of 
vKi  and  signifies  the  same  with  it,  namely  an  addition  or  adjoining  of  things,  ad, 
juxta,  apud,  to.  besides,  together  with  ;  as  Lev.  xviii.  18.  Thou  shalt  not  take  a 
wife  to  her  sister  HDnK  ^K,  that  is,  together  with  her  sister."  (Mede's  Wciks 
Book  ni.  Apostacy  of  the  latter  times.  Part  I.  Chap.  16.)  Mr.  Mede  suppo- 
ses the  foreign  god  adored  along  with  the  Mahuzzimio  be  Chri^!  ,-  and  render* 
the  passage  "together  with  God  he  shall  honour  Mahuzzim  "  The  foreign  god 
however,  venerated  by  the  king,  certainly  cannot  be  C/zrwf,  both  because  the 
prophet  had  just  before  declared,  that  the  king  should  speak  mar\  ellous  things 
against  the  God  of  gods  ;  and  because,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  he  was  spe- 
cially to  reject  the  worship  of  Christ,  here  represented  as  the  desii  e  of  women. 
or  wives,  as  Haggai  styles  him  the  Desire  of  all  natians.  On  tliese  grounds,  I 
render  the  passage  "  together  with  a  god  he  shall  honour  Mahuzzim,"  rather 
than  "  together  with  God  he  shall  honour  Mahuzzim." 

J  *•  Faciet,  id  est,  mire  succedet  quicquid  agit."  (Calv  apud  Pol.  Syn  i» 
loc  )  "  It  cast  down  the  truth  to  the  ground,  and  it  practised  and  prospered." 
(Dan.  viii  V2.)  The  same  woid  is  used  in  the  original  in  both  these  passages. 
See  also  Rev.  xiii  5,  and  Bishop  Newton's  remarks  upon  the  word  7rot»icr«i  in 
his  DissertHticn  upon  that  Chapter. 

§  "  D'lya  njfDOV,  cu.todibus  Maozim,  ex  1^3— Liquet  ex  verbo  OVU/fSn, 
domin  lis  faciet  eos,  notari  in  vocabulo  ♦Uf3Dj6tr*ona.j,  non  tniinitiones.^*  (Hou- 
bigant  in  loc  ».itcd  b)  Bp.  Newton.)  The  Bishop  himself  considers  the  wocd  to 
mean  defrnuers.  supporters,  or  champiors:  and  these  champions  he  supposes  to 
be  the  popish  /».'  iests  and  incnks.  Though  I  entirety  differ  from  his  Lordship  in 
the  inlerpretcition  of  the  prophecy,  and  though  I  va  unable  to  discover  in  it 
an^  all"sion  to  Popery,  yet  I  think  him  perfectly  right  in  his  translation  of  the 
word  in  question. 


44 

Jiim  like  a  whirlwind,  with  chariots,  and  with  horsemen, 
ana  many  shi'is.  Yet  he  shall  enter  into  the  countries, 
and  sh;dl  overflow,  and  pass  over,  and  shall  enter  into 
th:^  gloiious  land,  and  many  countries  shall  be  over- 
thfown  :  but  these  shall  escape  out  of  his  hand,  even 
Edora,  and  Moah,  and  the  chief  of  the  children  of  Am- 
mon.  He  shall  stretch  forih  his  hand  also  upon  the 
coil  itries:  and  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  not  escape.  But 
he  shall  ha\'e  pou  er  over  the  treasures  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  overall  the  precious  things  of  Egypt :  and  the  Lybi- 
ans  and  the  Ethiopians  shall  be  at  his  steps.  And  tidings 
out  of  the  F'.ast  and  out  of  the  North  shall  trouble  him: 
therefore  he  shailgofoith  with  great  fury  to  destroy,  and 
to  devote  many  to  utter  destruction  under  the  pretext  of 
religion.*  And  he  sh;dl  plant  the  cunains  of  his  pavil- 
ions between  the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain; 
yet  he  shall  come  to  his  end  and  none  shall  help  him. 
And  at  that  time  shall  Michael  stand  up,  th?  great  prince 
which  standeth  up  for  the  children  of  thy  people:  and 
there  shall  be  a  time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since 
there  was  a  nation  even  to  hat  same  time :  and  at  that 
time  thy  people  shall  be  delivered,  every  one  that  shall 
be  found  written  in  the  book.  And  many  of  them  that 
sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake;  some  to  ever- 
lasting life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt. 
And  they  that  unrferstandf  shall  shine  as  the  brightness 
of  the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righte- 
ousness as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.  But  thou,  Dan- 
iel, shut  up  the  words,  and  Feal  the  book,  even  to  the 
tiirie  of  the  end:  many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  know- 
ledge shall  be  increased.  Then  I  Daniel  looked  ;  and, 
behold,  there  stood  other  two,  the  one  on  this  side  of  the 
bank  of  the  river,  r.nd  the  other  oji  that  side  of  the  bank 
of  the  river.  And  one  said  to  the  man  clothed  in  linen, 
which  was  above  the  waters  of  the  river,  l.^ntil  how  long 
shall  br  the  end  of  the  wonders!  And  1  heard  ho  man 
plothed  in  linen,  which  was  above  the  waters  ol  the  ri- 
ver ;  and  ho  held  up  his  right  hand  and  his  left  l)and  unto 
heaven,  and  swear  by  him    that  li\eth  lor  ever,  that  it 

♦  Heb  Dnnrv. 

t  The  per»ons  mentioned  above  Chap.  xi.  33,  35. 


45 

shall  be  until  a  time,  and  times,  and  a  Iialf;  and  when 
he  shall  have  finished   to  scatter   the  [iower  of  the  holy 
people,  all  these  things  shall  be  finished.     And  I  heard, 
but  I  understood  not :    then  said  I,  O  my  Lord,  what  is 
the  end  of  these  things  ?  x\nd  he  said,  Go  thy  way,  Dan- 
iel ;  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  time 
of  the  end.     Many  shall  be  purified,    and  made  white, 
and  tried ;  but  the  wirked  shall  do  wici^edly;  and  none 
of  the  wicked  shall  understand  :  but  the  wise  shall  under- 
stand.    And  from   the  time  that  the  daily  sacrifice  shall 
be  taken  away,   and  the  abomination  that  maketh   deso- 
late set   up,  there    shall  be    computed  a  thousand  two 
hundred  and  ninety  days.     Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth,  and 
Cometh  to  a  thousand  three  hundred  and  five  and  thirty 
days.     But  go  thou   thy  way  till  the   end  be ;  for  thou 
shalt  rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot,  at  the  end  of  the  days."* 
These  Jour  prophecies   of  Daniel-,  when  the  former 
part  of  the  last  of  them  is  added  to  it,  extend  from  his 
own  time  to  the  time  of  the  end.,  or  the  termination  of  the 
1260  days — In  the  first  of  them   he  gives  only  the  tem- 
poral history  of  the  world,  bringing  it  down  however  to 
the  spiritual  victories  of  tJie  stone^   and  the  triumphant 
reign  of  the  rnomitain — In  the  second,  he  gives  the  same 
history   of  the  world,  under  a  different  set  of  symbols ; 
further  introducing  a  power y  not  mentioned  before,  under 
the  denomination  of  a  little  horn-,  into  whose  hand  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High  were  to   be  delivered  diiring  the 
space  of  a  time  and  times  and  the  dividing  of  a  time,  or 
three  prophetic  years  and  a  half-^ln  the  third,  he  gives 
only  a  partial  history  of  the  world ;  totally  omitting  the 
first  and  the  fourth  great  beasts  or  pagan  empire^,  and 
describing  another  wicked  power,  under  the  kindred  sym- 
bol of  a  second  Utile  horn,   which  was  to  come  forth  out 
of  the  dominions  of  the  Macedonian  hegoat,  but  at  the 
last  end,  or  after  the  termination,  of  his  kingdom.     He 
moreover  instructs  us,  that  the  length  of  the  vision,  in- 
cluding the  exploits  of  the  second  little  horn,  should  be 
Q300  days  ;  or,  according  to  the  reading  of  the  Seventy, 
2400  days;  or,  according  to  another  reading  mentioned 

*  Dan.  xl  31—45.  xii  1 — 13.      The  beginning'  of  the  last  four  prophecies  I 
have  omitted,  as  having  no  immediate  connection  witli  my  subject. 


46 

by  Jerome,  Q^OO  dnys — In  the  fourth  prnphen/,  after  de- 
tailing the  fortunes  of  the  Persian  and  Gr^  rk  empif  s, 
after  noticing  the  Roman  conquests  in  the  East,  and  after 
predicting  th-' destruction  of  Jerusalem,  the  persecutions 
of  the  primitive  Christians,  the  conversion  of  the  Empire 
under  Constantine,  the  declension  of  real  piety,  and  the 
second  persecutions  of  the  reformers  under  Popery :  after 
he  has  foretold  all  these  particulars  in  regular  chronolo- 
gical succession,  lie  introduces,  towards  the  close  of  this 
his  last  prophecy,  a  third  power,  under  the  title  of  a  king 
or  Idnndoyriy  describing  it  in  such  a  manner  as  to  lead  us 
to  conclude  that  it  is  the  Antichrist  predicted  by  St.  John. 
While  the  tyranny  of  this  monster  is  at  the  height,  but 
at  some  indefinite  period  after  its  developement,*  he 
teaches  us,  that  the  great  work  oi  *he  redoraiion  of  the 
Jervs  shall  commence.  He  adds,  that  to  the  end  of  the 
w^nders  it  shall  he  three  pmpheiic years  and  a  half  or 
1^60 prophetic  daps ;  and  that  the  wholef  of  them  shall 
not  be  finished,  till  God  has  ceased  to  scatter  his  ancient 
people,  or,  in  other  words,  till  he  has  begun  to  restore 
them.  He  next  informs  us,  that  from  the  taking  away  of 
the  daily  sacrifce,  and  the  setting  up  of  the  abomination 
9 f  desolation y  there  shall  be  1290  days,  which  is  exac'ly 
SO  days  more  than  the  former  number  ;  but  he  does  not 
tell  us  what  particular  event  will  take  place  at  that  era. 
And  he  lastly  pronounces  a  blessing  upon  hirri,  who 
should  wait  and  come  to  a  third  number',  or  1335  days: 
which  is  15  days  longer  than  the  first  member,  and  45 
days  longer  than  the  second  number. 

*  The  wars  oi  the  power  here  predicted,  which  terminate  in  his  destruction, 
Daniel  places  at  t]u  thne  of  the  .  rui ,-  consequently  the  rise  of  the  fiover  must  be 
expected  before  the  time  of  the  end,  though  after  the  Reformation.  Compare 
Dan   \\.  Si,  S6  with  Vi-r   40. 

f  That  is  to  say  the  luho/e  of  the  bonders  comprshended  viithin  the  space  tf  the 
1260  u(trs  These  wonders  tlierefore  do  not  include  the  overtlirow  of  the  Ro- 
tniin  hvasty  of  the  two  little  horns,  and  of  the  viifU  king,  whicii  lakes  place  after 
the  expiration  of  those  years  :  still  less  do  they  include  the  resurrection  of  the 
just  and  the  unjust,  predicted  in  Dan  xii  2-  Very  apposite  is  the  rema  k  of 
Bp-  Newton,  that  the  beitst  is  not  so  much  slain  exactly  at  the  end  of  the  1  60 
yeais,  as  that  the  judgments  of  God  then  begin  to  gnfjrth  against  him  "Tic 
\  -GO  years  of  the  reign  (rf  tk,  beast  I  suppose,  end  with  the  1  ()0  j^ears  of  the 
•witnesses  pn)phesying  in  sackcloth  :  and  now  the  destinefl  lime  is  come  foi  'he 
judf^ments  of  dod  to  ov>Tlake  him  :  for,  as  he  might  exist  bt  fore  t  t  I  60 
yea  s  began,  so  lie  may  exist  UkewiM.-  after  ihey  are  fini jhed,  in  order  to  be 
made  ai»  eminent  example  of  divine  justice. '    Dissert,  xxvi. 


47 

With  the  latter  part  of  these  fovr  prophecies  of  Daniel, 
(he  revelation  of  St.  John  is  immediately  connected,  be- 
m<y  in  fact  only  a  more  minute  and  compr  hensive  ;,Te- 
diction  of  the  same  events.  As  Sir  Isaac  Neu't<  n  justly 
observes,  it  *'  is  written  in  the  sjime  stvle  and  language 
with  the  prophecies  of  Daniel,  and  hath  the  san)e  rela- 
tion to  them  which  they  have  to  one  another,  so  that  all 
of  them  together  make  but  one  complete  jjrophecy."* 

The  Apocalypse  contains  a  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  militant  from  the  days  of  St  J-  hn  to  the  very  end 
of  time.  This  history,  or  at  least  that  part  of  it  which 
relates  to  the  period  of  1260  days,  is  hieroglyphically  de- 
tailed as  a  war  between  the  Lamb  and  the  Dragon-,  or 
between  Christ  and  Satan  :  and  upon  examination  it  will 
be  found,  that  there  is  the  most  exact  antithetical  cor- 
respondence between  their  respective  kingdoms  and  fol- 
lowers. Tlie  Lamb  hath  his  throjie  in  the  midst  of  heav- 
en :  the  Dragon  hath  his  seat  upon  the  earth.  Before 
the  throne  of  the  Lamb  there  is  a  sea  of  crystal,  solid, 
durable,  unfluctuating,  transparent :  in  the  dominions  of 
t^ie  Dragon  there  is  also  a  sea  ;  but,  like  the  natural 
ocean,  it  is  for  ever  turbid  and  restless,  agitated  by  every 
wind,  and  exhibiting  a  surface  perpetually  varying.  Up- 
on the  sea  of  glass,  those,  that  have  gotten  the  victory 
over  the  Dragon  and  his  agent  the  Beast,  stand  eternally 
secure,  having  the  harps  of  God  in  their  hands,. and  sing- 
ing the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb  :  out  of  the  other 
sea  rises  the  Beast  with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  hav- 
ing a  mouth  that  speaketh  great  things,  and  having  upon 
his  heads  names  of  blasphemy.  The  seat  of  the  Lamb 
is  the  holy  city,  or  the  spiritual  Jerusalem  ;  the  strong 
hold  of  t/ie  Dragon  and  the  Beast  is  another  city,  termed 
the  great  city,  or  the  mystic  Babylon.  The  Lamb  hath 
two  witnesses,  his  ministers,  who  prophesy  in  sackcloth 
\9&ddays:  the  Dragon  hath  also  his  minister,  ^/^e/<://^^ 
propliet,  at  whose  instigation  a  new  race  of  gentiles,  com- 
posing the  empire  of  the  ten-horned  Beas\  tread  tlic  holy 
city  underfoot  4"^  months  ;  which  is  the  same  space  of 
time  as  1960  days,  or,  as  it  is  elsewhere  expressed,  three 
times  and   a  half.     Lastly,  in  the  service  of  the  Lamb 

*  Obsen'ationi  on  the  Apocalypse  Chap.  ii.  p.  254. 


48 

and  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  is  a  ivoman  clotlied  with  the 
sun,  having  the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  upon  her  head 
a  crown  of  twelve  stars  ;  who  is  the  mother  of  a  man- 
child,  destined  to  rule  all  nations  with  a  rod  of  iron  : 
while,  in  the  service  of  the  Dratrony  and  proiidlj''  seated 
upon  the  Beasts  \s  cnwther  7ro7/;^//z,  arrayed  in  purple  and 
scarlet,  and  decked  with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and 
pearls;  who  is  the  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations 
of  the  earth. 

Such  are  the  two  kingdoms  of  Christ  and  Belial,  which 
are  ever  in  direct  opposition  to  each  other :  and  the 
Apocalypse,  after  exhibiting  a  prophetic  view  of  their 
long  continued  warfare,  terminates  triumphantly  with 
the  total  overthrow  of  ho  Dragon  and  his  adherents,  the 
millonnian  reign  of  C  hrist  u])on  earth,  and  the  second 
resurrection. 

The  book  of  the  revelation  is  di\ided  into  three  grmid 
successive  perirds  ;  the  seven  seals,  the  seven  trnmpetSy 
and  the  sexwn  vials.  Of  thesn  the  seventh  seal  compre- 
hends all  the  seven  tnmipets  j  and  the  seventh  trumpet, 
all  the  seven  vials.  This  is  manifest  from  the  following 
consideration,  the  seventh  trKmpct  is  styled  the  lest  of 
the  three  great  woes,  and  all  the  seven  vials  are  jointly 
styled  the  last  plagues.  There  cannot  however  be  tivo 
last  periods.  Consequently  the  last  woe  must  necessa- 
rily synchronize  with  the  last  plagues.  But,  if  the  last 
9Voe  synchronize  with  the  last  Jilagues,  it  must  of  course 
comprehend  them  as  so  mawi  parts  of  one  grand  whole. 
On  these  grounds  I  cannot  ihink,  with  Mr.  IMcde,  that 
the  seven  vials,  or  at  least  six  out  of  the  seven,  belong  to 
the  sixth  trumpet.^  Such  an  arrangement,  by  making 
the  sir  first  vials  precede  the  third  woe,  certainly  contra- 
dicts the  express  declaration  of  the  proj)Ijot,  that  the  vials 
are  the  last  plagues  :  for  those  six  vials  cannot  be  esteem- 
ed the  last  plagues,  if  they  be  succcpded  by  the  third 
woe.  It  moreover  breaks  the  regularity  and  concinnity 
of  the  whole  prophecy:  for,  since  the  Apocaljpse  is  di- 
vided mio  the  three  periods  of ///<"  seals,  the  trumpet St 
and  tJie  lials  ;  and  since  all  the  seven  tru?npcts  are  com- 
prehended under  the  seveidh  seal  ;  it  seems  much  more 

*  Clav.  Apoc.  Fars  II.  S^-nchron.  3. 


49 

natural  to  place  all  the  seven  vialsy  in  a  similar  manner, 
under  t/ie  seuefit/i  tnunpeU  than  to  assign  six  of  them  to 
the  sixth  tr?i}7ipety  and  the  seventh  to  the  seventh  trinn])ct. 
In  short,  Bp.  Newton's  arrangement,  which  I  have  here 
followed,  appears  to  me,  in  every  point  of  view,  far  pre- 
ferable to  that  of  Mr.  INIede.* 

Under  the  six  first  seals,  and  the  four  first  trumpets 
of  the  seventh  seaU  the  history  of  the  Roman  empire, 
before  and  after  the  days  of  Constantine  to  the  beginning 
of  the  seventh  century,  is  chronologically  and  circum- 
stantially related.  But,  at  the  beginning  of  this  century, 
a  new  era  commences  :  and  the  prophet  lienceforth  de- 
scribes a  series  of  troubles  and  persecutions,  uh'ch  the 
true  Church  was  to  undergo  during  the  space  of  1260 
prophetic  days,  or  1260  natural  years.  The  events  of 
that  space  of  time  are  comprehended  under  the  three  last 
trumpetsy  which  are  usually  denominated  the  three  ivoe- 
trwnpets  :  and  the  third  of  these  woe-trumpets  contains, 
as  I  have  just  observed,  with.n  its  own  particular  period, 
the  seven  vials  ;  which  are  declared  to  be  the  seven  last 
plaguesy  as  being  a  history  of  the  third  and  last  woe. 
This  period  of  1260  days,  so  frequently  mentioned  both 
by  Daniel  and  St.  John,  is  equivalent  to  the  triumphant 
dur[iiion  of  the  great  J postacy  in  its  dominant  state,  or 
the  reign  of  the  two  little  horns  in  the  East  and  in  the 
AVest  :  for  the  superstitions  symbolized  by  these  two 
apostate  hornsy  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  commenced  their 
tyrannical  career  together  in  the  very  same  year ;  and 
will  continue  jointly  to  depress  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
till  (what  Daniel  styles)  the  time  of  the  end.  Towards 
the  close  of  the  1260  days,  and  after  the  era  of  the  Refor- 
mation, it  is  predicted,  that  the  king  who  magnified  him.- 
self  above  every  god,  or  the  long  expected  Antichri  t, 
will  be  revealed  in  all  his  horrors  :  that  great  Anfichristy 
whose  special  badge,  as  we  are  informed  by  St.  John, 
should  be  an  open  denial  both  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son,  i\n  unreserved  profession  of  Atheism  and  Infidelity. 

Of  the  three  woe-trumpets  then  which  syncliromze 
with  the  1260  days  (the  third  however  extending  beyond 

•  See   Bp.  Newton's  very  lucid  statement  of  this  matter  in  his  Dissert,  on 
Rev.  XV. 

VOL.1.  7 


the  termination  of  those  days,*)  the  Jirst  comprehends 
t/ie  space  from  the  commencement  of  the  dominance  of 
the  Apost.aoi  to  it.<  nffahun/r  the  zenith  )f  its  power  ;  the 
second  cKteii'h  from  the  ern^  when  it  attained  the  zenith 
of  its  powe^'y  to  the  complete  developement  of  Antichrist 
Or  the  Infidel  king  :  and  the  third  predicts  the  ontrageoiis 
and  bloodij  domination  of  that  impious  mcnister,  his  subse- 
qnent  wdo  with  the  false  prophet  or  the  western  apostate 
lit'le  hern,  his  compete  desirnction  at  the  time  of  the  end, 
and  the  final  sifbve'-sion  of  the  whole  Apostacy  in  both  its 
drnnches.'t  After  all  these  matters  are  accomplished, 
then  commences  the  joi/fiil part  of  the  third  woe-tnim- 
/7f',  when  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  become  the  king- 
doms of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

The  Apostacy  of  the  two  little  horns  being  of  a  twofold 
nature,  it  was  necessary  that  the  prophet  should  give  a 
double  though  synchronical  account  of  it  :  hence,  at  the 

•  The  fast  of  the  seven  vials  will  apparently  begin  to  be  poured  out  as  soon  as 
iJte  1260  years  shall  have  expired.  It  seems  to  occupy  the  period,  or  perhaps 
the  first  division  of  the  period,  which  intervenes  between  the  end  of  the  1260 
-i^enrs  and  the  commencement  of  the  JMillenium-  This  whole  period  is  75  year&i 
Avhich  Daniel  divides  into  Z^ yva^s  and  ^-> yea  s  When  the  seventh  viai  is  com- 
pletely exhausted,  the  joyftd  part  of  the  seventh  trumtet  commences  Sec  Rev. 
xi  1  .' — 19;  where,  for  the  consolation  of  the  Churcn,  the  order  of  events  is 
inverted,  and  the  joyful  part  of  the  seventh  trumpet  spoken  of  before  its  ixoeful 
part.     See  Bp  Newton's  Dissert  in  loc- 

+  Dr  Hammond  and  Mr  Burton  stranpely  apply  the  three  ikocs  to  the  death  of 
our  Jiord,  the  sacking  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus,  s»nd  its  Jinal  destruction  by  Adrian. 
Till-  notion  is  so  utterly  irreconcileable  with  the  whole  chronology  of  the 
Apocalypse,  particularly  that  part  of  it  which  relates  to  the  r260  days  ;  and  it 
is  moreover  so  perfectly  incongruous  with  tlieprophf;ti<'  description  of  the  three 
r-r.cs,  that  I  cannot  refrain  from  expressin;::  my  wonder  that  it  should  ever  have 
been  seriously  adopted.  What  resemblance  can  be  discovered  between  the 
propliecy  contained  in  Uev  ix  l  —  1  ?,  which  treats  ofthcjirst  inoe,  and  the  death 
of  Christ  with  its  immediate  consequences,  I  cannot  imagine  :  and  I  am  as  lit- 
tle able  to  discover  any  siniilarity  between  the  second  nioe,  described  in  Rev. 
JX.  13 — 21.  an't  the  sacking  of  Jerusaiepi  by  Titus.  As  for  the  third  icoc,  which 
brings  us  through  \\.i  seven  vials  to  the  end  of  the  present  order  of  things,  lu>\v 
can  itha*. c  any  connection  with  the  destruction  of  Jeru^aitm  by  Mrian  which 
happened  many  centuries  ago?  When  Mr  Burton  asserted,  that  fiuo  ojthe 
•n-ocs  were  ))ast  in  St.  John's  time,  because  we  read,  "  The  second  woe  is  past, 
behold  the  third  cometh  quickly  ;  (Rev  xi  14.)  he  surely  must  have  overlook- 
ed the  denunciation  of  the  angel,  "Woe,  woe,  woe,  to  ".he  inli:\biters  of  the 
caith  by  reason  oi  the  other  voices  of  the  trumpets  of  the  three  angels,  vchfh 
tire  yet  to  sound"  (Rev.  viii  13)  In  fact  Mr  Burton  ought  to  have  known, 
th.it  St.  John  describes  an  event  as  past,  when  he  has  advanced  beyond  ii  in 
the  chronological  order  of  his  propliecy  Jle  docs  not  mean  to  intimate  b\  the 
expression,  that  the  event  had  lit<-rally  taken  place  in  his  own  days  hut  tliat 
lie  was  about  to  announce  another  event  which  should  succeed  m  joint  of  lime 
the  event  Ijbt  predicted  Hammond's  Par.iphrysi^  on  the  NVw  Test  Fol.  y06. 
Clarion's  Essay  on  llic  numbers  of  Daniel  and  St.  Julin,  p.  104 — 107. 


61 

commencement  of  the  first  woe-t7Uimpety  the  Apocal3^pse 
branches  out  liito  two  distinct  concurrent  lines  of  pro- 
phecy. In  the  ninth  chapter  ot  the  Revelation,  the  history 
of  the  two  first  periods  of  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Apes- 
tacy  is  detailed,  under  the  two  first  of  the  three  woe-trinn- 
pets,  separately  from  the  corresponding'  periods  of  the 
7ves  em  branch  :  and  afterwards  the  ivhole  conteinporane- 
oits  liistory  of  the  we  tern  branch,  under  atl  the  three 
wot-tnmipetSy  is  likewise  separately  detailed,  in  order  to 
prevent  confusion,  in  what  St.  John  terms  a  little  book 
or  codicil  to  the  larger  general  book  of  the  whole  Apoca- 
li/f^se.  This  little  hok  contains  the  eleventh,  tweljih, 
thi.  teenthy  and  fourteenth  chapters  of  the  Revelation  : 
and,  in  point  of  chronology,  all  these  chapters  run  paral- 
lel to  each  other,  relating  severally,  though  with  some 
vari  ty  of  circumstances,  to  the  same  period  and  the  same 
extents ;  so  as  to  form  jointly  a  complete  history  of  the 
western  Apostacy,  and  of  .11  the  principal  actors  in  it. 
That  the  chapters  of  the  little  book  run  parallel,  and  not 
successive,  to  each  other,  is  manifest  from  the  express 
declaration  of  the  three  first  of  them.  All  these  repre- 
sent themselves  as  describing  one  and  the  same  period, 
namely,  that  of  the  1^60  years  :  consequently,  if  they 
describe  the  same  period,  they  must  necessarily  run  pa- 
rallel to  each  other.*  llie  last  chapter  of  the  little  bonk 
does  not  indeed  specifically  make  any  such  declaration 
respecting  itself  ;  but  its  contents,  as  we  shall  hereafter 
see,  afford  a  sufficient  degree  of  internal  evidence  to  prove 
that  it  likewise  relates  to  the  period  of  1^60  years,  and 
therefore  that  it  runs  parallel  to  its  three  predecessors. 

1.  The  first  of  the  four  chapters  describes  the  desolate 
prophesying  of  the  witnesses, s^n&the  treading  under  foot , 
of  the  holy  city  by  a  new  race  of  gentiles,  differing  from 
their  heathen  predecessors  only  in  name,  during  the  space 
of  1260  days  :  predicting,  in  its  ISih.  verse,  the  primary 

*  It  may  not  be  improper  to  observe,  that  the  third  chapter  of  the  little  book, 
vr)\ic]\  Answers  to  the  thirteenth  chapter  &i  the  lievelation,  ou.^ht  to  have  been 
divided  into  ttuo  chapters,  llie  division  taking  place  at  the  e'evcnfh  verse.  The 
second  apocalyptic  beast  is  contemporary,  during  the  whole  period  of  liis  exis- 
tence, with  the  first ,-  consequent!)-  the  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  chapter,  com- 
mencing with  the  eltiver.th  ilerse,  run.',  parallel  witli  ilie  former  part  oftlie  same 
chapter  Such  being  the  ci\se,  tlie  contents  of  r//t  little  h?':  vreu^Jl  ^3  more. 
clearly  arranged,  if  this  chanter  v\'erc  broken  into  tvo. 


&2 

aod  only  partial  raauifestatioii  of  JnlichrisLy  when  it  is 
declared  that  the  second iioe  is  past  ;  and  announcing,  in 
its  \otli  verse,  the  sounding  of  i/ic  stveuth  Irumpet  or  th^ 
t/it'rd noe,  at  the  lirst  blast  of  which  he  is  fully  revealed. 

2.  The  second  shews  us,  who  was  the  prime  moV(  r  of 
the  persecution  carried  on  against  t/ie  si/w6olical  nv?nan, 
or  the  true  Churchy  during  the  appointed  {)eriod  of  the 
I'iGO  dai/s. 

3.  The  third  reveals  to  us  the  political  character  and 
history  of  ihe  sevai-headed  and  tcn-lwrned  beast,  who  was 
to  wage  war  with  the  saints  for  the  space  of  42  months  or 
1260  daijs  i  and  describes  hkewise  the  form  and  actions 
of  his  instigator  and  assoc'iiite  the  two  horned-6easty  who 
is  elsewhei a  styled  ihe  false  prophet.*'  These  tivo  beasts 
acting  in  concert  together,  tread  the  holij  ctij  under  foot 
42  vionths  ;  and  persecute  the  my  tic  woman  and  her  off- 
sprini^y  or  the  two  witnessess  of  Christ  w  ho  are  his  true 
proplieiSy  during  the  same  period  of   V2QiOdays. 

4.  The  fourth  describes  the  internal  state  of  the  true 
Church  throughout  the  prevalence  of  the  western  Apos- 
iacy  ;  predicts  the  Reformation  ;  and  divides  some  of  the 
most  pr  ominent  events  of  the  seventh  trumpets  which  are 
detailed  hereafter  in  the  larger  book  under  the  seven  viah\ 
into  two  grand  classes,  the  harvest  and  the  vintage  of 
God's  wrath,  separated  from  each  other  by  an  indefinite 
peiiod  of  time  ;  teaching  moreover,  that  ihe  wine-Press 
shall  be  trodden  in  a  certain  country,  the  space  of  whicU 
extends  l60()  furlongs. 

It  seems,  as  if  St.  John,  when  he  received  the  little 
hook  from  the  haiul  of  tlx'  angel,  imagined  that  it  would 
contain  the  full  and  exclusive  history  of  the  third  and 
last  woe-trumpet  :  and  such  a  supj)osition  was  not 
unnatural,  for  he  had  already  heard  the  two  first  woe- 
trumpets  sound,  before  the  angel  gave  him  tlie  book. 
We  must  observe  however,  that,  although  the  secoiui 
ivue-trumpet  had  begun  to  sound,  the  prophet  had  not  as 
yet  received  any  intimation  that  the  second  woe  was  past. 
The  angel  therelore,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  any 
such  mistake,  solemnly  swears  by  the  Almighty,  that 
"  the  time  (of  the  last  woe^  shall  not  be  yet,  but  in  the 

•  Ucv.  xii.  20. 


63 

days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,"  or  the  last  of 
the  three  angels  who  bore  the  three  not-tni7)cpets,  ''  w];en 
lie  shall  begin  to  sound,  and  when  the  mystery  of  God 
shall  be  about  finishing."^  Hence,  when  St.  John  was 
eaf^erly  proceeding  to  wile  the  history  of  the  seven  thun- 
ders, which  are  apparently  the  san^c  as  the  severi  vials 
comprehended  under  the  last  woe-tnajipet,\  he  hearl  a 
voice  from  heaven  arresting  his  progress  and  conuaand- 
ing  him  to  *'  seal  up  those  things  which  the  seven  thun- 
ders uttered,  and  to  write  them  not."}  The  reason  of 
this  is  evident :  they  were  not  yet  to  come  to  pass,  for 
the  prophet  had  still  to  detail  the  events  contained  un- 
der the  two  first  woe-trumpets,  so  far  as  they  respected 
the  western  branch  of  the  Aposiaci/,  the  peculiar  history 
of  which  the  angel  was  now  presenting  him  with  in  the 
Utile  book.  He  had  still  to  "  prophesy  again  before 
many  peoples,  and  nations,  and  tongues,  and  kings  ;"$ 
tlie  beast,  when  he  commenced  his  new  term  of  existence 
during  the  ^^  months,  being  no  longer,  as  throughout  his 

•  Rev.  X.  6,  7.  Such  I  conceive  to  be  the  proper  translation  of  the  passag'e. 
The  angel  does  not  swear,  that  time  shall  be  no  '.onger.  biiS  that  the  time,  name- 
ly oitlie  third  woe,  shall  not  be  yet  vSee  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert  on  this  chapter.) 
So  again  the  aorist  teXectSu  ought  not  here  to  be  translated  shouul  be  finished, 
but  should  be  about  finishing,  or  shotdd  draw  near  to  its  completion.  It  is  a  mode 
of  expression  exactly  analogous  to  that  usedby  the  prophet  in'Rev  xi.  ":  where 
the  active  subjunctive  aorist  TEXso-wa*  ought,  in  a  similar  manner,  to  be  trans- 
lated, as  Mr.  Mede  justly  observes,  they  shall  be  about  finishing,  not  tliti  shall 
have  finished. 

f  Mr.  Whitaker  thinks,  that  the  seven  thunders  are  the  seven  crusades  under- 
taken for  the  purpose  of  delivering  Palestine  from  the  hands  of  the  Infidels  ; 
and  that  St  John  was  forbidden  to  write  them,  because  f/;e  restoration  of  the 
Jews  was  not  to  take  place  till  the  seventh  angel  had  sounded  (Comment  on 
Rev  p.  176  et  infra  )  Vitringa  is  of  the  same  opinion-  But,  since  it  is  ex- 
pressly declared,  that  the  time  of  the  seven  thunders  should  not  be  yet,  but  in 
the  davs  of  the  \o\ce  oi  the  seventh  angel ;  and  since  the  blast  of  the  seventh 
trumpet  produces  the  effusion  of  the  »eten  vials  :  it  appears  to  me  much  more 
probable,  that  the  sevi^n  thunders  are  in  effect tlie  same  as  the  seven  vials.  Both 
Mr  Mede  and  Bp.  Newton  censure  those,  who  attempt  to  explain  the  seven 
thunders,  on  the  ground  that  the  angel  charged  St  John  to  seal  tliem  up  and  to 
write  them  not.  This  censure  I  cannot  but  tliink  a  little  unreasonable  :  for 
tfie  scaling  up  of  the  thunders,  and  the  -.i"-iting  them  not,  does  not  mean,  that  they 
were  never  to  be  understood  ;  bat  simply,  that  the  events,  predicted  under 
them,  were  not  then  to  be  written,  but  were  to  be  reserved  for  afriure  part  of 
the  Apocalypse,  namely  that  which  treats  of  the  seventh  trmnpet.  Hence  the 
angel  asserts,  that  tlieir  time  shall  not  be  yt;t,  but  in  the  days  of  tlie  voice  of 
the  seventh  angel.  When  he  began  to  sound,  then  they  should  begin  to  be  un- 
derstood ;  till  then  they  should  be  sealed  up.  See  Dan.  xii.  9. 
+  Rev.  X.  4. 

§— "  the  beast,'that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is-"     (Rev.  xvii.  8.)     More  will 
be  said  upon  tfds  revival  of  the  beast  bereaiter. 


54 

ancient  term  of  existence,*  one  great  undivided  pnna'y 
but  ha\iiig  now,  under  the  prophecy  of  t/ie  little  bo«k, 
put  fortli  te^:  d'fferent  horns,  each  bearing  a  separate  and 
independent  crown.f  He  had  still  therefore  to  prophesy 
again  ;  or  a  second  time  to  go  over  the  same  period  in 
the  West,  that  ho  had  already  gone  over  in  the  East. 
Hence,  although  the  contents  of  the  little  book  extend 
to  the  very  terminalion  of  the  l^GOdai/s,  as  St.  J  )hn  re- 
peatedly declares,  yet  they  peculiarly  detail  the  efiects 
of  the  twn  first  ivoe-trumpets.  The  sounding  of  the  third 
n'oe-lr2impet  accoidingly,  which  brings  us  down  to  the 
very  end  of  those  days,  is  simply  mentioned  in  the  little 
book;  and  an  intimation  is  briefly  given,  that  toward  the 
close  of  tiie  IQ60  days  the  harvest  and  the  viiitage  of 
God's  wrath  should  be  gathered  in  :  for  the  particular 
account  of  the  calamities,  which  the  concluding  trumpet 
was  about  to  produce,  is  reser\ed  for  the  pouring  out  of 
the  seven  vials,  and  for  the  subsequent  chapters  more 
largely  explanatory  of  the  efiects  of  the  last  vial. 

Having  finished  the  contents  of  the  little  book,  which 
relates  the  history  of  the  western  branch  of  the  Apostacy 
chiefly  under  the  two  first  woe-trumpets,  though  without 
excluding  the  third  woe-trumpet,  the  prophet  returns  to 
the  larger  book  which  contains  the  general  history  of 
the  Church,  in  order  that  he  may  fully  detail  the  con- 
sequences of  the  sounding  of  the  last  woe-trumpet. 
This  concluding  trumpet  aflects  both  the  East  and  the 
West  :  and  it  conducts  us,  through  the  two  grand  epochs 
of  the  liarvest  and  the  vintage,  and  through  the  diflcrent 
stages  of  its  seven  Vicds,  to  the  very  time  of  the  end,  to 
the  destruction  of  the  two-fold  Apostacy,  to  the  com- 
plete overthrow  of  Antichrist,  and  to  the  commencement 
of  that  happy  period,  when  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his 
Christ.  Hence  we  find,  that,  from  the  great  variety  of 
important  matter  which  it  contains,  a  very  considerable 
portion  of  the  Apocalypse  is  exclusively  devoted  to  it. 
This  poition  includes  the  fifteenth,  the  sixteenth,  the 
seventeenth,  the  eightenith,  and  the  nineteenth,  chapters ; 
all  of  which   constitute  jointly  one  continued  prophecy 

•  Rev.  X.  11.  t^ev.  xiii.  1 


55 

iof  the  events  comprehended  under  the  third  woe-tntin- 
pet — T\\e  fifteevtii  c\\a.\iiev  \s  a  kind  of  ivtroductory  pre- 
face to  the  pouring  out  of  the  Viah-,  in  order  that  this 
Vmal  display  of  God's  wrath  against  his  impenitent  and 
irreclaimable  enemies  may  be  described  with  the  greater 
majesty — The  sixtteMh  chapter  contains  a  summary  and 
distinct  account  of  the  miseries,  brought  upon  mankind 
by  the  atheistical  principles  of  AntuhrlsU  during  the  pe- 
riod of  the Jis^urative  harvest ;  of  the  events  vhich  will 
intervene  between  tlie  harvest  and  the  vintage  ;  and  of 
the  earthquake^  during  the  period  of  the  vntage,  by 
which  the  great  city  will  be  divided  into  three  parts, 
when  '*  Babylon  will  come  in  remembrance  before  God  to 
gi  e  unto  her  the  cup  of  the  wine  of  the  fierceness  of  his 
wrath."  These  various  events  are  represented  as  taking 
place  in  consequence  of  the  successive  pouring  out  of 
seven  Vials :  the  three  former  of  which  synchronize,  I 
apprehend,  with  the  harvest  of  God's  wrath  :  and  the 
last,  with  the  vintage ;  while  the  remaining  three  are 
poured  out  between  the  two  grand  periods  of  the  harvest 
and  the  vintage-,  and  relate  to  certain  intermediate  events 
— The  three  following  chapters,  namely,  the  seve?iieenthf 
the  eighteenth,  and  the  nineteenth,  give  a  full  and  explicit 
account  of  the  vintage,  which  synchronizes,  as  I  have  just 
observed,  with  the  last  Vial.  The  events  of  the  vintage 
are  the  division  of  the  great  city  into  three  parts,  men- 
tioned in  the  sixteenth  chapter,  immediately  upon  the 
pouring  out  of  the  last  Vial ;  the  subversion  of  the  mys- 
tic Babylon  ;  and  the  total  overthrow  of  the  confederacy 
of  the  beast,  the  false  prophet,  and  the  kings  of  the  Ro- 
man or  Papal  earth,  in  the  battle  oj  Armageddon.  The 
confederacy  itself  will  vnconsciously  be  gathered  to  the 
place  of  its  destruction  by  the  secret  diabolical  influence 
of  ihree  unclean  spirits;  but  this  will  physically  be 
brought  about  by  the  military  despotism  exercised  un- 
der the  fourth  Vial,  by  the  subversion  of  the  Ottoinan 
empire  imder  the  sixth  Vial,  and  by  the  political  earth- 
quake at  the  beginning  c^'  the  effusion  of  the  seventh 
Vial,  which  divides  the  great  city,  or  the  Latin  empire, 
into  three  parts. 

All  the  events  of  the  vin'age  or  the  last  Via!  will  hap- 


50 

pen  at  the  lime  of  the  endy  or  at  the  termination  of  the 
1Q60  jjears.*  ^^.v^/c/^mY  himself  will  then  perish,  united 
as  at  present,  contrary  to  every  expectation  at  his  origi- 
nal developement,  with  the  false  Romish  prophet;  for, 
accoiding  to  the  sure  word  of  Scripture,  one  fate  awaits 
them  both  in  the  region  hitmeen  (no  seas  near  the  glo- 
rious hob)  mountain,  in  the  covntry  ivhich  extends  1600 
furlongs,  in  the  valley  of  Megtddn.\  Then  will  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in  :  then  will  the  wnie-press 
of  God's  wrath  begin  to  be  trodden  in  the  valley  of 
concision  :J  then  will  the  great  controversy  of  Jehovah 
Tvith  the  nations  commence. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  time  of  unexampled  trouble, 
that  is  to  say,  at  the  expiration  oi  the  1260  years,  the 
Almighty  will  put  forth  his  hand  to  bring  back  his  ancient 
pf  ople  the  Jews  to  the  country  of  their  fathers :  and, 
when  that  is  accomplished,  and  when  Antichrist  is  over- 

*  Mr.  Mede  believes,  like  myself,  that  the  seventh  vial  will  begin  to  be  pour- 
ed out  exactly  at  the  termination  of  the  1260  years  :  for  he  supposes,  that  <Ac 
/rVs?  blast  of  the  seventh  trumpet  and  the  first  effus  on  of  the  srventi  vial,  which  he 
justly  calls  the  vinl  of  consummation,  exactly  synchronize  ;  and  he  maintains* 
that  at  this  era  the  three  times  and  a  half  terminate.  (Compare  Clav  Apoc 
Pars  Alt.  Synchron.  iii.  V — Comment.  Apoc  m  Tub.  vii.  et  in  Pliial.  vii — and 
the  plate  at  the  end  of  the  Clavis.)  Though,  is  I  have  already  observed,  I 
prefer  Up-  Newton's  arrangement  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  I  think  Mr.  Mede's 
opinion  nearly  indisputable,  that  the  1360  years  expire  when  the  vial  ofconsum- 
viation  begins  to  be  poured  out,  because  the  contents  of  that  vial  plainly  shew 
that  it  relates  to  the  time  of  God's  great  controversy  -with  the  natioJis  But  this 
great  contt over sy,  \.\\\s  period  of  unexambled  trouble,  synchronizes,  according  to 
the  unanimous  testimony  of  all  the  prophets  who  treat  of  the  subject,  with  the 
restoration  of  the  Jems:  which  restoratioJi  commences,  according  to  Daniel,  at 
the  close  of  three  times  and  a  half:  therefore  the  contemporary  period  of  wtexant' 
pled  trouble,  must  comm-  nce  at  the  close  of  the  three  times  and  a  half ;  and  con- 
sequentlj  the  effusion  of  theseventh  vial,  which  relates  to  that  period,  must  like- 
wise commence  at  the  close  of  the  three  times  and  a  half :  in  otlicr  words,  tite 
seventh  viai  must  begin  to  be  poured  out,  so  soon  as  the  three  times  and  a  lialf 
or  the  1260  i/furs  expire  ;  which  was  the  point  asserted 

t  That  IS  to  say.  between  the  Mediteiranian  sea  and  the  Dead  sea,  in  the  land 
f>f  Palestine,  the  length  of  which  country  extends  1600  Jewish  7?i«/«  or  stadia. 
The  subject  will  be  discussed  at  large  hereafter.  Mr  Mede  very  justly  re- 
marks, that  the  treading  of  the-Min^-press  at  t/u-  period  of  the  symbolical  vintage 
is  ihe  same  jiS  the  ffreat  battle  of  ^Irmageddon  under  the  cast  vial  /  r\h\  for  this 
plain  reason  :  the  beast,  tne  false  prophet,  and  tlicir  confederate,  cannot  expe- 
ricncc  t-wo  'Inal  overiiirows.  Tlie  vintage  however,  predicted  in  the  little  book, 
is  rppre.senled  as  being  the  last  event  that  takes  place  in  that  book  :  but  the 
littU  book  reaches  to  the  end  of  the  1J60  years,  and  indeed  in  its  first  and  last 
chaptei  8  cxti  nds  beyond  iW.  end  of  those  years ;  therefore  the  vintage  must  t;ike 
place  after  tlie  end  of  tin  1  .GO  yc.rs.  Hence  it  must  necessarily  be  the  same 
as  tlie  b.ttle  of.lrmagrddon  ,-  which  is  tiie  last  event  of  the  last  vial,  and  conse- 
quently tak  s  lace  nftcr  the  end  of  the  1260  years  likewise.  Scc  Mcde's  Com 
mcnt  Apoc.  in  Vindcmiam.  4^  Joel  iii.  14. 


57 

thrown,  the  lost  ten  tribes  of  Israel  will  likewise  be  re^ 
sto'  ed,  and  will  henceforth  form  only  one  people  with 
Judoh.  Then  will  the  first  resurrection  take  place,  and 
the  Milleimiwn  will  commence.  That  there  will  be  a 
preternatural  manifestation  of  the  Messiah  at  this  event 
ful  period,  we  have,  I  think  with  Mr.  Mede,  reason  to 
expect.*  But,  whether  the  first  resurrection  mentioned 
hy  St.  John  as  taking  place  before  the  Millemiiinn,  and 
the  coniimied  reign  of  Christ  with  his  saints  vpon  earth 
during  tlie  Millennium,  are  to  be  understood  in  a  literal 
or  in  a  figurative  sense,  time  alone  can  determine.f 
Such  "secret  things,"  as  unaccomplished  pro})hecies, 
"  belong  imto  the  Lord  our  God;"  and  it  is  a  vain  waste 
of  time  to  weary  ourselves  with  conjectures  resjiccting 
the  Irrecise  mode  of  their  accomplishment.  Upon  these 
points,  when  we  go  beyond  what  is  written,  we  exceed 
our  commission :  and  it  has  almost  invariably  been  found, 
that  the  commentator,  who  attempted  to  shew  how  a 
prophecy  was  about  to  be  fulfilh  d,  was,  by  Ihe  event, 
convicted  of  error.  We  may  safely  and  positively  de- 
clare what  will  come  to  pass,  and  we  may  even  say  liow 
it  will  come  to  pass,  so  long  as  we  resolutely  confine  our- 
selves to  the  explicit  declarations  of  Scripture  :  but  to 
point  out  the  inanner  in  which  an  event  will  be  accom- 

•  This  point  is  discussed  at  larj^e  in  a  Work  which  T  am  now  preparing-  for 
the  press  on  the  restoration  of  Israel  and  the  overthrow  of  the  Antichristian  con- 
federacy. 

f  Mr  Mede  strongly  maintains,  that  the  first  resurrection  will  be  a  literal  re' 
surrection  of  the  martyrs.  I  confess  that  his  arguments  rather  silence  me,  than 
convince  me.  The  -esurrection  is  not  unfrequently  used  in  Scripture  to  typify 
the  political  resurrection  of  a  nation  or  comtnuniti/.  Should  such  be  the  meaninjj 
of  the  apocalypticfirst  resurrection,  it  will  simply  denote  that  the  saints  of  God.long 
oppressed  by  the  Papacy,  shall  ultimately  be  raised  up  to  political  power  and 
influence,  agreeably  to  the  literal  predictions  both  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  (Dan. 
vii.  27  Rev  xx  4.  6  )  To  this  interpretation  however,  which  I  could  -cish  to 
adopt,  Mr.  Mede  urges  objections  not  very  easy  to  be  answered.  (See  a  cu- 
rious discussion  of  this  point  in  his  Works  Book  iv.  Epist.  ?0  )  Abp.  Tillot- 
son  is  inclined  to  understand  the  reign  of  Christ  in  a  spiritual  sense.  "  Though 
I  see  no  sufficient  grounds  from  Scripture  to  believe  the  persona!  reign  of 
Christ  upon  earth  for  a  thousand  years:  yet  it  seems  to  be  not  improbable,  that 
some  time  before  the  end  of  the  world,  the  glorious  kingdom  of  Cluist.  I  mean 
the  prevalency  of  the  pure  Christian  religion,  should  be  of  as  long  a  continu- 
ance, as  the  reign  of  Mohammed  and  Antichrist  have  been,  both  of  which 
have  now  lasted  about  a  thousand  years."  (Serm.  Aol  x  p  \77  )  The  rea- 
der will  find  the  question,  IVhether  the  first  apocalyptic  resw  rection  ov^ht  to  be 
•nndentood figuratively  or  literally,  very  well  discussed  in  Lowman's  Paraphrase 
on  Rev  XX.    I  dare  not  give  an  opinion  on  the  subject. 

VOL.  J.  § 


58 

})lished,  any  further  than  the  word  of  God  hath  repealed 
the  manner  oj  ity  is  to  pry  too  curiously  into  what  he 
bath  purposely  concCcaled,  and  to  aim  at  becoming  pro- 
plat  s\n9>{c2ii\  of  coiiteu ting  ourselves  with  being  humble 
and  fallible  expositors  of  prophecy.  What  the  Bible 
hath  declared,  that  we  may  without  hesitation  declare : 
beyond  this,  all  is  mere  vague  conjecture.  It  was  very 
wisely  remarked  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  that  "  the  folly  of 
interpreters  has  been  to  fortell  times  and  things  by  the 
Apocalypse,  as  if  God  designed  to  make  them  prophets. 
By  this  rashness  they  have  not  only  exposed  themselves, 
but  brought  the  prophecy  also  into  contempt.  The  de- 
sign of  God  was  much  otherwise.  He  gave  this  and  the 
prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament,  not  to  gratify  men's 
curiosities  by  enabling  them  to  foreknow  things,  but 
that  after  they  were  fulfilled  they  might  be  interpreted 
by  the  event,  and  his  own  Providence,  not  the  interpre- 
ter's, be  then  manifested  thereby  to  the  world.  For  the 
event  of  things,  jiredicted  many  ages  before,  will  then  be 
a  convincing  argument,  that  the  world  is  governed  by 
Providence."  May  I  add,  without  the  imputation  of 
vanity,  in  the  words  of  the  same  great  and  good  man  ? 
*'  Amongst  the  interpreters  of  the  last  age  there  is  scarce 
one  of  note  u  ho  hath  not  made  some  discovery  worth 
knowing  :  and  thence  I  seem  to  gather,  that  God  is  about 
opening  these  mysteries.  The  success  of  others  put  me 
upon  considering  it ;  and,  if  I  have  done  any  thing  which 
may  be  useful  to  following  writers,  I  have  my  design."* 

At  the  close  of  the  Millemuiun^  Satan  will  again  be  let 
loose  to  deceive  the  nations  :  when  the  last  confederacy 
against  the  Churchy  which  this  world  shall  ever  behold, 
will  be  formed  by  certain  enemies  of  the  Messiah,  whom 
both  St.  John  and  Ezekiel  concur  in  denominating  Gog 
and  Mag  g.^  Upon  this  occasion,  God  will  specially 
interfere  in  behalf  of  his  people.  While  the  enemies  of 
the  saints  arc  encompassing  the  cam})  and  the  Ijcloved 
city,  fire  will  come  down  from  heaven  and  devour  them. 
Their  great  instigator  thr  devil  will  then  be  finally  cast 
into  the  lake  of  lire  and  l)rinistone,  to  which  t'ie  beast 

*  Obscrv  on  tlic  Apocalypse, p  251,  '2'2,  '~J3. 
f  Ucv.  XX.  8.    liztk.  xxxviii.  XXSix. 


The  two    first 
"Woe-trumpets. 


59 

and  the  false  prophet  had  already  beeii  consigned  at  the 
commencement  of  tlie  tlwnsnvd  years  :  and  fhe  seco  ul, 
OY  general  resurrection  will  take  place.  The  Aj)ocalypse 
triumphantly  concludes  with  a  figurative  description  of 
the  happiness  of  the  pious. 

The  following  scheme  will  shew,  at  one  point  of  view, 
the  manner  in  which  I  arrange  that  part  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, which  treats  of  the  1260  daysy  under  the  three 
successive  periods  of  the  woe-iriimpeis. 

Rev. 

IX.  CHistory  of  the  Eastern  Apostacy  un- 
^der  the  tivojirst  -woe-trumpets. 
Introduction  to  tJte  little  book. 
CoiUemporary  history  of  th  Western  \ 
Aposta  y  under  the  t-wo  frstwoe-tritni-  i 
pets,  and  to   the   endof  tf.e   third ,-  \   The  llltle 
the  particular    events   of  the   third  /        hook, 
however  are  reserved  for  the  subject  \ 
of  the  foUowing  prophecy.  / 

C  Introduction  to  the  pouring  out  of 
i^the  f'ials. 

rVial  1.  )  The  harvest 
j  Viar2.[-      of  God's 
I  Vial  3.  )        wrath. 
XVL  CThe  pouring  out  of  the^  Vial  4. 
I  Vials.  I  Vial  5. 

Vial  6. 
I  N  ial  7. 
f  A  detailed  account  of  the  events  a-  \  The  vin- 
XVIl    V  bout  to  take  place  under  i/iesewn^A  ^     t age  of 
XVIII    ^    Vial;  such  SiS  t'l'-  destruction  of  t!,e  >      God's 
XIX.  )  scarletivhQre,tke  ovtrth  owof  Bi:bii-  i       wrath. 
'   Ion,  and  the  battle  of  Jlnnageddon.     ^ 

If  we  compare  the  four  preceding  prophecies  of  Dan- 
iel with  the  Revelation  of  St.  John,  the  point  of  their 
chronological  coincidence  will  of  course  be  that  age  of 
the  Roman  empire m  which  St.  John  flourished;  or  the 
period,  as  the  Apostle  himself  tells  us,  when  the  fourth 
great  beast  was  existing  under  his  sixth  head.^  Hence 
the  feet  of  the  image  branching  out  into  ten  toes,  the 
fourth  beast  with  ten  horns,  and  tlie  apocahiptic  beast 
with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  must  all  be  designed  to 
symbolize  the  same  power.  It  is  equally  evident,  that 
the  three  years  and  a  half  of  Daniel  are  the  three  years 
and  a  kalf,  the  4'2!  months,  or  the   l'i60  days  of  St.  John. 


The  third 
Woe-trumpet. 


*  Rev-  svii.  10. 


Since  then  the  feet  of  the  image,  the  ten-homed  beasty 
and  the  seven-headed  and  ten-homed  heasty  are  one  mid 
the  same  po'^  er :  the  victory  achieved  b\)  the  stove  over  the 
feet  (f  the  image  must  be  equivalent  to  the  victory  of 
the  Jjamb  ofver  the  beast y  the  fdse  prophet,  and  the  con- 
fedrrated  kings  y*  and  the  triumphant  reign  of  the  vioun- 
tai ',  to  the  duration  of  the  Millennium.]  In  a  similar 
manner  the  judgment  of  Daniel's  fourth  beast  by  the 
Avcient  of  days  must  be  the  same  as  the  victories  of  the 
stone  and  the  Lamb  :%  while  the  beasts,  whose  domiyiion 
was  taken  away,  and  whose  lives  were  prolonged  during 
the  reign  of  the  mountain,  (for  there  was  no  other  reign 
during  which  they  could  be  prolonged,^  inasmuch  as 
the  first  judgment  was  aheady  pst,)  must  be  identified 
with  the  Gog  and  Magog  mentioned  by  St.  John,  as 
existing  during  the  period  of  the  Millennium,  and  as 
making  a  final  effort  against ///<?  Church  towards  the  close 
of  it.*  Lastly,  tiie  second  judgment,  predicted  by  Daniel 
as  taking  place  after  the  season  to  which  the  lives  of  the 
three  first  beasts  had  been  prolonged,  must  be  the  second 
judgment,  foretold  hy  Si.  John  as  about  to  commence  at 
the  expiration  of  the  Millennium. ] 

These  coincidences  are  sufiiciently  obvious,  but  to  as- 
certain the  others  is  attended  with  a  greater  degree  of 
diificulty  ;  more  especially  since  such  a  variet}?^  of  opin- 
ions has  been  entertained  by  those,  who  have  written 
upon  the  sulTJect.  As  far  as  1  am  able  to  judge,  and  I 
shall  attempt  to  prove  in  the  sequel  what  I  am  now  about 
to  advance,  the  two  little  horns  and  the  atheistical  king, 
mentioned  by  Daniel,  arc  three  distinct  powers.  The  first 
of  the  little  homsj  into  whose  hand  the  saints  were  to  be 

•  Dan.  Ji.  34— Rev.  x'lX.  17—21.  +  Dan.  il.  35— Rev.  xx.  6. 
t  Dan   vii.  9,  10,  11— Dan.  ii.  34— Rev.  xLx.  17—21. 

§  This  prolongation  "  the  Rabbins  lake  for  some  season  and  time  after  the 
fourth  beast  was  destroyed  ;  and  R.  Solomon,  at  the  time  of  the  war  of  Gog  an  J 
Mig^og-,  wliich  ihey  look  for  soon  after  their  restitution,  upon  the  destruction 
of  the  fourth  beast  "  (Mede's  Works  Book  iv.  Epist.  24  )  They  appear  to  me 
to  be  perfectly  ripht  in  their  genera/  idea  respecting  tliis  passage  ;  but  the  war 
of  G"ff  andJMiigotr,  tlie  precise  epoch  of  which  is  not  defined  by  Ezekiel,  will 
not  take  place,  as  we  arc  taught  by  St  John,  till  1000  i/eiirs,  either  natural  or 
prophetic,  after  the  rentoration  of  the  Jexas.  This  war  of  Gog  and  Ala^og  will  be 
discussed  at  large  in  tlie  work,  whicbf  ^  I  have  already  mentioned,  I  am  novr 
prepa.  ing  for  the  press. 

•  Dan.  vii.  Vi.  Kcv.  XX.  7, 8,  9.  f  Dan.  vii.  13.  Rev.  xx  Ih 


61 

given  during  the  space  of  ilirce  times  and  a  half,  \s  the 
same  as  the  second  beast,  or  the  false  prophet,  oi  tlie  Apo- 
calypse, who  was  to  instigate  the  teii-homed  beast  to  make 
war  upon  the  saints  (\uxmg  the  synchronical  period  of  49 
monfhs.X  The  second  of  the  little  honis,  which,  as  we 
shall  hereafter  see,  was  to  flourish  in  the  East  during  the 
same  space  of  1260  dai/s,^  and  to  the  end  of  the  2300, 
S400,  or  2200,  daijs,  is  the  spiritual  dominion  of  the 
Apocalifpfic  Abaddon,  the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit, 
and  the  king  of  the  locusts,  which  is  prolonged,  though 
under  a  different  name,  during  the  reign  of  the  EiLphra- 
iean  horsemen.^  And  the  impious  kingy  whose  charac- 
teristic mark  is,  that  he  should  not  regard  any  god,t  is 
the  great  Antchrist  predicted  by  St.  John  :  who,  in  a 
similar  manner,  was  to  deny  both  the  Father  and  the 
Son  \X  whose  primary  and  only  partial  developement 
was  to  take  place  at  tlie  end  of  the  second  woe,^  who 
was  to  be  fully  revealed  at  the  blast  of  the  third  7Voe  j\\ 
who  was  to  pour  like  an  overwhelming  flood  upon  the 
symbolical  woman  during  the  latter  part  of  her  sojourn  in 
the  wilderness  jH  who  was  to  he  the  instrument  of  God's 
vengeance  during  the  period  of  the  figurative  harvest  ;** 
who  was  to  perish  between  the  two  seas,  united  with 
the  false  prophet,  at  the  time  of  the  vintage  ;tt  and 
whose  exploits  are  more  largely  and  particularly  de- 
toiled  MiL^'^iathe  seven  vials. %% 

^  Dan.  vii.  8,  25.    Rev.  xiii.  5,  ll. 

§  In  absolute  strictness  of  speech,  the  second  little  horn,  viW  not  exist  during 
the  tohole  1260  days,  although  Moha'tn'medism  will,  of  which  this  horn  is  the 
symbol ;  because  Jllohanwiedisni  did  not  become  a  horn  of  the  he-goat,  until 
about  30  years  after  its  original  commencement.  But  more  will  be  said  on  this 
subject  hereafter. 

•  Dan.  viii.  9,  13,  14.     Rev.  ix.  f  Dan.  xi.  36.  i  1  John.  ii.  22- 

$  Rev.  xi.  13.  II  Rev  xi.  15.  ^  Rev.   xii  15. 

••  Rev.  xiv.  14,  16,  I6i         ++  Dan,  xi.  45.  Rev.  xix.  11— -21.  Rev.  xiv.  17—20; 

■f.\  Rer-  svt 


6'i 


CHAPTER    II. 

On  the  Symbolical  Language  of  Prophecy. 

THE  illustrious  Sir  Isaac  Newton  has  well  ob 
Served,  that  "  for  understandiug  the  prophecies^  we  are, 
in  the  first  place,  to  acquaint  oursebes  with  the  fignrctwe 
language  of  the  fYrophets.^''*  He  has  accordingly  given 
us  a  catalogue  of  syvibols  with  their  several  interpreta- 
tions, of  which  I  shall  occasionally  avail  myself  in  the 
course  of  the  following  disquisition  ;  the  main  object 
of  which  is  to  point  out  and  insist  upon  the  exact  precision 
of  the  prophetic  language . 

The  predictions  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  are,  with  the 
single  exception  of  Daniel's  last  prophecy,  written  in 
the  language  of  symbols.  It  will  be  necessary  there- 
fore to  ascertain  the  import  of  the  several  symbols  w  hich 
are  used  in  their  waitings :  for,  without  a  Tight  under- 
standing of  the  symbols,  it  is  impossible  to  learn  what 
things  are  designed  to  be  represented  by  them  ;  and, 
unless  w^e  learn  what  things  are  designed  to  be  represent- 
ed by  them,  it  will  be  a  fruitless  labour  to  attempt  to 
inter})ret  the  prophecies  themsehts. 

In  the  ordinary  languages  of  men,  words  are  the  signs 
of  things.  Different  words  however  are  frequently  used 
in  all  languages  to  express  nearly  the  same  thing  :  whence 
thejT^  are  termed  synonyms  :  and  the  use  of  them,  so  far 
from  making  a  language  obscure,  renders  it  more  copious, 
and  consequently  more  beautiful.  But,  in  some  instan- 
ces, the  matter  is  precisely  reversed :  and  the  same  word 
is  used  to  express  different  things.  Whenever  this  oc- 
curs, a  degree  of  obscurity,  which  is  a  manifest  defect 
in  a  language,  is  necessarily  introduced  :  and  the  obscu- 
rity is  greater  or  less,  both  according  as  the  same  word 
represents  a  greater  or  a  less  number  of  different  thingSy 
and  in  proportion  as  its  context  enables  us  less  or  more 
to  ascertain  the  precise  meaning  designed  to  be  annexed 
to  it  in  any  particular  passage. 

*  Observations  on  the  Prophecies,  p.  16.. 


63 

Let  us  apply  these  remarks  to  the  symbolical  language 
of  prf'pheci).  If  various  symbols  be  used  to  represent 
the  same  thing,  we  shall  be  in  no  danger  of  mistaking 
the  prophet's  meaning,  provided  only  we  can  ascertain 
the  irapoi  t  of  each  individual  symbol :  l')ecause  such 
variety  will  only  sene  to  heighten  the  beauty  of  the 
imagery,  without  introducing  the  slightest  degree  of 
obscurity.  But,  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  same  symbol  be 
used  to  express  many  different  things,  which  have  no 
necessary  analogical  relation  to  each  other  ;  it  will  be 
utterly  impossible  to  understand  a  prophecy  couched  in 
such  ambig7mus  terms,  because  the  context  can  never  lead 
us,  as  is  the  case  in  ordinary  languages,  to  any  certain 
interpretation  of  it. 

Upon  this  principle  tJie  symbolical  language  of  pro- 
phecy is  constructed.  In  the  rich  imagery  of  Daniel  and 
St.  John,  different  symbols  are  frequently  used  to  express 
the  same  thing :  but  no  one  symbol  is  ever  used  to  express 
different  things  ;  unless  such  different  tilings  have  a 
manifest  analogical  resemblance  to  each  other.  Hence 
tJie  language  of  symbols,  being  purely  a  language  of 
ideas,  is  in  one  respect  more  perfect  than  any  ordinary 
language  can  be  :  it  possesses  the  variegated  elegance 
of  synonyms,  without  any  of  the  obscurity  which  arises 
from  the  use  of  ambiguous  tcrms.'^ 

As  prophecy  relates  both  to  things  temporal  and  things 
spiritual,  its  symbols  must  be  divided  into  two  grand 
classes ;  the  one  typifying  tenporal,  and  the  other, 
spiritual,  objects.  And  here  it  may  be  observed,  that 
every  division  of  ti.ese  two  parallel  classes  has  a  kind  of 
leading  symbol,  which  comprehends  and  is  connected 
wi^h  a  variety  of  other  symbols  helougmg  to  the  division 
of  u'liich  this  is  the  head.     Thus,  the  symbolical  heaven 

*  In  some  measure  the  Hebrew  lant^uage  forms  an  exception  to  the  arbitrary 
ambiguity  of  other  languages.  '*  It  will  be  demonstratirely  evident  to  any 
one,"  says  Mr  Parkhurst,  "who  will  attentively  examine  the  subject,  thatthe 
Hebrew  lan^uatfe  is  idea! ;  or  tliat  from  a  certain,  and  that  no  qreat,  number 
of  primitive  and  apparently  arbitrary  words,  called  root-"},  and  usually  expres- 
sive of  some  idea  or  notion  taken  from  nature,  that  is.  from  the  external  ob- 
jects around  us,  or  from  our  own  constitutions,  by  our  senses  or  feeling's,  all 
the  other  words  of  that  tongue  are  dcM-ived  or  grammatically  formed  ;  and  that, 
wherever  the  radical  letters  are  the  same,  the  ieiuling  idea  or  notion  runs  tluough 
all  the  defectior.s  nf  the  ivcrJ,  liowevcr  numerous  or  diversified."  Preface  to 
Hcb.  Lexicon. 


(54 

comprehends  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars :  and  thus, 
t/ie  si/m half ral  earth  compvthenAs /he  sea,  the  river s,  the 
islf'vds,  and  the  viouiitiuns.  The  several  divisions  of  the 
two  parallel  classes  shall  be  treated  of  in  their  order. 

1.  The  symbotical  heaven.,  when  interpreted  temporal- 
ly, signifies  the  whole  body  politic.  As  such,  it  compre- 
liends  tlie  sun,  or  the  sovereign  power  wheresoever  it  be 
lodged;  the  moon,  or  the  /;eo/)/e  which  is  the  allegorical 
wife  of  the  sovereign  po\\'er  ;  and  the  stars,  or  the  princes 
and  nobles  of  the  realm.  If  this  idea  be  further  pursued 
from  a  single  kingdom  andirom  arnnidivided  ei?ipi  re  lo 
an  cmp're  split  into  many  kingdoms  like  The  Roman  em- 
pire, tlie  sun  will  be  the  govennnent  of  that  slate,  \\  hicb, 
irom  its  superiority  of  power,  resembles  the  bright  orb  of 
daij  in  the  midst  of  the  stars  or  independent  kings  of  the 
imperial  firmament ;  and  the  moon  will  be  tite  whole  body 
of  the  people  throughout  thp  wh-  le  en'pire.  Such  being 
the  case,  the  blackening  of  the  sun,  the  turning  of  the 
moon  into  blood,  the  falling  of  the  stars,  and  the  depart- 
ing of  the  heavens  like  a  scrowl,  will  mean  either  the  sub- 
version of  a  kingdom  or  the  subversion  of  an  empire^ 
according  as  the  tenor  of  the  prophecy  shall  determine  : 
while  the  shooting  of  a  single  star  from  heaven  to  earth 
denotes  the  downfall  of  a  sovereign  prince*  Upon  the 
ffame  principle,  the  eclipsing  of  the  heavenly  bodies  means 
a  partial  calamity,  not  extending  to  the  utter  subversion 
of  the  whole  kingdom  or  empire  :  and,  when  the  sun  is  said 
to  scorch  men  with  fire,  a  grievous  tyranny,  exercised  by 
the  supreme  power,  whether  at  the  head  of  a  kingdom  or 
an  empire,  is  denoted.  The  political  heaven  is  sometimes 
termed  the  air :  in  which  case,  as  thunder,  lightning,  hail 
and  clouds,  are  generated  and  supported  in  tlie  atmo:- 
phere  ;  so  convulsions,  tumults,  and  uproars,  are  produced 
and  maintained  in  an  ill-regnlated  or  expiring  body  politic. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  symbolical  heaven,  when  inter- 
preted s/)iritually,  signifies  the  w/iole  body  of  the  church, 
militant,  considered  as  including  l)oth  Christ  its  head  and 
all  the  members  of  his  mystical  body.\     In  this  case,  the 

*  See  Isa'ah  xiv.  12. 
.  4  Hence  we  find  the  Church  vuUtant  perpetnally  described  in  the  parables  as 
the  kivgdom  nf  heaven.  (See  particularly  Matt.  xiii.  24 — 50.)  In  alUhe  parablcp, 


$6 

4un  will  represent  our  Lord;  tJie  mooih  liis  allegorical 
con  ort  the  Church  ;  and  the  stars,  his  appointed  pasfirs 
and  teachers.  C  hrist  however  is  not  only  the  uend  of  his 
faithful  (people,  the  sun  of  their  religious  system  ;  but  he 
is  likewise  "  a  priest  for  e\er  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedek."  Flence  he  is  typified,  not  only  by  the  sun^ 
but  by  a  ^?ar  also,  termed,  by  vv;iy  of  eminence  over  all 
ether  strirs  or  priestsy  "  the  h'^iglit  and  Dioniing  st((r"'^ 
The  spiritual  heuven,  or  tiie  Ch'irch,  is  God's  appointed 
channel  of  conveying  blessings  to  h's  people:  the  soft 
dews,  and genUe rains  therefore  of  this  spir.lunl  //eaven, 
symbolize  the  graces  of  tlie  Holy  G/mst.^  Lastly,  as 
the  frresent  heaven  signifies  the  Church  militant;  so  a 
ne)v  heaven,  succeeding  the  present  heaven  when,  it  passes 
away,  is  the  Cliurch  trunnphani.X 

2.  I'he  earth,  when  taken  in<2  temporal  sense,  imports, 
in  the  abstract,  the  territo'iol  dominions  of  any  Pagan  or 
irreligious  empire.  The  sea,  ever  turbulent  and  restless, 
repiesents  nations  in  a  tumultuary  or  revobuionaru  state. 
A  flood  is  a  large  body  of  men  put  in  motion  for  some 
given  purpose,  rarely,  perhaps  aever,  a  ^ood  one.  Rivers 
and  fowUains  mea.n  nations  and  tlieir  political  heads  while 
in  a  tranquil  state  ;  their  affairs  flowing  along  in  a  gentle 
and  even  course  like  the  stream  of  a  river,  and  not  sub- 
ject to  violent  rigitations  like  the  sea.^  An  earthquak<^ 
is  a  sudden  convidsion  in  an  empire,  violently  overturning 

contained  in  tliis  chapter,  since  both  good  and  bad  are  represented,  as  bein^ 
equally  included  in  tJie  kingdom  of  hcwve  .,  and  since  it  is  declared  that  a  firial 
separation  between  them  will  only  take  place  at  the  day  of  judgment  ;  it  is 
evident,  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  which  tJiey  speak  of,  is  not  the  literal  and 
Juture,  but  the  symbolical  und present,  kingdom. 

•  Rev  ii.  .;8  and  xxii.  lb.     See  also  Numb.  xxiv.  17. 

+  See  Isaiah  xliv.  3.  and  Rev.  xvii.  15.  See  also  Sir  Isaac  j\''ezuion's  Obset' 
•vations  on  JDaniel,  p.  IJ. 

^  There  is  one  instance,  in  which  this  set  of  hieroglyphics  is  applied  to  rfo- 
viistic  life  :  and  another,  the  only  one  in  the  Apocahpse,  in  which  it  is  used 
to  describe  the  Pagan  hierarchy  and  religion  (See  Gen.  ^xxvii.  9,  10  and  Rev; 
vi  12,  13,14.;  In  both  these  cises  however  the  very  same  ruling  idta  may 
be  observed,  as  when  the  symbols  are  applied  to  an  emp  re  or  to  a  pure  rciigiun. 

§  Sir  Isaac  Newton  supposes,  that  fuumains  are  "  cities,  the  permanent  ht  ads 
of  lirutrs  politic  .•"  but  the  other  interprctatiin  appears  to  roe  more  agreeable 
to  symbolical  analogy.  As  funtuins  aie  the  herds  (f  Ilivers,  so  are  sovereigns 
the  heads  of  their  people  .■  whence  we  are  accustomed,  evt-n  in  our  ordinary 
conversation,  to  style  tlie  ting</ie/')«nmiNof  himours  and  digniiies  we  miijht 
add,  of  all  public  offices,  both  civil  and  military  ;  and,  in  most  counUies,  of 
the  laws  also. 

VOL.  I.  Q 


66 

the  existing  order  of  things  ;  as  a  literal  earthquake  sul5- 
verts  cities  and  villages,  and  occasions  universal  confusion 
and  destruction.  Mountains  and  islands  are  kingdoms 
and  states.  The  turning  of  the  sea  into  blood  'notes 
the  bloodshed  occasioned  by  tumults  and  revolutions: 
and  the  drying  up  of  a  political  river,  signifies  the  grad' 
ual  e.rhau.ftio?!  and  declension  of  the  particular  nation 
symbolized  by  that  river.  If  we  consider  this  set  of  hie- 
roglyphics in  a  limited  point  of  view,  the  earth  will  me.an, 
not  merely  the  territorial  doininions  of  any  irreligious 
empire  taken  in  the  abstract,  b-,  t  the  dominions  of  that 
particular  empire  which  is  in  open  opposition  to  the 
Church  of  Christ  during  the  periodof  the  chronological 
prophecy  zvhich  treats  of'  it.  Thus  the  /our  beasts,  men- 
tioned in  one  of  Daniel's  visions,  are  said  to  arise  out  of 
the  sea,  or  out  of  the  midst  of  co7iflicting  nations  :  and 
the  angel  afterwards  explains  them  as  being  four  king- 
doms or  empires,  which  should  arise  out  of  the  earth,  or 
the  general  territorial  dominions  of  Paganism,  as  oppos- 
ed to  the  Levitical  ChurchoJ  God.  xMterwards  when  the 
affairs  of  the  Jewish  nation  were  specially  connected  with 
the  Jour  great  empires  in  regular  succession,  to  the  al- 
most entire  exclusion  of  other  states  ;  each  of  these  earths 
or  Pagan  etnpires  became  successively  the  symbolical 
earth  '^r  Pagan  state  hostile  to  the  Mosaical  heaven 
or  Church,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  earths.  And 
even  the  Jewish  natioyi  itself,  when  it  had  filled  up  the 
measure  of  its  iniquities  by  crucifying  the  Lord  of  life, 
became  flw  earth  or  antichristian  */«/e  in  opposition  to  the 
real  Churchof  God.*  Now  the  whole  of  the  Revelation 
relates  to  that  part  of  the  reign  of  the  fourth  or  Roma7i 
least,  which  was  about  to  succeed  the  periodof  time  when 
St.  John  W7Wte  :  consequently,  whenever  the  temporal 
symbol  earth  occurs  in  the  Apocalypse,  it  invariably 
means  the  territorial  domi)iions  of  the  Roman  empire, 
whether  existing  under  its  sixth  or  seventh  head,  and 
whether  united  in  one  great  monarchy  or  branching  out 

*"  All  the  tribes  of  f/ic  earth,"  that  is,  the  Jneish  earth,  "shall  mourn," 
(Matt.  xxiv.  30.^  This  prophecy  may  possibly  relate  uUimately  to  the  times 
of  ihe  second  advent ;  but  tliere  seems  to  be  little  doubt,  that  it  primarily  tt- 
Ifttcs  tQ  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 


67 

into  ten  legal  horns.^  This  being  the  case,  the  sea,  the 
riverji,  the  fountains,  the  floods,  the  islands,  the  moun- 
tainsy  and  the  earthquakes,  of  the  apocalyptic  earth,  de- 
note the  very  same  objects  and  circumstances  as  those  of 
the  political  earth  xvhen  consiaered  abstractedly  and 
generally,  only  with  a  limitation  either  to  the  pagan  or 
the  papal  Roman  empire. 

Yeiy  few  oi  this  set  of  symbols  are  ever  used  in  a  spi- 
ritual sense.  The  earth  however,  when  taken  in  that  ac- 
ceptation, denotes  a  state  of  paganism  or  apostacy ;  that 
'very  state  in  short,  which  is  the  mam  characteristic  of  a 
temporal  earth,  or  a  pagan  or  apostate  empire.  Hence 
the  shooting  of  a  star  from  heaven  to  earth  is  the  apos- 
tacy of  a  Christian  pastor ;  being  a  desertion  of  heavenox 
the  Churchy  for  the  earth  or  an  heretical  and antichris- 
tian  stated  A  7nountain'\m^oxis  the  triumphant  kingdom 
.0/  the  Messiah;  which,from  a  stone  or  a  small  beginning, 
is  to  become  a  great  jnountain  and  fill  the  ivhole  earth,X 
being  established  upon  the  top  of  all  other  mountains  or 
kingdoms,  and  being  exalted  above  all  other  hills  or  petty 
states.^  Accordingly  Daniel  informs  us,  that  the  king- 
dom, symbolized  by  a  great  mountain  in  the  dream  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  should  never  be  destroyed,  but  that  it 
should  break  in  pieces,  and  consume,  all  the  kingdoms 
which  had  preceded  it  :||  in  other  words,  that  it  should 
divest  them  of  their  cliaracters  of  being  kingdoms  of  the 
symbolical  earth,  and  should  cause  them  to  become  king- 
doms of  the  symbolical  heaven.  As  temporal  rivers  sig- 
,jiify  nations  in  a  settled  state  :  so,  in  the  blessed  region 

*  From  a  want  of  due  attention  to  the  remarkable  precision  oi  the  si'mbolical 
language  of  prophecy,  Mr.  Galloway  has  annexed  no  less  than,/?iie  different  sig- 
nifications to  the  word  earth,  all  within  the  compass  of  the  single  book  of  tlie 
..ipoealypse,  and  two  of  them  within  the  compass  even  of  a  single  chapter  of  that 
book  ;  thereby  rendering-  it,  upon  his  scheme,  utterly  impossible  to  ascertaia 
the  definite  meaning  of  at.  John.  Jn  Kev.  viij.  13,  he  supposes  the  earth  to  signi- 
fy Christian  Hume  in  her  schismatic  andtvicked state,  previous  to  the  commence- 
ment of  what  may  be  propeily  termed  the  Papal  domination  :  in  Rev  xvi.  4, 
tht  Papal  Apostacy  ;  in  Rev.  sii.  9,  Atheism;  in  Rev.  xii  16,  Genna7ii/ ,•  and 
lastly,  in  Rev.  xiii  II,  12,  14,  the  revolutionary  po-wer  of  France.  See  Comment, 
p.  167,  where  all  these  differeiU  interpretatioiis  oitJie  same  symbol  are  summed  up 
together  even  by  Mr.  Galloway  himself  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that  not 
one  of  them  is  the  true  one. 

t  This  self-same  compound  hieroglyphic,  when  used  in  a  temporal  sense, 
denotes,  as  1  have  already  observed,  the  doivnfall  of  a  sovereign  prince. 

\  Dan.  ii.  o4,  Z5.  §  Isaiah  ii.  2.  |{  Dan.  ii.  44. 


6$ 

of  eternal  folirity,  we  are  figuratively  told,  tJiat  there  is 
"  a  pure  ratr  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  pr^^ct  ed- 
ing  riut  ol  the  throne  of  G ^d  and  of  the  Lamb;"  appa' 
rently  tjj.ifying  the  everlastingly  settled  state  of  the 
pious,  and  as  such  free  both  from  those  sudden  S'-iry  llr.ods 
winch  swell  and  pollute  the  streams  of  temporal  rivers^ 
and  Irora  that  g  adual  exhaustion  which  so  frequently 
dn  s  u})  tiiei'  political  xvaters  and  converts  them  mto 
shalloiv  brooks.^  And,  as  the  temporal  sea  aptly  typifies 
"worldly  nations  ever  agitated  and  unsettled  :t  so  we  are 
specially  informed  by  th^  aj.'ocalj^ptic  projjhet,  that  here- 
after there  shall  !)e  ''no  more  sea  ;''  save  only  a  clear 
"  sea  of  glass  like  unto  crystal^''  and  consequently  in- 
capaDieof  being  ever  ruffled. 

3.  The  third  set  of  symbols  commences  with  that  of 
a  city,  undei  which  may  be  arranged  various  other  sym- 
bols connected  with  it.  In  the  Apocalypse  two  cities  are 
mentioned,  the  great  city  f\n&the  holy  city,  the  city  of 
th€  dragon  and  the  city  of  the  Lamb.  The  great  city  is 
tht  Koman  empire,  both  temporal i\nd  ecclesiastical,  both 
secular  and  papal  ;  the  mystic  name  of  which  is  Babylon  ; 
.  the  holy  city  is  ttie  Church  of  Christ,  the  mystic  name  of 
wh-ct.  is  Jerusalem.  1  he  great  city,  thus  representing 
both  the  spiritual  empire  of  the  Pope,  and  the  temporal 
empire  which  upheld  his  authority,  is  accordingly  exhibit- 
ed to  us  as  a  harlot  or  apostate  church  riding  trium- 
phant upon  a  beast  or  idolatrous  empire.  It  is  moreover 
said  to  consist  of  ten  parts  or  streets,  which  answer  to 
the  ten  horns  of  thebtast,  andvidiich  denoie  the  ten  king- 
doms m\.o  which  the  Human  empire  was  daided.J  In 
this  same  great  city,  which  is  spiritually  termed  Sodom 
and  Egypt,  and  within  the  limits  of  which  (the  province 
of  Ju-iea)  our  Lord  w^as  crucified,  is  the  throne  or  seat  of 
the  dragon,  which  he  has  transierred  to  his  special  dele- 

•  If  the  reader  dislike  this  interpretation  of  the  river  of  life.  let  him  by  all 
jneans  reject  it  Though  I  have  been  led  to  it,  as  perhaps  most  ajjreeabK-  to 
symbolical  analogy,  lam  by  no  means  disposed  to  insist  upon  its  propriety.  It 
may,  or  it  may  not,  be  the  true  exposition 

+  "  Tht!  Wicked  are  like  tue  troubled  sea  when  it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters 
cast  up  mire  and  dirt  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God,  to  the  wicked." 
(Isaiah  Ivii.  20.  21  )  The  same  alii:gorical  linguage  is  used  by  St.  Jude. 
"  Haging  waves  of  M»  sea,  foaming  out  their  own  shame."    Jude  13. 

4  Rev.  xi.  13.  ^ 


eg 

gate  the  beast  If  then  the  city  mean  the  empire^  the 
thnmc  will  signify  the  tyrannical  authority  exercised  within 
the  empire :  a  throne^  even  in  our  ordinary  mode  of 
speaking,  being  used  as  synonymous  with  the  autliority 
exercised  from  tile  throve.  Ti.e  great  city  \s  Aescwhed  as 
being  seated  upon  the  sea;^  so  as  to  be  a  conspicurms 
object  to  those  who  navigate  it  ;  and,  hke  opulent  natu- 
ral cities,  as  having  abundance  of  merchants  and  sh  p- 
ynasteis.  Tliese  uierchauts-,  who  enrich  themselves  Uy 
trading  with  her,  are  declared  by  the  prophet  to  be  Uie 
great  men  oftiie  earth  or  Rommi  empv  e.\ 

•  That  is,  the  irovb'ed  ocean  of  worldly  politics  and  conflicting-  nntif^ns  (See 
the'  preceding  remarks  on  the  s  mbohciusea.J  In  a  similar  manner,  the  great 
scarlet -whore  is  r  presented  as  silting  upon  ')na7iy  -waters  ;  which  the  angei  af- 
terwards explains  to  signify  "  peoples,  and  niuUttudest  and  nations,  and  tongnes.'* 
Key.  xvii  1,  15 

+  It  might  seem  from  Rev.  xvii.  9,  18    that  the  great  city  does  not   mean  the 
Roman  einpire,  but  the  literal  ci,y  of  RuUie    To  such  an  opinion  however  there 
are  insuperable  objections.     The  hario: .,  who  is  said  to  be  Baby. on,  or  the  great; 
c/ty,  is  evidently  the  adulterous  church  of  Home,  alter  the  period  when  the  Em- 
pire had  been  divided  into  te}i   /kingdoms.     That  Church   however,  although  its 
peculiar  seat  was  the  literal  seven-  ided  aty,  extended  its   sway  over  the  -whole 
Wester.   Empire  :  consequemlj  the  ehurch  of  Rome,  in  its  largest  acceptation, 
must  he  the  apocaljptic  JBuhy^on,  or  the  great  city,  unless  we  confine  it  (which 
is  an  absurdity)  within    the  limits  of //toa/ i?!???!^       Hence    the  spiritual  great 
city  must  mea.n  the  liihole papal  empi.e      So   again;  since    our   Lord   is   said  ta 
have  been  crucified  ip  the  great  city,  and  since  the  great  city  undoubtedly  means 
Jio7ne  in  some  sense  or  another,  it  is  evident  that   the  secular  great  city  cannot 
be  literal  Rome,  because  our  Lord  never  ivas  crucified  there;  whereas  he  ivas 
crucified  in  he  great  city,  if  by  it  we  understand  the  luhoie  Roman  empire.  Fur- 
ther :   the  first  apocalyptic  btast,  which  is  undoubtedly  the  Roman  empire,  is  said 
to  have  ten  horns  or  kingdoms  ;  and  the  great  city  is  said  to  consist  of  ten  dif- 
fer ent  parts  or  streets      (Rev.  xi  13. j     Hence  it  is  natuvai  to  conclude,  that  the 
ten  parts  of  the  citj' ave  iht  sa.me  &s   the  ten  horns  of  the  beast.     But,  if  that  be 
the  case  t/ie  great  city  must  mean  the  empire  at  large.     It  is  described  indeed 
as  seated  upon  seven  hills,  in  allusion  to  the  site  of  its  litend  capital  ;  but  we 
are  moreover  informed  that  the  seven  heads  rf  the  beast  allude  to  seven  foms 
of  go'oe  nm,ent,  a  circumstance  which  plainly  shews  that  the  empire  as  including 
the  city  must  be  intended.     For,  if  we  confine  the  great  ci'y  of  the  Apocalypse 
to  literal  Rome,  we  sh.ll  find  it  impossible  to  discover  wiioin  the  litet  al  city  of 
Some  alithe  seven  forms  of  government  and  the  eighth  which  isone  ofihe  seven. 
Some  have  supposed  the  slioi-t-iixed  seventh  head  to  be  the  Exarchate  'f  Raienna, 
some  the  line  of  Italian  Casarsf-om  ihe  death  of  Theodosrns.  and  some  the  king- 
dom of  the  Ostrogoths:     None  of  these  powers  however  made  Rome  their  capi- 
tal.    In  short,  let  us   interpret  Me   sho  t-lived  seventh   Afm/ as  we  please,  we 
shall  find  nothing  within  literal  Rome  that  at  all  answers  to  the  prophetic  de- 
scription of  it.     If  tlien  we  are  obliged  to  go  without  the  limits  of  titeral  Rome 
to  discover  all  the  heads  of  the  beast,  the  great  city  must  likewise  be  understood 
as   extending  Vvithout  the  limits  of  too  aZ /^o?nc.     In  short,  as   the  great    city 
Jiabylon  means  not  only  Babylon  itself,  but  likewise  the  Babylonian  empire  :  so 
the  great  city  Rome  means  not  only  Rome  itself,  but  likewise  the  li-hole  Roman 
evipire.     The  one   is  used   as  a  type  of  the  other  :  and,  in   addition   to  their 
mutual  x-esemblance  in  other  particulars,  they  are  perhaps  tiie  only  two  laig-e 
powers  that  have  ever  existed,  whose  eispire  and  whose  capital  city  have  each 
borne  tiie  same  name. 


70 

As  the  great  Bahiilon  is  the  same  as  the  symbolical 
sartli  or  Roman  empire  ;  so  the  holy  city  is  the  same  as 
the  first  heaven^  or  church  militant y  whence  it  is  also 
aptly  termed  a  camp.  After  the  beloved  city  or  first 
henven  of  the  millennium  shall  have  passed  away,  it  will 
be  succeeded  by  the  second  holy  city,  the  new  heaven, 
the  church  triumphant-,  the  duration  of  which  shall  be 
commensurate  with  eternity  itself. 

This  holy  city  of  God  is  furnished,  like  the  literal 
Jerusalem,  with  a  temple,  an  altar,  and  a  court  without 
the  temple.  It  hath  also  a  sanctuary  and  a  daily  sacri- 
fice :  and  in  the  midst  of  it  is  the  ihrone  of  God  and  the 
ark  of  his  covenant.  In  the  temple  moreover  are  hvo 
olive-trees  and  two  Gandlesticks,  which  are  the  two  wit- 
nesses of  Christ. 

To  understand  the  import  of  this  imagery,  we  must 
consider  the  nature  of  the  "visible  Church  of  Christ. 
Now  thcit  Church  hath  ever  been  of  a  two-fold  nature, 
comprehending  both  the  really  pious,  and  those  who,  to 
use  the  words  of  Daniel,  only  "  cleave  to  it  with  flatte- 
ries^  or  who,  in  the  language  of  another  prophet,  "  have 
aiuxme  that  they  live,  and  are  dead.""  The  first  of  these 
make  the  word  ol  God  alone  the  standard  of  their  ac- 
tions :  tlie  second  are  liable  to  be  "  carried  about  with 
every  w^ind  of  doctrine,"  and  are  therefore  peculiarly  ob- 
noxious to  the  danger  of  heresy  and  apostacy.  The  truly 
pious  then  are  the  mystical  temple  of  God  ;*  their  hearts 
are  his  throne,  inasmuch  as  they  alone  really  acknow- 
ledge his  dominion,  (all  others,  whatever  profession  they 
may  make,  being  practical  atheists  ;t)  a.nd  their  p-ayers, 
humbly  offered  unto  the  Lord  in  a  reliance  upon  his  co- 
venanted mercies  vouchsafed  through  the  sole  merits  of 
his  Son,  are  the  daily  sacrifice  offered  upon  the  altar  be- 
fore tJie  ark  of  the  coveimnt.      The  real  Church  of  God 

•  "  Know  ye  not,  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
dwelleth  in  you  ?"  (1  Corin.  iii.  16.)  "  Know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  /fm- 
/>/e  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  in  you  ?''  (1  Corin  vi.  19.)  "  What  agree- 
ment hath  tlif  temple  of  God  with  idols  ?  for  ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living 
God  ;  as  God  hath  said,  1  will  dwell  in  them  and  walk  in  them  ;  and  1  will  be 
their  (iod,  and  they  shall  be  my  people."  (2  Corin.  vi.  16.)  "  Christ  as  a  spn 
over  his  own  house,  luhote  house  are  xue."     Heb  iii.  6. 

t  A9{0«  ev  tw  KtxrpM.     Ephes.  ii.  12. 


"71 

however  is  not  to  be  confined  exclusively  to  the  times  qf 
the  Christian  dispensation  ;  it  had  existed  froj/i  the  xiery 
beginning  of  the  world  in  the  hearts  of  the  faithful,  and 
had  afterwards  assumed  a  definite  jorm  in  the  age  of  Mo- 
ses and  Aaron.  Abraham  rejoined  to  see  the  day  of  hiss 
Redeemer;  he  "  saw  it,  and  was  glad."  Moses  esteemed 
"the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures 
of  Egypt."  The  ancient  patriarchs  "  all  died  in  faith, 
not  having  received  the  promises,  but  having  seen  them 
afar  off."  In  short,  "  althousjh  they  were  not  named 
Christian  Wd-w,  yetwas  \\.a  Christian  faith  that  they  had  ; 
for  they  looked  for  all  benefits  of  God  the  Father,  through 
the  merits  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  as  we  now  do.  This 
difference  is  between  them  and  us,  that  they  looked  when 
Christ  should  come,  and  we  be  in  the  time  when  he  is 
come.  Therefore,  saith  St.  Augustin,  The  time  is  alter- 
ed and  changed,  but  not  the  jaith  ;  for  we  have  both  o'ne 
faith  in  Christ."^  Hence  we  find  in  the  mystic  temple 
two  double  symbols  ;  namely  tfvo  olive  trees  and  fivo  can- 
dlesticks. The  first  olive  tree,  and  the  fir\t  candlestick, 
represent  the  Church  of  God  before  the  incarnation  of  our 
Lord  ;  and  the  second  olive  tree,  and  the  second  candle- 
sticky  represent  the  Church  after  the  incarnation.  Ac- 
cordingly the  prophet  Jeremiah  denominates  the  Leviti- 
cal  C  hurch  "  a  green  olive  tree^  fair,  and  of  goodly 
fimit /'■\  and  St.  Paul,  adopting  the  same  symbolical 
imagery,  describes  the  conversion  of  the  gentiles  by  the 
figure  of  a  wild  olive  graffed  into  a  good  olive  and  thus 
producing  valuable  fruit.X  As  for  a  candlestick^  our 
Lord  himself  declares  it  to  be  the  type  of  a  Cliurch.^ 
The  temple  then  symbolizing  the  faithful  worshippers  of 
God  ;  the  outer  court-,  which  under  the  Levitical  dispen- 
sation was  set  apart  for  the  gentiles,  represents  those  who 
are  only  nomindl  Christians  ;  and  the  treading  it  under 
foot  signifies  the  introduction  of  heresies  and  apostacies» 
sufficient  to  deceive  even  the  elect  of  God,  were  they 
not  secure  within  his  holy  temple. \\  In  a  similar  manner, 
the  prof anation  of  the  sanctuary,  the  abolition  of  the  daily 

*  2d  part  of  Horn,  of  faith. 
t  Jerem,  xi.  16,  \  Rom.  xi.  17—24. 

5  Rev.  i.  20.  1)  Matt.  ssiv.  24. 


79f 

sacrifice  which  is  oftered  in  form  though  not  in  spirit  by 

tlie  tares  as  well  as  by  the  wheat,*"  and  the  setting  up  of 
tiw  abomination  of  desolatimiy  which  are  all  images  takea 
from  the  history  of  the  Jews,  and  which,  as  we  are 
taught  by  our  Lord  hiaiself,  signify  literallii  the  sacking' 
oj  Jerusalem  hf  the  Romans  and  the  mirodttctian  of  their 
abominable  idolatry  into  the  verjf  precincts  of  the  tem- 
ple ."t  these  images,  when  taken  symbolically ^  mean  the 
introduction  of  impf0?fs  cpostactSf  and  t/te  abolition,  or  at 
least  the  studied  interrtfption,  of  divine  worship. 

4  A  chaste  woman  is  a  S}  mbol  of  the  true  Church  ; 
which,  throughout  the  whole  of  Scripture,  is  considered 
as  ^he  bride  of  the  Lamb,  and  the  mother  of  his  spiritual 
childreji.J 

On  the  other  hand,  a  harlot  is  a  symbol  of  an  apostate 
and  idolatrous  Church,  apostacy  and  idolatry  being  spi- 
ritual whoredom  and  adultery.^ 

In  the  Apocalypse  mention  is  made  of  two  women,  but 
of  a  very  different  character  from  each  other.  TJie  for* 
mer  of  them  is  represented,  as  being  driven  into  the  wil- 
derness by  the  persecution  of  the  dragon :  the  latter  is 
described,  as  being  also  in  the  wilderness,  but  as  riding 
there  triumphantly  and  joynvsly  upon  a  scarlet  coloured 
beast.  This  symbol  of  a  wilderness  is  manifestly  borrow- 
ed from  the  history  of  the  children  of  Israel,  during  their 
sojourn  of  forty  years  in  the  great  wilderness ;  and  it 
denotes  a  state  of  extreme  spiritual  barrenness  and  ig- 
norance. Into  such  a  wilderness  of  religious  error  the 
woman,  who  is  the  symbol  of  the  true  Church,  is  jorcibly 
drivni  by  the  infernal  seipmt  ;  where,  in  the  midst  of 
su  rounding  abominations,  like  Israel  in  the  midst  of  the 
gentiles,  she  is  nourished  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  mi- 
raculously though  invisibly  upheld  by  the  power  of  liis 

*  Matt  xiii  38. 

t '  The  B>man  army  is  called  the  abomination  for  its  ensigns  and  ima.SfeS 
which  were  so  to  the  Jews  As  Chrysostom  affirms,  every  idol  and  even  im- 
ag^i-  -fa  man  was  calltd  <m  ab  mtnation  among  tlie  Jews — We  farther  learn 
from  Josephus.that  after  th'-  city  v  as  taken, the  liom:ms  brought  their  ensiuns 
into  the  temple,  a^  (\  pluced  ih,  m  ove'  against  the  eastern  gate,  and  sacrificed 
to  them  there."     Bp  Newton's  Dissert  XIX 

i  See  tlie  Sonir  of  Soiom-m— Isaiah  liv.  5-^ercm.  XXxi.  32 — HOS-  U.  2,  7-«i 
Eplv-3  V   JJ — Rev  xix  7   >.xi 

§  See  Ezgk.  xvi— Jcrem.  Ul— Rev.  zrii. 


7a 

arm,  during  the  space  of  I960  days  or  three  years  and  a 
hvlf  ;  as  the  Israelites  were  fed  with  manna,  tlie  type 
of  Christ  himself  who  is  the  spiritual  bread  of  his  church,* 
during  their  pilgrimage  of  forty  years.  Into  the  same 
wilderne'<s  also  of  spiritual  barrenness  and  ignorance  the 
great  whore,  who  is  the  symbol  of  some  apostate  Church 
predicted  by  St.  John,  voluntarily  withdraws  herself: 
where  she  sits,  as  a  queen,  upon  the  po'uer  symbolized 
by  tiie  scarlet  beast ;  and  labours  at  once  to  seduce  with 
her  blandishments,  and  to  terrify  with  her  threats,  the 
oppressed  Church  -^f  God.f 

5  Another  symbol  of  the  church  is  a  'vine.  When 
the  vine  is  properly  cultivated,  and  yields  good  fruit,  it  is 
the  true  church  ;  but,  when  it  is  styled  the  "vine  of  the 
earthy  and  is  described  as  yielding  sour  grapes  even  when 
they  are  fully  ripe,X  it  signifies  an  apostate  church.  This 
being  the  case,  gathering  the  clusters  of  the  vine  of  the 
earth,  and  treading  the  wine-press,  denote  the  just  wrath  of 
God  poured  out  upon  apostates  and  corrupters  of  his  word, 

6.  One  of  the  most  striking  hieroglyphics  however, 
among  those  which  are  used  in  the  writings  of  Daniel 
and  St.  John,  is  that  of  a  wild  beast. ^     Several   different 

*  John  vi  31—38.    Rev.  il.  17. 

f  Mr  Sharpe  has  very  injudiciously,  I  think,  follovi'ed  Sir  Isaac  Newton  in 
confounding'  these  two  nuomen  tog-ether.  It  is  true,  that  the  great  ivhore  was 
once  he  chaste  ivife  of  the  L.imb  ;  but,  by  her  withdrawing  into  the  wilderness, 
shf:  becume  an  essentially  dift'erent  character,  leaving  that  of  the  reat  ivife  of 
the  Lamb  to  tnose  -who  protested  against  her  fornications^  and  whom  in  return  she 
persecuted  and  trod  under  foot.  The  prophetic  account  indeed  of  ihe  tiuo  wo' 
men  sufficiently  shews,  that  they  cannot  be  esteemed  the  same perso."  without 
the  most  palpable  contradiction ;  for  the  ien-horiied  beast,  upon  which  one  cfthe 
ivomcn  triumphantly  rides,  is  the  agent  and  instrument  of  the  very  ten-homed 
Brag-jii,  which  is  so  violent  a  persecutor  of  the  other  ivoman.  (Sir  Isaac  New.- 
ton's  Observ.  p.  279 — Append,  to  Sharpe's  three  tracts  p.  121,  122.)-  Mi-.  Gal- 
loway is  guilty  of  the  same  error  of  supposing,  tiiat  thtfi^kt  cfthe  -woman  into 
the  -iuiiderness  meains  her  apostacy  (Comment  p  131.)  Bp  Newton  most  just- 
ly adopts  the  contrary  opinion.  "When  the  ivoman,  the  true  Church,  was  per- 
secuted and  afflicted,  she  was  said  to  fly  into  the  isilderiiess  .-  and,  in  like  man- 
ner, when  the  ivoman,  the  false  Cinirch,  is  to  be  destroyed,  tlie  vision  is  pre- 
sented in  ?Ae  ivitderness.  For  they  are  by  no  means,  as  some  have  imagined, 
the  s  :me  -woman  under  various  representations.  They  ai-e  totally  distinct  and 
different  characters  ;  and  drawn  in  contrast  to  each  other  ,-  as  appears  from  their 
whole  aUire  and  behavior,  and  particularly  from  these  two  circumstances  ; 
that,  during  the  1260  yt^ars,  while  the  i\-oman  is  fed.  in  the  -wilder. kcss,  the  beast 
and  the  scarlet  where  are  reigning  and  triumphant  ;  and,  at  the  latter  end,  the 
■u)ho:e\s  burnt  with  fire,  when  the  wo7nan,  as  his  wife,  hath  made  herself  i-eady 
for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  "     Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  in  loc. 

I  3ee  Isaiah  v  xxvii. 

§  Il  may  not  be  improper  to  ob!?erve,  th.^t  a  different  word  is  used  bv  St, 
VOL.  I.  10 


74 

animals  of  the  rapacious  kind  are  introduced  for  this  pur- 
pose ;  and  occasionally  the  strict  laws  of  nature  are 
departed  from,  and  a  beast  is  described  as  compounded 
of  several  other  beasts  in  order  to  convey  more  accu- 
rately the  import  of  the  prophecy. 

In  a  temporal  sense,  a  zvild  beast  is  used  to  symbolize 
a  large  empire  prdfessing  and  acting  upon  principles  ad- 
terse  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  And  here  I  would  par- 
ticularly insist  upon  0}ie  point,  namely,  that  a  beast  never 
means  a  single  kingdom  considered  as  co-existing  with 
otiier  kingdoms  all  jointly  in  opposition  to  the  Church  ; 
such,  lor  instance,  as  any  one  of  the  ten  kingdoms  into 
which  the  Roman  empire  was  divided  :  but  always  an 
tiniversal  empire,  that  is  to  say,  zmiversal  so  far  as  the 
Church  is  coticerned.*  A  temporal  beast  then  impovimg 
an  universal  empire,  its  heads,  if  it  be  represented  as  hav- 
ing 7norc  than  one,  sometimes  mean  different  forms  of 
government  under  which  the  empire  in  question  has 
subsisted,  and  sometimes  different  kingdoms  into  which 
it  has  been  divided.f  Horns  likewise  mean  different 
kingdoms,  ^vhich  have  branched  out  from  the  imperial 
head  of  a  once  universal  monarchy,  and  which  are  all 
subsisting  at  the  same  time :  and  the  tail,  which  is  the 
meanest  part  of  the  body,  signifies  the  antichristian  su- 
perstition of  the  beast,  the  cause  by  which  he  is  rendered 
so  utterly  oU'ensive  in  the  eyes  of  God.  J  The  dominion  of 
a  beast  is  his  power  of  persecution  :    the  life  or  vital 

.John  to  express  ilu-fiur  iherubic  animals  who  .join  with  the  twenty-four  elders 
in  praising  (;od,  and  the  two  persecuting  beasts  of  the  sea  and  the  earth ,-  the  former 
are  termed  ^otoc  or  living  creatwes  ;  and  the  latter,  G»p»x,  or  vdld  beasts  of  prey. 

*  Other  beasts  or  large  empires,  like  those  of  China  and  JLmlostan,  never 
haviupf  liad  any  connection  with  tlie  afl'airs  of  the  Church,  are  for  that  reason 
left  unnoticed  by  prophet  y.  Of  the  6casts  or  empires  against  which  the  ram 
pushed  with  so  much  success,  one  was  the  lion  or  the  Babylonian  monarch^',  and 
the  oth»;rs  \\'ere  states  with  which  the  Church  had  no  connection,  such  as  the 
kingdom  of  Cresus.  That  of  Kg;/pt,  which  was  conquered  by  Cambyscs,  the 
second  king  of  the  ram,  is  jierhaps  Uie  only  exception  to  the  rule  of  a  beast 
nicnr.Jtiff  an  univirsai  empire  so  fur  as  the  Ghwch  is  concer?icd,  liaving  existed 
along  with  the  Bahylonian  empire,  and  having,  like  it,  been  much  connected 
with  the  Jews  ;  yet  even  ligiipt  is  not  a  perfect  exception,  having  been  once 
subdued,  and  made,  during  tlie  space  of  three  years,  a  province  of  the  Baliylo' 
iiian  monarchy,  by  Esar-haddon.     (Jhron.  Tab.  to  Univ.  Ilist.  p.  54. 

■f  I  only  recollect  a  single  instance,  in  which  heads  mean  different  kingtioms. 
See  Uan  vii.  6. 

t  "  The  Lord  will  cut  off  from  Israel  /tend  and  tail,  branch  and  rush.  In  one 
day.  The  ancient  saul  honourable,  (that  is,  the  governing  power)  he  is  r/ti-  head, 
and  the-  prophet  that  tcacheth  lies,  he  is  the  tail,"    Isaiah  ix.  14,  15- 


75 

principle  of  a  least,  tliat  is  to  say,  the  principle  which 
causes  him  to  be  a  beast  is  his  idolatry  or  apostacy :  and  the 
death  of  a  beast  is  the  destruction  cf  this  vital  principle. 
Hence,  when  a  beast  is  said  to  exist  or  to  livey  the  mean- 
ing is,  that  the  empire  typified  by  the  beast  is  devoted  to 
idolatry  and  supei'stition.  When  he  is  said  to  cease  to 
exist  or  to  be  slaiUi  the  meaning  is,  not  that  his  temporal 
authority  is  destroyed,  but  that  he  has  put  away  his 
abominations  ;  the  retaining  of  which  was  the  sole  cause 
of  his  being  a  beast,  and  consequently  the  resignation 
of  which  is  equivalent  to  his  ceasing  to  be  a  beast. 
When  he  is  said  to  exist  afresh  or  to  revive,  the  meaning 
is,  that  he  lias  either  resumed  his  old  abominations,  or 
adopted  fresh  ones  equally  hateful  to  God  ;  thereby 
again  acquiring  the  bestial  character ■>  which  he  had  be- 
fore happily  laid  aside.  And,  when  his  dominion  is  said 
io  be  taken  from  him,  the  meaning  is  that  he  is  deprived 
of  his  power  of  persecuting  the  Church.  In  this  last 
idea  the  loss  of  lawful  temporal  authority  is  not  neces- 
sarily included.  Tlie  dominion  of  the  little  horn  of  the 
Roman  beast  has  already  begun  to  be  taken  away  by  the 
•withdrawing  of  many  of  its  former  supporters  from  the 
communion  of  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  and  eventually  it 
shall  be  deprived  of  the  remainder  of  its  dominion,  and  of 
its  temporal  authority  likewise  by  the  death  of  its  col- 
league and  supporter  the  secular  ten-horned  beast :  yet 
we  are  not  to  suppose,  that,  when  the  secular  beast 
ceases  to  exist  as  a  beast,  all  government  will  cease 
within  the  hraits  of  what  was  once  his  empire.*  Sa 
again :  though  the  little  horn  will  be  deprived  both  of 
its  dominion  and  its  temporal  authority,  since  the  two 
ideas  are  not  necessarily  connected,  it  does  not  therefore 
follow,  that,  because  the  other  beasts  are  to  be  deprived 
of  their  dominion,  they  shall  also  be  deprived^  of  their 
temporal  authority.  On  the  contrary,  the  taking  away 
of  their  dominion  while  their  lives  are  prolonged  means, 
not  that  the  pagan  nations,  which  shall  co-exist  with  the 
Church  during  the  millennium,  shall  possess  no  temporal 
power  within  their  proper  territories,  but  only  (like  the 
empire  of  China  for  instance)  that  they  shall  possess  no 

*  Dan.  vii.  11,  26. 


76 

c. 

power  of  perseadivg  the  Clinrch.*  This  is  suffioiently 
m.mifest  from  the  state  of  those  nations  at  the  close  of 
the  millennium,  as  it  is  described  both  by  Ezekiel  and 
St  John.  In  the  writings  of  those  two  prophets,  they 
appear  as  a  regularly  organized  body  of  men,  making  no 
attempt  upon  the  pious  Christian  governments,  which 
jointly  constitute  the  fifth  great  monarchy  y  or  spiritual 
einpire  of  the  Messiah,  during  the  space  of  a  thousand 
years  ;  but  at  the  end  of  those  years  assailing  them  at 
the  instigation  of  Satan  with  the  utmost  rancour,  and 
perishing  in  consequence  of  it.  Hence  it  may  be  col- 
lected, that,  when  their  do?ninioii  is  said  tobe  taken  away, 
the  meaning  must  be,  not  their  temporal  dominioji  within 
their  own  limits,  but  their  power  of  injuring  the  Church.^ 

In  a  spiriiiial  or  ecclesiastical  ^cnse,  a  beast  is  a  super- 
stition aff^ecting  universal do7ninion :  for  unixersality  as  I 
ha\  e  already  observed,  is  the  peculiar  characteristic  of  a 
beast,  as  opposed  to  the  horn  of  a  beast.  On  the  same 
grounds,  a  horn,  in  an  ecclesiastical  sense,  is  a  spiritual 
kingdom  :  and,  as  such,  it  may  be  represented,  eithei  as 
springing  out  of  a  secular  beast,  or  out  of  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal beast.  In  the  former  case,  its  geographical  origin  is 
pointed  out;  in  the  latter  case,  its  connection  with,  and 
substrviency  to,  a  spiritual  empire.  An  ecclesiastical 
liingdom  however  may  increase  into  an  ecclesiastical  em* 
fnre,  and  it  may  then  have  ecclesiastical  kingdoms  subser- 
vient to  it.  Hence,  what  is  symbolized  in  one  prophecy 
by  the  horn  of  a  secular  beast,  may  hereafter  in  another 
prophecj/  be  symbolized  by  a  distiiict  spiritual  beast,  hav- 
ing a  proper  head  ox  supreme  governor  -dnd  proper  horns 
or  ecclesiastical  kingdoms  ol  its  oicn.  There  is  oniy  one 
such  beast  mentioned  in  the  whole  Bible  :  and  he  sup- 
plies the  place  of  what  in  a  collateral  prediction  had  been 
represented  by  a  lit  tie  horn  gradually  acquiringunlimited 
power  :  while,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  mistaking  his 
character,  he  is  expressly  denominated  a  false  prophet  X 

These  beasts  have  both  a  natural  and  a  spiritual  origin. 
Hence  the  same  beast  is  sonjetiraes  said  to  arise  both  out 

*  Dan.  vii  12.  +  Ezek.  xxxviii.  xxix.     Rev.  xx.  1—10. 

t  Compare  Dan.  vii.  7,  8,  11,  20,  21,  24,  2  •  with  Rev  xiii.  1,  11,  16  andxix. 
£0.  The  specific  character  of  the  two  apocalyptic  Iseasts  will  be  discussed  at 
]-irge  hereafter. 


77 

of  the  sea,  and  out  of  the  bottomless  pit ;  the  former  ex- 
pre'=!Sion  denoting  his  physical  birth  out  of  contending 
nations^  and  the  latter  his  injernal  extraction. 

The  sovereign  and  instigator  and  spiritual  parent  of  the 
various  beasts  or  idolatrous  empires,  that  have  [persecuted 
the  (  hurch,  is  the  dragon  or  serpent.  This  fi-  rce  and 
noxious  --eptile,  when  si^nply  mentioned,  is  the  devil, 
that  old  serpent  v/hich  deceiveth  the  whole  world,  poi- 
soning the  principles  of  its  inhabitants,  and  introducing 
death  both  temporal  and  eternal  :  but,  when  described 
as  being  connected  with  certain  other  marks  or  symbolSy 
it  is  the  devil  considered  as  acting  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  power  or  poivers  thus  marked  or  sym- 
boiized.  Accordingly  the  great  red  dragon  of  tlie 
Apocalypse  is,  as  we  are  repeatedly  assured  by  St.  John, 
the  devil  :  and,  inasmuch  as  he  is  said  to  have  seven 
heads  and  ten  horns,  he  can  only  be  thus  described,  be- 
cause he  acts  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  seven- 
headed  and  ten-horned  beast  ;  to  whom  he  is  said  to  have 
given  his  power,  and  his  seat,  and  great  authority.* 


CHAPTER  iir. 


Concerning  the  scriptural  phrases  of  the  latter  daySy 
the  last  days,  and  the  time  of  the  end. 

FOR  the  right  understanding  of  prophecy  it  is 
necessary  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of  certain  phrases, 
which  are  used  by  the  inspired  writers  to  describe  differ- 
ent future  periods.  The  phrases,  to  which  I  allude,  are 
the  latter  times  or  days,  the  last  times  or  days,  and  the 
end  or  the  time  of  the  end. 

Bp.  Newton  remarks,  that  the  two  former  of  these 
phrases  "  signify  primarily  any  time  yet  to  come  ;  but  de- 
note more  particularly  the  times  of  Christianity  :"  and 

*  llev.  xiil.  2. 


78 

he  adds,  that  sometimes  this  phraseology  relates,  not  only 
to  thexohole period  of  the  Christian  dispensation^  but 
likewise  to  the  latter  or  last  days  of  the  latter  or  last 
times* 

In  this  observation  there  is  much  that  is  true  :  but  I 
cannot  think,  that  it  is  by  any  means  stated  so  accu- 
rately as  it  might  have  been. 

Throughout  the  Old  Testament,  the  two  apparently 
different  phrases  of  latter  days  and  last  days  never  once 
in  reality  occur.  The  single  expression,  which  our  trans- 
lators thus  variously  render  comparatively  and  superla- 
tively, (as  if  there  were  tu^o  different  e.vpressions  in  the 
original,)  is  simply  d'OM  n>nnN,  the  end  of  days.  Conse- 
qucntl3%  the  latter  days  aud  the  last  days  of  our  present 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament  must  mean  the  very 
same  period,  whatever  that  period  maj^-  be  ;  because  they 
are  each  equally  aversion  of  one  and  the  same  phrase^ 
which  literallj^  and  properly  ought  to  be  rendered  the  end 
of  days. 

The  end  of  days  means  primarily,  as  Bp.  Newton  very 
justly  remarks,  any  time  yet  future  .-f  but  I  much  doubt, 
whether  it  ever  signifies  the  whole  period  of  the  Chris- 
tian  dispensation.  On  the  contrary,  whenever  it  is  not 
used  in  its  primary  sense,  I  believe  it  exclusively  to  relate 
to  that  portion  of  time,  which  begins  at  the  termina- 
tion of  the  great  Apostacy  of  \9.60  years  ■>  andzvhich  ex- 
pires at  the  end  of  the  Millennium  and  at  the  consum- 
wation  of  all  things.  This  great  period  Mr.  Mede  styles 
thekingdom  of  the  mountain  in  opposition  iothekingdom 
of  the  stone  :  in  other  words,  the  tt'iumphant  reign  of 
Christianity  after  the  \260  yeat^Sy  in  opposition  to //.? 
depressed  state  before  the  eipiratio7i  of  that  term.  The 
end  of  days  therefore  includes  not  only  the  millennium, 
but  the  15  years  which  will  intervene  between  the  end 
of  the  1 260  years  and  the  proper  commencement  of  the 
Millennium  ;  xvhich  75  years  will  be  occupied  in  tlieres- 

•  Dissert,  iv — Dissert,  xxiii.  3.  See  also  Mede's  Apostacy  of  tlie  latter 
TiiTi(.»,  I'art  I  Chap.  11. 

♦  In  this  case,  perhaps  it  raipht  more  properly  be  translated  the  sitccession  of 
ffav',  ii.s  denoting  what  Mr  Mede  calls  a  continuation  or  lengtn  of  time  :  for 
nnnN  signifies  either   tli«  ivhole  length  of  av<j  period)  or  the  end  of  that  period. 


79 

toration  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  in  the  destruction  of 
God's  enemies.'^ 

*  See  Dan.  xii.  6,  7,  11,  12,  whence  it  appears,  that,  between  the  explrationof 
the  three  times  arid  a  half  or  the  1260  years,  and  the  commencement  of  the  season 
nf  bkssedness  at  the  end  oflooS  years,  just  75  years  intervene.  The  three  ti-Xts, 
which  Bp.  Newton  cites  to  shew  that  the  phrase  of  the  latter  or  last  days  op 
the  end  of  days  denotes  the  times  of  CJiristianity,  seem  to  me  plainly  to  relate  to 
the  viillennian  period,  or  the  reign  of  the  -mojaitain- 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  or  at  the  end  of  days,  that  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountaiiis, 
and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it."  Isaiih- 
ii.  2. 

"  But,  in  the  last  days,  or  at  the  end  of  days,  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the 
mountain  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  ihe  moun- 
tains, and  it  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills  ;  and  people  shaii  flow  unto 
it,"     Micah  iv.  1. 

"  But  this  is  that,  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel ;  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass  in  the  list  days  (saith  God)  I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh." 
Acts  ii.  16,  17. 

With  regard  to  the  two  frst  of  these  texts,  let  any  person  compare  them  with 
Pan.  ii.  34,  3^,  4A,  45,  and  he  will  be  satisfied,  that  they  relate  exclusively  to 
the  ki7igdom  of  the  mountain,  or  the  mili'enniiiin  :  which  was  not  to  commence, 
as  we  are  plainly  informed  by  Daniel,  till  afcr  the  destruction  oi' the  feet  of  the 
image,  or  the  ten-horned  Roman  beast  ,•  that  is  to  say,  tl^ey  relate  to  the  kingdom 
of  Christ,  when  no  longer  symbolized  by  a  stone,  but  when  it  shall  have  be- 
come a  great  mountain  filling  the  whole  earth. 

As  for  the  last  of  them,  it  is  undoubtedly  applied  by  St.  Peter  to  the  miracu- 
lous effusion  of  die  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  day  of  Pentecost ;  yet  it  is  as  undoubt- 
edly cited  by  him  oidy  in  the  -way  of  application.  Tlie  whole  prophecy,  of  which 
that  text  forms  a  part,  relates  to  the  ravages  of  some  fieree  and  Iwivless  people 
symbolized  by  a  fight  of  locusts,  the  restoration  of  the  Jevs,  the  ove:  throw  of  An- 
tichrist and  his  congregated  vassals  betiueen  the  t-vo  seas  in  the  valley  of  concision, 
and  the  glorious  rest  of  t/te  people  of  God  during-  the  blessed  days  of  the  JMillen- 
■niutn  :  consequently  it  can  only  have  been  applied  by  St.  Peter  to  the  times  of 
the  frst  advent  of  our  Lord,  as  typical  in  some  measure  of  the  times  of  his 
secoi.d  advent.  It  ought  to  be  observed,  that,  although  in  his  citation  of  tfte 
text  the  Apostle  introduces  the  phrase  of  tlie  lust  days,  (which  undoubtedly  in 
his  application  of  it  means  the  times  of  Christianity)  the  phrase  docs  not  occur 
in  the  original  text  of  Joel :  no  argument  therefore  can  be  drawn  from  this 
circumstance  to  prove,  that  the  Old  Testament  phrase  of  the  end  of  days  is 
equivalent  to  the  New  Testament  phrase  of  the  last  days.  (See  Joel  ii.  iii.  for 
the  whole  prophecy  ;  and  Joel  ii.  28,  for  the  text  ) 

The  end  of  days  then,  I  conceive,  when  not  used  in  its  primary  sense  of  ariy 
time  yet  future,  denotes  the  end  of  the  present  order  of  things,  the  end  ofthe  reign 
of  the  two  little  apostate  horns,  the  end  of  the  tyranny  of  Antichrist  ;  in  short, 
the  whole  time  of  the  end  as  the  great  day  ofthe  Lord's  controversy  is  styled  by 
Daniel,  and  tke  %vhole period  of  the  MiUe7inluin.     (See  Hosea  iii.  5.) 

Instead  of  this  phrase,  Ezekiel,  in  a  single  instance,  uses  another  ;  which 
is  precisely  equivalent  to  it.  Speaking  of  the  attack,  which  should  be  made 
by  Gog  and  Magog  upon  tlie  Jews,  now  restored  to  their  own  country,  he  in- 
differently predicts,  that  it  should  take  place  at  the  end  of  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  days.  (See  Ezek.  xxxviii.  8,  16  )  Now  St  John  specially  informs  us,  that 
this  invasion  of  Gog  and  Jilagog  shall  not  be  till  ihe  end  of  the  Jllillemiium  ;  and 
Ezekiel,  in  perfect  harmony  with  him,  asserts,  that  it  shall  be  directed  against 
the  Jews  a  considerable  time  after  their  return,  when  dwelling  in  Palestine  in 
unsuspecting  security.  (See  Rev.  xx  7,  8.  and  Ezek.  xxxviii.  8,  11,  Ii?,  14.) 
Since  then  the  expedition  of  Antichrist  and  the  expedition  of  Gog  unci  Magog  are 
both  to  take  place  at  the  end  of  days,  and  since  the  one  expedition  is  to  be  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Millennium  AViA  the  other  at  the  end  of  it,  it  is  evident  that  thi 


80 

In  the  ISfexv  Testament  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  a 
real  difFerence  between  the  two  phrases  of  the  latter 
days,  and  the  last  days  ;  a  difiference,  carefully  observed 
by  Ihe  inspired  writers,  and  with  much  judiciousness  as 
carefully  attended  to  by  our  translators.  The  latter 
times  is  the  strict  literal  translation  of  ijlifoi.  xajpot ;  and  the 
last  days  is  the  strict  literal  translation  of  ta-xoi:\a.i\i^^M  -, 
the  one  phrase  is  comparative,  and  the  other  is  superla- 
tive :  and  tliese  two  phrases  re  never  confounded  to- 
gether. 

Whenever  the  phrase  of  the  last  days  is  used  declara- 
tively,  and  not  prophetically^  by  the  evangelical  writers, 
it  means  the  xvhole  period  of  the  Christian  dispensation, 
as  contradistinouished  from  the  former  days  oj  the  Pa- 
triarchal and  Levitical  dispensatons.  In  this  sense  it  is 
api)lied  by  the  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews. 
"  God,  who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners 
sppke  in  time  past  unto  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  hath 
in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son."*  It  is 
used  in  a  similar  manner  by  St.  Feter.  "Christ  verily 
was  fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the  xvorld,  but 
was  manifest  in  these  last  times  for  you.^'t  It  is  used 
also  in  the  same  manner  by  St.  John.  '*  Little  children, 
it  is  the  last  time  :  and,  as  ye  have  heard  that  the  An- 
tichrist shall  come,  even  now  are  there  many  antichrists  ; 
whereby  we  know,  that  it  is  the  last  time.'"X 

But,  whenever  the  phrases  of  the  latter  days,  and  the 
last  days,  are  used  prophetically,  and  not  declaratively, 
by  the  evangelical  writers,  they  never  mean  the  xchole 

end  of  (lays  or  the  end  of  years  reaches  from  tlie  termination  of  tlie  1260  years  to 
the  termination  of  the  JilUlennium. 

On  llie  other  hand,  when  Daniel  informs  Nebuchadne;^zar,  that  "  God  mak- 
eth  known  to  him  what  shall  be  in  the  latter  days,  or  at  the  end  of  d.tys,"  it  is 
manifest,  that  futurity  in  general,  not  the  Milkiviiximin  particular,  is  there  in- 
tended by  the  expression  :  because  the  king's  dream  reaches  from  his  own 
reign  to  the  very  commencement  vf  the  kingdom  of  the  mountain.  (Dan.  ii.  28  L'9  ) 
Such  also,  as  Bp  Newton  justly  remarks,  is  the  meaning^  of  the  phrase  in 
Gen  xlix.  1  Numb,  xxiv  14.  and  Dent.  xxxi.  29.  (See  Dissert  iv.)  Such  hke- 
wise  is  i'.s  meaning  in  Dan.  x.  14  The  context  indeed,  as  in  the  present  ca.scs, 
will  usii.tlly  sbew,  with  abundantly  sufficient  clearness,  ii'hich  oi  these  iiuo  sig- 
nifications tlie  Hebrew  phrase  of  tlie  end  of  days  ought  to  bear  in  the  difierent 
passages,  wherein  it  occurs. 

*  Heb  i.  1,2.  +1  Peter  i.  20. 

i  1  .lolin  ii.  18.  'I'he  phrase  of  f/ie  latter  times  or  uays,  is  never  used  in  the 
New  Testament,  like  ihc  phrase  of  the  last  times  or  days,  in  the  sense  of  the 
•aihole perio.1  oJ  the  Christian  dispensation. 


'it 

panad  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  but  always  txvo  dis 
tinct  and  successive  parts  of  that  dispensation.  Here  I 
am  compelled  entirely  to  difier  from  Bp.  Newton  and 
Mr.  Mede.  Both  these  eminent  expositors  suppose, 
that  the  two  phrases  are  synonymous  and  equally  mean 
the  latter  times  of  tlie  last  timeSy  which  are  the  times  of 
tJie  little  horn  ;  who  should  arise  during  tlie  latter  part 
oithe  last  of  the  four  kingdoms,  and  should  be  destroyed 
together  with  it,  after  having  continued  «  time,  and  times, 
and  half  a  time  :"*  whereas  I  am  persuaded,  that  in 
the  New  Testament  they  are  not  synonymous,  but  that 
they  relate  to  two  entirely  different  periods,  which  are 
never  confounded  together  by  any  of  the  apostolical 
prophets. 

The  whole  duration  of  the  times  of  Christianity  under 
the  reign  of  the  stone,  exclusive  of  the  Millennium,  or 
the  reign  of  the  mountain,  is  considered  in  the  evangeli- 
cal predictions  as  divided  into  three  periods. 

1.  The  firstly  that  of  primitive  Christianity ;  whicli 
was  not  to  expire  till  the  commencement  of  tlie  great 
Apostacy,  although  the  divine  truths  of  the  Gospel  would 
be  gradually  corrupted  during  its  continuance.  Its  his- 
tory, as  connected  with  that  of  the  Roman  empire,  is 
detailed  under  the  six  first  apocalyptic  seals,  and  the  four 
first  apocalyptic  trumpets. 

Q.  The  second  is  that  of  the  great  Apostacy,  during 
its  flourishing  state-  The  history  of  tliis  period  is  detail- 
ed under  tlie  two  first  woe-trumpets  ;  but  the  Apostacy 
itself  will  not  be  com.pletely  overthrown  till  towards  the 
end  of  the  third  woe-trumpet. 

3.  The  third  is  that  of  the  reign  of  Antichrist,  whose 
distinguishing  badge  should  be  a  denial  both,  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  The  power  was  not  to  be  revealed  till 
some  time  after  the  Apostacy  had  commenced  :  and  was 
to  be  contemporary  with  it  during  the  latter  part  of  its 
existence,  during  its  allegorical  old  age.  The  history  of 
this  third  period,  which  comprehends  both  the  reign  of 
Antichrist  Riid  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  contemporary 
Apostacy,  is  detailed  under  the  third  woe-trumpet  and  its 
"leven  vials. 

*  Bp.  Ne'wton's  Dissert,  .xxiu. ,?. 
VOL.  T.  11 


The  second  and  third  oi  these  periods,  the  history  of 
which  constitutes  the  three  apocalyptic  7Voes,^  make  up 
jointly  the  grand  period  of  1260  i/ears.  The  Apostacy 
/^j^//' continues  to  tyrannize  the  whole  length  oi  the  1260 
years  :  but  the  reign  of  Antichrist  is  contemporary  with 
ilie  apostacy  only  during  a  certain  space  at  the  last  end 
of  those  years ;.  and  this  space,  we  are  informed,  w^ill  be 
short,  compared  with  the  entire  duration  of  the  1260 
year  St  or  the  ^\fl  prophetic  months. \ 

The  second  then  of  these  three  periods,   comprehend- 
ing the  rise  and  flourishing  state  of  the  Apostacy,  is  term- 
ed by  the  prophets  of  the  New  Testament  the  latter  times 
or  days ;  as  being  latter  when  compared  to  the  days  of 
primitive  Christianity  or  the  first  period. 

And  tJie  third  of  the  three  periods,  or  the  peculiar 
reign  of  the  atheistical  Antichrist,  is  distinguished  by  the 
appellation  of  the  last  times  or  days ;  as  being  last,  when, 
compared  to  the  days  of  primitive  Christianity,  and  to 
the  latter  days  of  the  first  and  second  woe4rmnpets,  or  the 
peculiar  reign  of  apostate  superstition. 

Accordingly,  we  shall  invariable  fmd,  that  every  apos- 
tolical prediction,  relative  to  the  latter  days,  speaks  of 
certain  superstitious  practices  introduced  by  the  little 
horn  of  the  fourth  beast  during  the  flourishing  p)eriod  of 
the  Apostacy ;  but  never  alludes  to  Atheism,  and  the 
monstrous  brood  of  vices  engendered  by  it :  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  ex'ery  apostolical  prediction,  relative  to 
the  last  days,  speaks  of  Atheism  and  its  kindred  sins ;  but 
never  diWxxAes  to  the  superstitious  practices  of  the  Apostacy. 

Prophecies  relative  to  the  latter  days,  or  the  superstitions 
of  the  Apostacy, 

"  Now  the  Spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter 
times  some  shall  departj  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to 
seducing  spirits,  and  doctrines  of  devils  ;^  through   the 

*  Rev.  viii.  13.  |  Rev.  xii.  12. 

t  Gr.  a,7C07lniTC)iltxi,  shall  apostatize.  It  is  the  very  same  mode  of  expression  as 
tliat  used  by  St.  Paul,  when  he  is  predicting  the  falling  avay  or  apostari/,  (Gr. 
dTTOTloiVM)  which  was  to  take  place  from  primitive  Christianity.  2  Thess.  ii.  S. 

§  Or,  more  properly,  demons  or  mediating  spirits.  As  Bp.  Newton  justly  re- 
marks, "  doctrines  of  demons,  axQ  doctrines  about  and  concennng  demons.  This 
is  therefore  a  prophecy,  that  the  idolatrous  thv>ology  of  demons,  professed  by 
the  gentiles,  should  be  revived  among  Christians— Demons,  according  to  the 


83 

leypocrisy  of  liars,  having  their  consciences  seared  with  a 
hot  iron,  forbidding  to  marry,  and  commanding  to  ab- 
stain from  meats,  which  God  hath  created  to  be  received 
with  thanksgiving  of  them  which  believe  and  know  the 
truth — Refuse  profane  and  old  wives'  fables  ;  and  exer- 
cise thyself  rather  unto  godliness  :  for  bodily  exercise 
profiteth  little."* 

"  The  time  will  come,  when  they  will  not  endure 
sound  doctrine:  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  they  heap 
to  themselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears ;  and  they 
shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall  be 
turned  unto  fables.'' 't 

"And  the  rest  of  the  men,  which  were  not  killed  hy 
these  plagues,"  (namely,  those  which  took  place  under 
the Ji?'st and  second woe-trumpetSy  andconsequently  dur- 
ing the  period,  which,  as  I  conceive,  the  apostolical 
prophets  denominate  the  latter  days, )  "  yet  repented  not 
of  the  works  of  their  hands,  that  they  should  not  wov- 
ship  devils, J  and  idols  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and 
stone,  and  of  wood  :  which  neither  can  see,  nor  hear, 
Jior  walk :  neither  repented  the}'"  of  their  murders,  nor 
of  their  sorceries,  nor  of  their  fornication,  nor  of  their 
thefts."^ 

"  Let  no  man  beguile  you  of  your  reward,  in  a  volunta- 
ry humility  and  worshipping  of  angels,,  intruding  into 
those  things  which  he  hath  not  seen,  vainly  puffed  up  by 
liis  fleshly  mind,  and  not  holding  the  head — Which 
things  have  indeed  a  shew  of  wisdom  in  will-worship, 
and  humility,  and  disciplining  of  the  body  ;  not  in  any 
honour  to  the  satisfying  of  th.e  flesh  "j| 

tlieology  of  the  gentiles,  were  middle  powers  between  the  sovran  gods  and 
mortal  men — These  demons  were  regarded  as  mediators  and  agents  between 
the  gods  and  men — Of  these  demons  there  were  accounted  two  kinds.  One 
kind  of  demons  were  the  soulo  of  men,  deified  or  canonized  after  death — The 
other  kind  of  demons  were  such  as  had  never  been  the  souls  of  men,  nor  ever 
dwelt  in  mortal  bodies — The  latter  demons  may  be  paralleled  with  angels,  as 
the  former  may  with  canonized  saints."     Dissert,  xxiii.  2. 

*  1  Tim.iv.  1.  t  i  Tim.  iv.  3. 

t  That   is,  demons  or  mediat'nig  spirits,  as  before.     St.  John  uses  the  very 
same  word  ox(,a««a  or  demons,  that  St.  Paul  does.     (1  Tim.  iv.  1.) 

§  llev.  ix.  20. 
Ij  Colos.?.  ii.  18,  19,  23.     The  express  phrase  o^ latter  times  or  davs  only  oc- 
curs in  ow/t-of  these  prophecies  ;  but  the  purport  of  the  rest,   relating  as  they 
a!l  do  to  the  very  same  super-sUtious  practices  astiiose  stigmatized  in  the  lirst, 
sufficiently  shew  that  they  muit  ail  be  referred  to  the  same  period,.  M'hatever 
hat  period  maj  be. 


84 

Prophecies  relative  to  the  last  days,  or  the  atheism  of 

Antichrist. 

"This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times 
shall  come.  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves, 
covetous,  boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  disobedient  to 
parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without  natural  affection, 
truce-breakers,  false  accusers,  incontinent,  fierce,  despis- 
ers  of  those  that  are  good,  traitors,  heady,  high-minded, 
lovers  of  i)leasures  more  than  lovers  of  G  d  ;  having  a 
form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof:  from 
such  turn  away.  Of  this  sort  are  they,  which  creep  into 
Louses  and  lead  captive  silly  women,  laden  with  sins, 
led  away  with  divers  lusts,  ever  learning,  and  never  able 
to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Now,  as  Jannes 
and  Jambres  withstood  Moses,  so  do  these  also  resist  the 
truth  ;  men  of  corrupt  minds,  reprobate  concerning  the 
faith.  But  they  shall  proceed  no  furtiier ;  for  their  folly 
shall  be  manifest  unto  all  men,  as  theirs  also  was."* 

*'  Knowing  this  first,  that  there  shall  come  in  the  last 
days  scoffers,  walking  after  their  own  lusts,  and  saying, 
Where  is  the  promise  of  his  coming  ;  jor,  since  the  fa- 
thers fell  asleep,  all  things  continue  as  they  were  jrom, 
the  beginning  of  the  creation.  For  this  they  willingly 
are  ignorant  of,  that  by  the  word  of  God  the  heavens  were 
of  old,  and  the  earth  standing  out  of  the  water  and  in 
the  water  ;  whereby  the  world  that  than  was,  being  over- 
flowed with  water,  perished.f 

"But  there  were  false  })rophets  among  the  people, 
even  as  there  shall  be  false  teachers  among  you,  who 
privily  shall  bring  in  damnable  heresies,  even  denying 
the  Lord  that  bought  them,  and  bring  upon  themselves 
swift  destruction.  And  many  shall  follow  their  perni- 
cious ways  ;  by  reason  of  whom  the  way  of  truth  sliall 
be  evil  spoken  of.  And  through  covetouaness  shall  they 
with  feigned  words  make  merchandise  of  you  ;  whose 
judgment  now  of  a  long  time  lingereth  not,  and  their 

It  is  worlliy  of  remark,  that  in  a  Popish  tract  republished  go  laic  as  tin  ijear 
t798,  the  editor  defends  the  worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary  on  the  very  ground 
predicted  by  the  Apostle,  the  pica  of  humlUtij  mid  having  a  just  sense  of  cur  o-nir. 
umporthinesc.     See  Whitakcr's  Comment,  on  Kcv.  p.  31  i — 318. 

*  2  Tim.  Ui.  1.  ■^  2  I'cter  iii.  3. 


85 

damnation  slumbereth  not — The  Lord  knoweth  how  to 
dehver  the  godly  out  of  temptations,  and  to  reserve  the 
unjust  unto  the  day  of  judgment  to  be  punished.  But 
chiefly  them  that  walk  after  the  flesh  in  the  lust  of  un- 
cleanness,  and  despise  government.  Presumptuous  are 
they,  self-willed,  they  are  not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  dig- 
nities— These,  as  natural  brute  beasts,  made  to  be  taken 
and  destroyed,  speak  evil  of  the  things  that  they  under- 
stand not,  and  shall  utterly  perish  in  their  own  corrup- 
tion, and  receive  the  reward  of  unrighteousness,  as  they 
that  count  it  pleasure  to  riot  in  the  day  time.  Spots 
they  are,  and  blemishes,  sporting  themselves  witli  their 
own  deceivings  while  they  feast  with  you.  Having  eyes 
full  of  adultery,  and  that  cannot  cease  from  sin  ;  beguil- 
ing unstable  souls ;  an  heart  have  they  exercised  with 
covetous  practices  :  cursed  children — These  are  wells 
without  water,  ch^uds  that  are  carried  with  a  tempest : 
to  whom  the  mist  of  darkness  is  reserved  f  r  ever.  For, 
when  they  s[)eak  great  swelling  words  of  vanity,  they  al- 
lure, through  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  through  much  wan- 
tonness, those  that  were  clean  escaped  from  them  who 
live  in  error.*  While  they  promise  them  liberty,  they 
themselves  are  the  servants  of  corruption  :  for,  of  whom 
a  man  is  overcome,  of  the  same  he  is  brought  in  bon- 
dage. For,  if,  after  they  have  escaped  the  pollutions  of 
the  world  through  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  and  Sav- 
iour Jesus  Christ,  they  are  again  entangled  therein  and 
overcome,  the  latter  end  is  worse  with  them  than  the 
beginning.  For  it  had  been  better  for  them  not  to  have 
known  the  way  of  righteousness,  than,  after  they  have 
known  it,  to  turn  from  the  holy  commandment  delivered 
unto  them.  But  it  is  happened  unto  them  according  to 
the  true  proverb.  The  dog  is  turned  to  his  own  vomit 
again,  and  the  sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in 
the  mire.'*t 

"  There  are  certain  men  crept  in  unawares,  who  were 
before   of  old  ordained  to    this  condemnation,  ungodly 

*  The  eiTor,  here  spoken  of,  is  tJie  ^^postaaj  of  tlie  laticr  davfi.  Many,  ^vho 
had  seen  and  reject.ed|it.s  al)Siirdities,  were,  notwithstanding',  to  be  deceived  by 
the  wiles  of  Infidelity. 

■■  2  Peter  ii. 


86 

nien,  turning  the  grace  of  our  God  into  lasciviousness, 
and  denying  the  only  Lord  God,  and  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  I  will  therefore"  (namely,  with  a  view  to  ac- 
count for  this  spirit  of  infidelity,)  *'  put  you  in  remem- 
brance, though  ye  once  knew  this,  how  that  the  Lord, 
having  saved  the  people  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  after- 
ward destroyed  them  that  believed  not.  These  lilthy 
dreamers  defile  the  flesh,  despise  dominion,  and  speak 
evil  of  dignities.  These  speak  evil  of  those  things  which 
they  know  not :  But  what  they  know  naturally,  as  brute 
beasts,  in  those  things  they  corrupt  themselves.  Woe 
unto  them  !  for  they  have  gone  in  the  way  of  Cain,  and 
ran  greedily  after  the  error  of  Balaam  for  reward,  and 
perished  in  the  gainsajnng  of  Core.  These  ai\3  spots 
in  your  feasts  of  charity,  when  they  feast  with  you,  feed- 
ing themselves  without  fear;  clouds  they  are  without 
water,  carried  about  of  winds  ;  trees  whose  fruit  wither- 
C'th,  without  fruit,  twice  dead,  plucked  up  by  the  roots  ; 
raging  waves  of  the  sea,  foaming  out  their  own  shame  ; 
wandering  stars,  to  whom  is  reserved  the  blackness  of 
darkness  lor  ever.  And  Enoch  also,  the  seventh  from 
Adam,  prophesied  of  these,  saying,  Behold,  the  Lord 
Cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints,  to  execute  judg- 
ment upon  all,  and  to  convince  all  that  are  ungodly 
among  them  of  all  their  ungodly  deeds  which  they  have 
ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard  speeches  which 
ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him.  These  are 
murmurers,  coraplainers,  walking  after  their  own  lusts  ; 
and  their  mouth  speaketh  great  swelling  words,  having 
men's  persons  in  admiration  because  of  advantage.  But 
])eloved,  remember  ye  the  words  which  were  spoken  be- 
fore of  the  Apostles  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  how  that 
they  told  you  there  should  be  mockers  in  the  last  timcy 
who  should  walk  after  their  own  ungodly  lusts.  These 
be  they  who  separate  themselves,  sensual,  having  not  the 
Spirit."* 

"  As  ye  have  heard  that  the  Antichrist  shall  come,  even 
now  are  there  many  Antichrists — Who  is  the  liar,  but  he 
that  denicth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  ?  This  is  tlie  Anti- 
christ, that  denicth  the  Father  and  the  Son. — Every  spirit^ 

•  Jude  4— W. 


that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  fiesh., 
is  not  of  God :  and  this  is  that  spirit  of  the  Antichrist, 
whereof  ye  have  heard  that  it  should  come,  and  even  now 
already  is  it  in  the  world."* 


Let  any  one  attentively  compare  together  the  two  pre- 
ceding sets  of  prophecies  relative  to  the  latter  days-,  and 
the  last  days,  and  he  will  be  convinced,  that  they  cannot 
both  relate  to  the  same  persons  ;  and  consequently  that 
the  latter  days  and  the  last  days  must  be  two  entirely  dis- 
tinct periods  of  time.  All  the  prophecies,  as  I  have  already 
observed,  that  relate  to  the  latter  days,  speak  of  a  great 
prevalence  of  superstition,  as  being  the  distinguishing 
feature  of  this  period ;  while  all  the  prophecies,  that  re- 
late to  the  last  days,  speak  of  a  great  prevalence  of  blas- 
phemous infidelity,  as  being  equally  the  distinguishing 
feature  of  that  period.  In  the  account  indeed  which  St. 
John  gives  of  the  principles  of  Antichrist,  he  uses  tlw 
last  time  in  the  sense  of  the  whole  period  of  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation,  because  he  uses  it  declaratively ;  but 
the  reason  of  this  will  sufficiently  appear,  if  we  consider 
the  import  of  the  passage  in  \vhich  he  describes  the 
character  of  that  great  opponent  of  the  Messiah. 

Dr.  Whitby  supposes,  that  the  Jews,  who  rejected  the 
promised  Saviour,  are  meant  by  Antichrist.  Others  have 
applied  the  character  to  Cerintiius  and  the  Manicheans ; 
and  others,  to  the  imposter  Barchochehas.\  From  the 
language  however  of  St.  John,  who  is  the  only  inspired 
writer  that  uses  the  term,  I  am  much  inclined  to  think, 
that  Antichrist,  strictly  speaking,  is  a  sort  of  generic  name, 
including  all  persons  who  answer  to  the  description  given 
of  that  character.  Now  the  special  badge  assigned  to 
the  character  is  a  denial  of  the  father  and  the  Son:  a 
denial  of  the  ^on  positively,  a  denial  of  the  Father  either 
positively  or  by  implication.  All  therefore,  who  answer 
to  this  description,  are  members  of  Antichrist.  The  ex- 
istence of  his  blasphemous  principles  is  commensurate 
with  the  whole  period  of  the  Christian  dispensation;   but 

*  1  Jolm  ii.  18.  22.  iv.  3.  -  See  Pol  Svnop.  In  loc. 


88 

his  peculiar  reigUy  his  open  developemcnU  is  confined  to 
the  Inst  days  of  the  last  time.  St.  John  tells  his  disciples, 
*'ye  have  heard  that  the  ^w//r/jm^  shall  come."  This 
opinion  that  has  ever  prevailed  in  the  Church  respecting 
the  manifestation  of  some  great  opj)onent  of  the  Messiah 
at  an  era  far  remote  from  the  days  of  the  Apostle,*  an 
opinion  founded  no  doubt  upon  the  prophecies  of  Daniel, 
he  by  no  means  controverts  :  he  warns  them  however  to 
be  upon  their  guard  ;  inasmuch  as  there  were  many  even 
then  in  the  world,  who  were  tainted  with  the  principles 
of  Anti Christy  namely  a  denial  of  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
The  harmony  of  the  apostolical  writers  upon  this  point  is 
very  remarkable.  St.  John  declares,  that  the  spirit  oi 
Antichrist  or  Injidelitij  was  already,  even  in  his  days,  in 
the  world ;  although  it  was  not  yet  revealed-,  or  exhibited 
to  mankind  in  an  embodied  form.  Daniel  had  given  a 
description  of  the  monster  in  his  mature  state,  as  a  king 
or  power  that  magnified  himself  above  every  god  and 
spoke  marvellous  things  against  the  God  of  gods  ;  and 
St.  John  adds,  that  his  detestable  principles  v/ere  already 
working,  and  would  continue  to  work  through  the  whole 
period  of  the  last  tinier  as  meaning  the  Christian  dispen- 
sation, though  they  would  not  be  developed  till  the  last 
days  of  the  last  time.  In  a  similar  manner,  both  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Jude  represent  persons  of  the  same  principles  as 
those  which  should  be  openly  avowed  and  acted  upon 
in  the  last  days,  as  intruding  into  the  feasts  of  charity 
usual  among  the  primitive  Christians,  and  consequently 
as  contemporary  with  themselves.f  Events  have  amply 
shewn  the  accuracy  of  these  declarations.  The  opinions 
of  Antichrist  were  secretly  lurking  in  the  Church  even 
in  the  earliest  ages :  it   has  been  our  lot  to  behold  them 

*  *'  The  idea,  which  the  early  Christians  in  general  formed  of  Antichrist, 
was  that  of  a  power  to  be  revealed  in  distant  times,  atler  tlie  dissolution  of  the 
Roman  empire  :  of  a  power  to  arise  out  of  tlie  ruins  of  that  empire."  (Bp. 
Hurd  on  Prophecy,  p.  221  )  To  this  we  must  add  the  declaration  of  St.  .lohn, 
xXviX.  the  j>ru-cr  in  question  ^\\Q\i\i\  deny  both  the  Fatlier  and  the  Son  ;  and  we 
shall  ilien  perceive,  that  the  ^57;<<c/jr/s.',  about  to  be  revealed  in  distant  times, 
about  to  arise  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  old  Roman  empire,  is  certainly  not  the 
Papaqi,  as  Up.  Hurd  supposes,  but  a  tyrannical  ijtutc  of  a  very  diilercnt  nature. 
The  Papnqi  arose  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Emi)ire,  but  it  never  denied  either 
Vhe  FatJicr  or  the  Son.  Antichrist  is  likewise  to  arise  out  of  the  ruins  of 
the  Empire,  and  is  to  be  known  by  his  denial  both  of  the  TaUicr  and  th.e  Son- 

+  See  the  preceding  citations. 


89 

embraced  without  disguise  by  a  whole  nation.  "  The 
beginning  of  the  monster  was  in  the  apostolic  age  :  for  it 
were  easy  to  trace  the  pedigree  of  French  philosophj^, 
Jacobinism,  and  Bavarian  illumination,  up  to  the  first 
heresies.     But  it  is  now  we  see  his  adolescence."* 

As  for  the  papacy^  it  answers  in  no  particular  to  the 
charac.er  of  Antichrist  as  delineated  by  St.  John.f    The 

*  Bp.  Horsley's  Letter  on  Isaiah  xviii. — See  this  matter  shewn  at  large  in  the 
Abbe  Barruel's  Mem.  of  Jacobinism 

t  The  title  of  Antichrist  has  usually  been  applied  to  tlie  Pope  by  protestant 
expositors,  and  by  the  W.tldenses  and  Albig'enses  before  the  era  of  ^^  Refor- 
mation  :  but  I  cannot  find,  that  they  have  any  warrant  from  Scripture  for  so 
doing.  The  corruptions  of  tJie  Papacy  are  largely  indeed  predicted  under  the 
name  of  an  Apostacy ;  which  was  to  consist  partly  in  the  superstitiou.?  will- 
worship  of  Saints,  partly  in  the  persecution  of  the-  pious,  and  partly  in  the  ex- 
ercise  of  a  catholic  tyranny  over  the  Church  :  and  the  Papacy  itself  is  de- 
scribed under  the  symbols  of  a  little  hor?i,  a  harlot,  and  a  tiuo-horned  beast;  but 
tlie  Pope  is  no  where,  that  1  have  been  able  to  discover,  termed  Antichrist  ,•  for 
he  never  denied  either  the  Father  or  the  Son.  The  identity  of  Anticlirist  and  the 
little  horn  has  been  rather  assumed,  than  proved 

Since  this  was  written,  my  opinion  tliat  tlw  Pope  cannot  be  the  Antichrist  de- 
scribed by  St  John  has  been  strenuously  though  (I  think)  very  unsuccessfully 
opposed  by  Mr.  Whitaker.  As  my  sincere  desire  is  that  the  point  may  be 
thoroughly  discussed,  I  shall  subjoin  the  substance  of  my  answer  to  him. 

The  statement  of  the  whole  question  is  simply  this.  St.  John  assures  his 
disciples,  that,  at  the  very  moment  when  he  was  writing,  there  were  many 
Antichrists  already  in  the  world :  and  he  afterwards  speaks  singularly  of  one 
Antichrist,  whom,  by  way  of  eminence,  he  styles  the  liar,  and  whose  leading' 
characteristic  should  be  a  denial  of  tlie  Father  and  the  Son.  Here  then  we  have 
many  Antichrists  and  the  Antichrist ,-  and  the  former  are  declared  to  be  contem- 
porary with  the  Apostle  Now  we  know,  that  when  St  John  lived,  there  was 
not  in  existence  any  embodied  po-iuer,  either  the  papal  or  any  other  power,  that 
could  in  its  corporate  capacity  be  styled  the  Antichrist,  lience  we  may  con- 
clude, that  his  contemporaries,  the  many  Anticnrists,  were  detached  individuals, 
professing  some  characteristic  opinion  which  was  the  cause  of  their  being  so 
named  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  Antichrist  is  no  individual,  but  a  ool- 
lective  body  of  individuals.  The  question  then  is.  What  ivas  the  opinion  o^  the 
many  Antichrists  ?  Was  it  the  same,  or  was  it  not  the  same,  as  that  o?  the  An' 
tichrist,  according  to  St.  John's  description  of  it  ?  Does  the  Apostle  give  us  any 
clue  to  ascertain  this  point  I  He  explicitly  declares,  as  if  to  prevent  the  pos- 
sibility of  error,  that  "  every  spirit,  which  confesselh  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
come  in  the  flesh,  is  not  of  God  ;  and  this  is  that  very  essence  or  spirit  of  the 
Antichrist,  which  ye  have  heard  shall  come,  and  indeed  even  now  is  in  the 
woild  "  Thus  It  is  plain  that  what  St  John  calls  the  spirit  of  the  A?itichrist,  is 
a  denial  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  promised  Messiah  numifested  in  the  Jlesh.  But, 
if  this  spirit,  which  is  the  spirit  of  fAe  ./2?iAic/jmA  were  in  the  world  when  St. 
John  wrote,  and  \'imany  iiidividual  Antichrists,  were  likewise  in  the  world  at 
the  same  time  ;  I  knov/  not  what  we  can  conclude  but  that  tlmse  individual  an- 
tichrists were  men  animated  by  the  spirit  of  tlie  Antichrists,  or  the  liar,  which 
we  are  unequivocally  told  is  a  denial  of  the  Son-,  and  thence  by  implication  a  d?.- 
nicd  of  the  Father  also.  Accordingly  St.  Paul,  6t.  Peter,  and' St  Jude,  all  con- 
cur in  asserting,  that  men,  possessed  b\  sucli  a  spirit  as  Si.  John  calls  t  e  spi' 
rit  of  the  ArJichrist,  even  the  very  spirit  which  we  have  seen  embodied  in 
these  last  days,  had  at  that  early  period  insinuated  themselves  into  the  Church. 
How  then  caivany  thing  that  St  John  he  e  says  prove  the  Pope  to  be  the  Anti- 
christ, namely  the  Antichrist  vhose  spirit  'was  then  in  ther.'n>hl?  A.H  that  the 
VOL.  I,  1^ 


90 

superstition  of  thai  great  apostaci)  is  indeed  to  continue 
to  the  very  end  oithe  10^60  daj/s^  and  is  therefore  to  be 

Apostle  teaches  his  disciples  is,  that,  since  the  delusive  spirit  of  the  .Intichrist 
vas  already  working,  they  might  be  sure  that  they  were  living  in  the  hist  time,- 
or  under  the  last  dispensation,  and  need  not  look  for  ami  further  lii.tpcnsation. 
As  jet  however,  although  there  were  manii  individual  antichrists  in  tlie  world, 
the  tfreat .  bitiehrist  himself,  M'hose  special  badge  should  be  a  denial  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  was  not  manifested.  His  spirit  indeed  was  already  work- 
ing in  the  children  of  disobedience,  but  he  himself  wns  not  as  yet  revealed :  nor 
<loes  the  Apostle  give  us  the  slightest  intimation,  that  his  appearance  would 
be  connected  eiflier  with  the  taking  away  of  that  whicli  prevented  the  devel- 
opemeJit  of  the  papal  man  of  sin,  or  with  the  commencement  of  the  1260  i/cars^ 
On  the  contrary,  wlierever  he  menUons  the  Jlntichist,  he  studiously  and  al- 
most anxiously  tells  us,  that  his  badge  is  a  denial  of  the  Jlcssiahship  of  Jesusr 
Christ. 

Mr.  Whitaker  however  argues,  that,  since  I  allow  ihc  man  of  sin  to  be  the 
Pope ;  since  the  man  of  sin  is  said  to  oppose  and  exalt  himself  above  every  one 
that  is  called  god  or  that  is  worshipped  ;  and  since  the  word,  which  St.  Paul 
uses  to  express  this  opposition,  is  amicimcvus  .-  therefore,  because  the  man  of 
sin  \9'anticimenus,  or  cna  that  opposeth  himsef  against  all  that  is  caXled  god,  he 
must  be  antichrisfus.  This  whole  argument  is  founded  on  a  misconception  of 
the  text.  T/ie  gods,  that  the  inan  rf  sin  was  to  oppose,  were  viere  earthlif 
gods  ;  in  other  words,  kings  and  emperors.  He  was  to  oppose  himself  to  every 
one  tiiat  is  called  god,  and  to  every  thing  august  and  venerable  ;  to  every 
sebasma,  in  allusion  to  sebastus  or  angustus  the  title  of  the  Roman  emperors, 
(See  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  the  man  of  sin)  Hence  it  is  plain,  that  an  op- 
position of  this  nature  will  not  constitute  the  Pope  Jlmichrist.  Impiously  as 
the  Bishops  of  Rome  have  sat  in  \.\\t:  temple  of  God,  shcM  ing  themselves  that 
they  are  God,  this  has  been  done  rather  in  conjunction  with  God,  than  ir* 
opposition  to  him.  In  the  heiglit  of  their  profane  madness  they  never  thought 
of  denuir.g  either  the  Father,  or  the  Son  ;  but  rather  affected  to  act  by  their 
commission  and  under  their  authority,  considering  themselves  as  a  sort  of 
God  upon  earth,  and  claiming  to  be  the  sole  vicars  of  Christ.  In  short,  the 
prophecy  respecting  tlieman  (fsinhns  been  exactly  accomplished  in  the  Popes  / 
but  St.  John's  definition  of  the  liar,  or  the  Antichrist,  wliose  spirit  was  even 
then  in  the  world,  is  by  no  means  applicable  to  the  Popes ;  because  their  cliar- 
acteristic  mark  as  a  body  was  not  a  denial  cither  if  the  Father  or  rf  the  Son. 

If  indeed  we  chose  arbitrarily  to  annex  some  other  idea  to  the  word  .Inti- 
christ  than  St.  John  has  tauglit  us  to  annex  to  it,  I  have  no  objection  in  fWv 
sense  to  say  that  the  Pope  is  an  antichrist,  because  he  has  ever  shewn  himself  a 
most  notorious  enemy  to  the  pure  religion  of  the  Gospel :  so  likewise  has  JMo- 
/lammcd,  who  comes  much  nearer  to  the  character  of  St.  John's  Antichrist 
than  the  Pope,  though  even  he  never  denied  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  Christ. 
But,  so  long  as  I  acknowledge  tlie  authority  of  tlic  epistles  of  St.  John,  1  must 
peremptorily  deny  tliat  the  J'ope  is  the  .intieh ist :  both  because  1  am  plainly 
taught,  thait  the  spirit  of  that  liar  was  working  even  in  tlie  apostolical  age, 
which  the  sjnrit  of  the  Papacy  was  not ;  and  because  I  am  no  less  plainly  taught, 
tliar,  whenever  the  monster  should  be  publicly  revealed,  he  should  be  known 
by  his  denial  rf  the  Father  and  ths  Son. 

Dr.  Uoddridgo  attempts  to  explain  away  this  natural  objection  to  the  appli- 
cation of  the  character  of  Antichrist  to  ihc  Pope  ,-  but  in  a  manner,  that  to 
myself  at  least  appears  nothing  better  than  a  mere  quibble.  He  says,  that 
"  Pijpery  is  an  usurpation  entirely  inconsistent  with  a  due  homage  to  Christ," 
and  therefore  t'lat  the  Papacy  is  Antichrist.  But  what  has  this  to  do  with  an 
express  dctual  of  Christ  ?  It  is  surely  a  most  unsatisfactory  answer  to  tliose, 
who  as  lie  himself  observes  "  have  aigued,  that  the  J'ope  cannot  be  Anticiirist, 
because  he  cunfs.scs  Christ,  and  that  it  nmst  necessarily  be  some  entirely  op- 
posing person  or  sect,  and  which  does  not  bear  tiie  christian  name."  (.Paraph. 
X  John  iv.  3.  )    As  little  sutislactory  to  me  is  I'yle's  gloss.  (I'relaceto  1  John  > 


m 

<;ontemporaiy  during  tho  latter  period  of  its  existence 
\\'ii\\  the  reign  of  Antichrist :  but  the  domination  of  that 
infidel  tyrant  is  so  strongly  marked  hj  atheism-,  iiistibor- 
dinatioih  and  a  total  ivani  of  all  the  kinder  affections  of 
our  nature  ;  that,  for  a  season,  till  he  has  united  himself 
with  the  man  of  sin  the  domineering  head  of  the  apostacy^ 
■the  abominations  even  of  the  papal  superstition  are 
scarcely  visible  near  the  infernal  glare  of  avowed  A)di- 
christianity . 

It  requires  some  degree  of  circumspection  clearly  to 
ascertain  themeaning  of  the  phrase  of  the  end  or  the  time 
of  the  end.,  yp  or  j^p  n;?,  so  frequently  used  by  Daniel. 
To  myself  it  certainly  appears  to  mean  the  termination  of 
the  whole  IQ60  da^s  ;  the  conclusion  of  the  great  drama 
(f  the  twofold  aposiacy  and  the  reign  of  Antichrist.  I 
conceive  the  time  of  the  €nd  to  commence,  so  soon  as 
the  11260  days  expire  ;  and  to  extend  through  the  75 years, 
which  intervene  betvreen  the  end  of  the  V260  days,  and 
the  deginning  of  the  season  of  millennian  blessedness.  I 
believe  it  in  short  to  be  the  awful  period,  during  which 
tlie  judgments  of  God  will  go  abroad  through  all  the  earth, 
and  during  which  his  great  controversy  with  the  nations 
-will  be  carried  on."^' 

Before  I  attempt  to  shew  that  such  is  the  import  of 
the  phrase,  it  will  be  proper  for  me  to  observe,  that  a 
very  difTerent  interpretation  of  it  has  'been  given  by  Mr. 
jNIede,  in  which  he  has  been  follov/ed  by  Bp,  Newton. 
instead  of  supposing  it  to  mean  the  termination  of  the 
1;260  days,  he  conceives  it  to  denote  the  latter  days  of 
the  Roman  empire,  or  the  whole  duration  of  iJie  1260  da?/s.i 

*  The  time  of  the  end,  or  at  least  the  first  portion  of  it,  which  contains  30  r/cars, 
(Dan.  xii.  11,  )  synchronizes  with  the  last  apncahjpttc  vial,  which  will  begin  to 
be  pnureel  out  so  soon  as  the  1260  dut-s  shall  have  expired. 

f  Yet  it  is  woi'thy  of  notice,  that  in  two  places  Bp.  Newton  understands  the 
phrase  precisely  as  I  do  ;  namely,  as  denoting  ivit  ihecontinuitn'-',  but  ^/;e  te.r- 
'inumtion  of  the  1260  years.  <Joinmenting  upon  Dan.  xi.  d5,  he  observes, 
*'  These  calamities  were  to  befall  the  Cliristians  to  try  them,  ai;d  purge,  and 
make  them  white,  not  only  at  that  time,  but  even  to  the  thne  rf  the  end,  be- 
cause it  is  yet  for  a  time  appointed  :  and  v.e  see,  even  at  this  day,  not  to  at 
iedge  other  instances,  how  the  poor  protestants  are  persecuted,  plundered, 
and  murdered,  in  the  southern  parts  of  France."     (Dissert  XVII.  in  loc  ) 

'i'o  the  same  purpose  is  his  comment  on  Daniel  xii.  -9.  It  is  indeed  no  wrn.- 
der  that  we  cannot  fully  understand  and  explain  these  thing-s  ;  for,  a^  the  an- 
s^'el  said  to  Oaniel  himself,  though  many  .thould  n<n  to  ar.d  fo,  and  sliocild  in- 
quire and  examine  into  these  things,  a?; f.' thereby  i-novcledgc  should  be  ir.creased , ■ 
yet  the  iull  under£tan.ding  of  them  i.'>  reserved  for  the  tiinu  of  the  end,  ///^ 


92 

In  support  of  this  opinion,  I  cannot  find  however,  that 
he  brings  forward  any  argument,  excepting  one  which  is 
built  upon  his  own  exposition  of  the  question  and  answer 
recorded  by  Daniel :  "  Until  how  long  shall  be  the  end 
of  the  wonders  ?  It  shall  be  until  a  time  and  times  and  a 
hall."*  Now  the  imj)ort  of  this  passage  Mr.  Mede  sup- 
poses to  be,  that  the  period,  styled  the  eyid  of  the  wonders, 
oi-  (as  he  translates  it)  the  latter  end  of  the  wonders,  shall 
be  in  length  three  times  and  a  half  or  1260  years. 
Whence  he  argues,  that,  since  such  is  to  be  the  length 
of  this  latter  end,  the  time  of  the  end  must  denote  the 
whole  period  of  the  IQ,Q0  years. ^ 

Were  such  an  exposition  of  the  passage  allowable,  it 
would  at  least  render  it  ambiguous  ;  for  w^e  should  not 
be  absolutely  obliged  to  concede,  that,  because  it  was 
allowable,  no  other  was  allowable  :  but  it  appears  to  me 
to  be  by  no  means  allowable  ;  and  I  believe  that  our 
common  English  version  has  accurately  expressed  the 
sense  of  the  original,  although  it  doubtless  is  not  quite 
literal. 

If  we  consider  the  general  context  of  the  passage, 
Daniel  first  speaks  of  the  end  of  certain  ivoi  ders,  and 
immediately  afterwards  of  the  finishing  of  these  things. 
Now  tliese  things  plainly  appear  to  be  the  same  as  the 
wonders.  But  if  these  things  be  the  same  as  the  wonders 
(which  I  suppose  will  scarcely  be  denied  ;)  it  seems 
most  natural  to  conclude  that  the  fmisliing  of  these  things 
is  the  same  as  the  end  of  the  wonders.  The  finishing  of 
tliese  things  however  is  plainly  the  absolute  termination 
of  them,  and  it  is  declared  moreover  to  be  contemporary 

•uioitls  are  closed  up  and  scaled  till  the  timeof  the  end..— As  Prideaux  judiciously 
observes,  it  is  the  nature  of  such  propliecies  not  to  be  thoroughly  understood, 
till  they  are  thoroughly  fulhlled."  (Dissert.  XVII.  in  loc.)  In  both  these  pas- 
sages, unless  I  greatly  mistake  tiieir  import,  Up.  Newton  considers  the  time 
of  tilt  eiul  as  being  yet  future,  and  as  commencing  so  soon  as  /lie  vien  of  un- 
del  standing  or  the  ivitnesses  shall  liave  ceased  to  prophesy  in  sackcloth,  that  is 
to  say,  at  the  end  of  the  V16Q  years. 

♦  Dan.  xii.  6  7- 
\  Mede's  Works,  B.  iv.  Epist  '■4.— B.  v.  (jhap  9  Both  Mr  Mede  and  Bp. 
Newton  make  a  very  important  use  of  the  sense  which  tlu  y  annex  to  the  phrase 
oi'  the  end  or  the  time  of  the  end.  They  suppos  ,  that  the  kind's  of  the  south  and 
the  7101th  mentioned  by  Daniel  as  attacking  the  ivilful  k-iuff.  arc  the  Saracens  and 
the  Turks.  Now,  whatever  powers  these  kin^^s  may  be,  their  wars  are  said 
to  begin  at  the  time  of  the  end  But,  if  the  time  nf  the  end  denote  the  expira- 
tion, -And  not  the  ccn'inua7ice.  'f  tlie  \1(>{)  years,  they  cetainly  cannot  be  tht 
Sttracer.j  and  the  Turh.    This  subject  WiU  be  icsumed  hereafter. 


03 

1 

with  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  ;  the  end  of  the  wonders 
therefore  must  at  once  be  the  termination  of  the  wovders, 
and  must  synchronize  with  the  restoration  of  the  Jens. 
Hence  the  end  of  the  wonders  cannot  denote  the  whole 
period  of  the  12160  yearsy  but  must,  on  the  contrary,  de- 
note the  temiination  of  it  ;  because  the  restoration  of  the 
Jewsy  even  according  to  Mr.  Mede's  own  opinion,*  will 
synchroi>ize  with  the  downfall  of  the  papal  Roman  empire, 
and  that  downfall  will  not  take  place  till  after  the  expira- 
tion of  the  \%Q0 years. 

This  however  is  by  no  means  the  only  objection  to 
the  exposition  in  question.      Mr.   Mede   translates   the 
original  passage,  not  the  end  of  the  wonders,  but  the  latter 
end  of  the  wonders  ;   evidently  with  a  view  to  excite  the 
idea,  that  of  a  certain  period,  considered  by  Daniel  as  the 
period  of  wonders,  (suppose  for  instance  the  whole  dura- 
tion of  his  last  "vision,  J  the  latter  portion  is  contradistin- 
guished   from  the  former  portion,  and  that  this    latter 
portion  is  termed,  by  way  of  distinction,  the  latter  end  of 
the  wonders,  in  opposition  to  the  first  part  of  the  wonders. 
In  order  to  appreciate  the  solidity  of  this  exposition,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  descend  to  verbal  criticism.     Two 
wordst  are  used  in  Hebrew  to  express  the  end,  Aariih 
and  Ketz  together  with  its  cognates  Ketzah  and  Miket- 
zath.     Now  the  former  of  these  denotes  either   the  con- 
tinuance of  a  period  or  the  termination  of  a  period,  for  it 
is  derived  from  a  root  which  signifies  after  ;  and  it  is  ob- 
vious, that  both  the  successive  parts  of  a  period  and  the 
absolute  terviination  of  it  are  alike  after  its  commencement : 
hence   the  Old   Testament  phrase  of  the  end  of  days, 
which  I  last  considered,  denotes  either  futurity,  that  is 
a  succession  of  time  in  general,  or  the  end  of  the  present 
order  of  things  and  the  duration  of  the  Millennium  m  par- 
ticular.    Whereas  the  latter,  unless  I  be  quite  mistaken, 
never  denotes  the  continuance  of  the  pm or/ of  which  it 
speaks,  but  always  the  termination  of  it ;  for  it  is  derived 
from   a  verb  which  signifies  to  cut  off  or  to  cut  short  : 

*  Mcdc's  Works,  B.  v.  Chap.  S. 
+  I  do  not  mean  to  say,  that   no  more  than  two  Avords   are  used  ;  but  that 
these  are  the  two  words  with  which  tiie  present   discussion  is  chieily  concern- 
ed.    Daniel  sometimes  uses  the  Chaklaic  Siipha  instead  of  Kciz,  wiiich  signi- 
lies  precisely  the  same. 


94 
< 

xvlience  Buxtorf  with  much  propriety  observes,  that  it 
denotes  tlie  end,  "  quasi  prcecisum  clicas  ;  ubi  enim  res 
prseciditur,  ibi  ejus  finis  est."  This  latter  word,  not  the 
formevy  is  used  by  Daniel,  both  in  the  present  passage, 
and  in  every  other  passage  where  the  time  of  the  end  is 
spoken  of*  The  end  of  the  wonders  therefore,  when  it 
is  considered  what  word  is  used  in  the  original  to  express 
//?e  endy  cannot,  as  it  appears  to  me,  denote  either  the 
zvholeperiod during  which  these  wonders  were  transact- 
ing^ or  thelatter  part  of  that  period ;  but  must,  on  the 
contrary,  denote  the  absolute  cutting  off  or  tei^mijiatio?i 
oj  the  period  of  the  wonder s.-\ 

The  end  then,  or  the  time  of  the  end,  must,  agreeably 
to  the  import  of  the  original  word,  signify  the  tcrminatio?i 
of  some  period  or  another  :  the  question  is,  what  period  ? 
Daniel  informs  us,  the  period  of  the  wonders  :  for,  since 
he  speaks  of  the  end  of  the  ivonders,  the  e7/f/can  only  mean 
the  termination  of  that  period  xvhich  comprehends  the 
wonders.  Still  the  question  will  occur,  whRt'is  the  period  of 
the  wonders  ?  Is  it  thezchole  period  of  DanieVs  last  vis- 
ion, orisit  the  particular  period  of  the  \^60  years?  This 
question  appears  to  me  not  very  difficult  to  be  answered. 
In  the  earlier  part  of  Daniel's  last  vision,  which  treats  of 
the  wars  between  the  kings  of  Syria  and  Egypt,  there  is 
nothing  that  peculiarly  deserves  the  name  oi  a  wonder. 
The  age  oj  wonders,  on  which  both  Daniel  and  St.  John 
dwell  witli  so  much  minuteness  and  astonishment,^  is 
undoubtedly ///e  great  period  of  1260  years;  during 

*  Excepting  those  in  whicli  he  uses  Supha. 

+  It  is  observable,  that,  whenever  Daniel  uses  the  co,^nates  oi  Kctz  to  mark 
time,  he  invariably  uses  them  in  the  sense  of"  the  tenninatio7i  of  the  pt-nod  con- 
cerning  which  they  speak,  never  in  the  sense  of  «7j  continuance  ;  a  sense  in- 
deed  oi'  which  I  believe  them  to  be  incapable  ;  insomuch  that,  if  b>  the  time 
of  the  end  and  the  end  of  the  ivondcrs  he  means  either  the  -.uhole  or  a  part  of  the 
period  of  those  ivonders,  he  entirely  departs  from  the  sense  which  he  el^cvvliere 
annexes  to  these  cognate  words.  {See  Uan.  i.  5,  15,  i8.  iv.  29.  See  also  Gen. 
]v.  3.  margin  trans.)  There  is  one  passag-e,  in  which  Daniel  plainly  appears 
to  me  to  use  the  words  .^t7r///j  and  AVfr  in  direct  opposition  to  each  other. 
**I  will  make  thee  know  what  shall  be  in  tlie  latter  end  of  the  indignation  ;  for 
it  (the  vision}  shall  be  until  the  appointed  time  of  the  end."  (Dan.  viii.  19.) 
Here  the  latter  end,  or  rather  the  contimuince,  fJlarithJ  oj  the  indignation,  de- 
notes the  whole  period  of  the  tijraMvj  of  t lie  he  goat's  little  horn,  or  in  otlier  words 
the  -whole  pel  iod  of  the  12b0  ^  ears  ;  while  the  end  f  KetzJ  to  whicii  the  vision 
is  to  reach,  denotts  the  expiration  of  the  1260  t/icrs  or  the  end  of  tit-  period  of 
the  ivonJem,  which  tlierefore  synchronizes  with  the  expiration  of  the  20)0  j/ca)  s, 
to  whicli  the  vision  is  likewise  to  reach.     Uan.  viii.  l.j,  14. 

i  See  Uan  vil.  8,  15,  19— 2C,  28.  viii.  9—14,  27.    Rev.  si.  xli.  xiii.  xvii.  6,  ?. 


95 

winch  the  world  was  destined  to  behold  the  wonderM 
sight,  a  txvO'fold  apostacy  from  the  pure  religion  of  the 
Gospel,  and  of  the  developement  of  a  momtroits  power 
that  set  the  Majesty  of  heaven  itself  at  defiance.  Hence 
the  period  of  the  ivmders  can  surely  be  only  the  period 
of  the  1260  years;  for  let  us  attentively  peruse  the 
writings  of  Daniel  and  St.  John,  and  see  whether  we  can 
discover  another  j^eriod  to  which  v»^e  can  with  the  slight- 
est degree  of  propriety  apply  the  title  of  the  period  of  the 
wonders.  But  a  yet  more  positive  proof,  ihat  the  period 
of  the  1^60  years  is  the  period  of  the  wonders,  may  be 
deduced  from  the  very  passage,  which  Mr.  INIcde  uses  to 
estabhsh  his  own  exposition,  by  assigning  to  the  word 
■Ketz  a  sense  which  it  is  incapable  of  bearing. 

"  And  one  said  to  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  which  was 
upon  the  waters  of  the  river,  until  how  long  shall  be  the 
end  (that  is,  the  termination  J  of  the  wonders?  And  I 
heard  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  which  was  upon  the 
waters  of  the  river,  when  he  held  up  his  right  hand  and 
his  left  hand  unto  heaven,  and  swear  by  him  that  liveth 
for  ever,  that  it  shall  be  until  a  time  and  times  and  a  half ;, 
and,  when  he  shall  have  finished  to  scatter  the  power  of 
the  hol}^  people,  all  these  things  shall  be  finished.  And 
I  heard,  but  I  understood  not.  Then  said  I,  O  my  Lord, 
what  is  the  end  of  these  things  ?  And  he  said.  Go  thy 
way  Daniel  ;  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and  sealed  til! 
the  time  of  the  end." 

A  question  is  here  asked,  how  long  a  time  shall  elapse 
hefore  the  C7ul of  the  period  of  7Vonders  arv'nes  ?  The  an- 
swer is,  three  times  and  a  half  or  1260  years  :  and  it  is 
further  declared,  that,  when  the  Jews  shall  begin  to  be 
restored,  all  these  things,  namely  all  the  wonders  which 
were  to  come  to  an  end  at  the  expiration  of  the  1 260  years, 
shall  be  finished.  Upon  this  Daniel  enquires,  what  is 
the  end  of  them  :  but  the  only  reply  ^given  him  in,  that 
the  words  are  sealed  till  tJie  time  of  the  end:,  or  that  his 
prophecies  shall  not  be  fully  understood  till  the  end  of  the 
wonders  arrives. 

Now,  if  \2Q0  years  are  to  elapse  before  the  end  of  the 
wonders  arrives,  and  if  all  these  things,  that  is  to  say,  all 
the  wonders,  are  to  be  finished  contemporaneously  with 


915 

the  restoration  of  the  Jews  ;  it  will  both  follow  that  ike 
penod  of  the  wonders  must  exactly  comprehend  1560 
yearSi  and  that  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  will  commence 
at  the  expiration  of  that  period.  In  other  words  it  will 
follow,  that  tlie period  of  the  wonders  is  the  same  as  the 
period  of  tlie  \^Q0 years  ;  and  consequently  that  the  end 
of  the  period  of  the  wonders,  or  the  time  oj  the  end,  de- 
notes the  termination,  not  the  continuance,  of  the  period 
of  the  IQ60  years. 

This  will  yet  further  appear  from  comparing  together 
what  Daniel  says  relative  to  the  time  0/  the  end  and  what 
he  says  relative  to  the  expiration  of  the  \Q.QO  years. 

If  all  the  jvonders  are  to  be  finished  at  the  close  of  the 
IQGOyears,  and  if  they  are  likewise  to  be  finished  at  the 
tiine  of  the  end ;  it  is  manifest  that  the  time  of  the  end 
must  so  synchronize  with  the  expiration  of  the  1060 
years,  that  it  must  commence  exactly  when  the  1260 
years  terminate. 

Accordingly  we  shall  find,  that  the  ?vonders  which  are 
generally  declared  to  be  finished  at  the  close  of  the  1260 
years  are  severally  declared  to  be  likewise  finished  at 
this  very  time  of  tiie  end.  Thus  tJie  vision  of  the  ram  and 
the  he-goat,  which  comprehends  the  wonders  of  Moham- 
medism,  or  a  portion  of  the  wonders  of  the  h260  years,  is 
to  reach  unto  the  time  of  the  end*  Thus  the  reforjnation 
from  the  great  apostacy,  or  tlie  prophesying  of  the  two 
witnesses,  is  to  continue  in  a  progressive  state  to  the  time 
of  the  end.]  Thus  tlie  little  horn  is  to  have  the  saints 
given  into  his  hand  during  the  space  of  three  times  and  a 
half :  and,  although  his  dominion  is  to  begin  to  be  taken 
away  htfore  the  expiration  of  that  period,  even  at  the  era 
oitlic  Reformation,  yet  it  will  not  be  completely  consumed 
till  the  end. X  Thus  the  war  of  tiie  atheistical  Icing  with 
the  kings  of  the  south  and  north,  his  invasion  of  Pales- 
tine and  Egypty  and  \i\s  suht>e(/nent  destruction  between  the 
seas,  are  at  once  to  take  place  at  the  time  of  the  end,  and 
to  synchronize  \\\i\\  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  ;  which 
will  commence  at  the  expiration  of  tlie  IQQO  yea->\<;,  or  at 
the  time  zolien  all  tlie  wonders  are  fmi sited.')     Thus  the 

•  Dan.  viii,  17  f  Dan  xi.  35.  \  Dan.  vii-  25,  id. 

J  Compare  Dan.  xi.  40—45.  with  xii.  1,  6—9. 


97 

jTi'ophecies  of  Daniel  are  to  he  sealed,  or,  in  other  words, 
not  receive  their  full  acconiplishnient  so  as  to  be  com- 
pletely understood,  till  tlie  time  of  the  e?id.'^'  And  thus 
the  prophet  himself  is  commanded  to  wait  patieiitly  till 
the  ench  wi  h  an  assurance  that  he  shall  stand  in  his  lot 
at  the  end  of  the  days.-\ 

In  absolute  strictness  of  speech,  then  the  end  is  the  very 
moment  when  the  1' ■  60  yc^r^  expire  :  but  Daniel  teaches 
us  to  extend  it  somewhat  more  widely.  He  rtyles  this 
tei^mination  both  the  end  of  the  xconders  and  the  time  of 
the  end ;  by  which  it  appears  we  must  understand  the 
time  at  or  about  the  end  or  the  cutting  off  of  the  1550 
years :  for  he  informs  us,  that  both  the  two  J  it  tie  horns  will 
be  destroyed,  and  that  the  whole  expedition  ol  the  xviljul 
Icing  will  take  place,  at  this  time  of  the  end ;  events  of 
such  magnitude,  that,  although  they  may  connnence  at  the 
end  of  the  period  of  the  xconders,  they  plainly  cannot  be 
finished  in  a  single  day  or  a  single  year.  He  does  not  in- 
deed acquaint  us  what  precise  length  of  time  will  be  oc- 
cupied in  the  full  accoraphshraent  of  ih.e?>e  important 
events,  but  he  teaclics  us  that  75  years  will  elapse  be- 
tween the  termination  of  the  I'SoO  years  ^\v\  the  com- 
mencemcntof  the  time  ofblessednessor  the  Millennium.X 
Hence  it  seems  most  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  these  75 

*  Dan  xii.  4,  9. 

I  Dan  xil.  13.  "  The  end  f  A'c/z  not  .-iani/ij  of  the  clays."  This  curious 
pas&age  both  shews  plainly,  that  the  end  or  tlie  time  of  the  end  cannot  mean  the 
Kvhok  period  of  the  12&0  years  :  and  gives  some  \varrant  to  ^ir  Mede's  opinion, 
that,  the  first  resurrection,  which  immediately  precedes  the  MiUenniuvi,  and 
which  consequently  takes  place  during  ihe  lapse  of  that  intermediate  period 
Avhich  I  believe  to  be  styled  the  time  of  the  end,  will  be  a  literal  resurrection  of 
the  saints  and  martyrs.  Daniel  will  certainly  not  stand  in  his  lot  during  the 
3.260  i/ears  ;  but  he  is  directed  to  wait  for  that  purpose  till  the  end ,-  therefore 
the  end  cannot  mean  the  1260  years. 

Much  the  same  argumem  may  be  deduced  from  tlxe  time  specified  for  the 
imsealing  of  Daniel's  prophecies.  If  they  are  to  remain  sealed  till  the  tiine  of 
the  end,  and  if  the  time  of  the  6'7i£/ denote  the  xuhole  period  of  the  12Q0  days,  as 
Mr  Mede  supposes  ;  then  they  will  be  opened  either  at  the  beginning,  or  diir- 
ing  the  lapse,  oi' the  V.i60 years :  but  \vc  know,  that  even  now  thev  are  not 
perfectly  opened,  and  moreover  that  they  will  not  be  perfectly  opened  till  af- 
ter the  overthrow  of  the  ^I>:ti christian  coifederacy  at  Armageddon,  which  takes 
place  subsequent  to  the  expiration  of  the  1'260  yeai-s,  and  at  some  era  during 
the  lapse  oi  the  T5  years  which  intervene  between  the  end  rf  ihe  V260  yeais  and 
the  beginning-  of  the  JMillenniinn  :  therefore  the  time  of  the  end  cani'iOt  denote  the 
■whole  period  of  .the  121)0  years,  but  must  denote  thei7iterTe;iinor  period  o/'75  ycais, 
in  the  course  of  which  the  now  painly  sealed  prophecies  of  Daiuel  will  he  com- 
pletely  opened  ;  that  is  to  sav,  so  fuUv  accomplished  as  to  be  compktelv  under- 
stood. '  ;;  Uan'xii.  11,  12. 
VOL.  I.  Jo 


98 


years  constitute  what  Daniel  styles  the  end  or  the  time  of 
theend;  as  being  that  short  portion  of  intermediate  time, 
which  cuts  off[\nd  divides  the  great  period  of  IQ60  yeai^s 
from  the  great  period  of  the  Millennium. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Concerning  the  txvo  first  prophecies  of  Daniel  and  the 
little  horn  of  thejourth  beast. 

THE  prophetic  dream  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
and  the  vision  of  the  four  beasts,  equally  predict,  that, 
from  the  era  of  the  Babylonian  monarchy  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Millennium,  there  should  be  foury  and 
no  more  than  four  empires,  universal  so  far  as  the  Church 
is  concerned. 

The  first  or  Babylonian  empire^  is  symbolized  by  the 
golden  head  of  the  image  ;  and  by  the  lion  with  eagle  s 
wings. 

The  second,  or  Medo-Persian  empire,  is  symbolized  by 
the  silver  breast  and  arms  of  the  image  ;  and  by  the  bear 
with  three  ribs  in  its  mouth. 

The  third,  or  Macedonian  empire,  is  symbolized  by  the 
brazen  belly  and  thighs  of  the  image  ;  and  by  the  leopard 
with  four  wings  and  four  heads. 

And  the  fourth,  or  Roman  empire,  is  symbolized  by 
the  iron  and  clayey  feet  of  the  image,  brandling  out  into 
ten  toes;  and  by  the  fourth  beast  diverse  from  all  the 
others,  being  compounded  of  the  three  preceding  symbols, 
a  lion,  a  bear,  and  a  leopard,*  and  having  ten  horns. 

The  accuracy,  with  which  the  three  first  sets  of  these 
double  hieroglyphics  describe  the  three  first  great  mon- 
archies, has  been  so  amply  shewn  by  writers  upoji  the 
prophecies,  that  it  is  superfluous  for  me  to  discuss  the 
subject  afresh  :  I  shall  therefore  confine  myself  to  the 
history  of  the  fourth  empire,  symbolized  by  the  feet  of 
the  image  and  by  the  ten-ltorned  beast. 
*  See  Rev.  xiii.  Z 


99 

The  account  oi  this  fourth  empire  in  Nebuchadnezzar'' s 
dream  is  simply,  that  it  should  be  as  strong  as  iron,  and 
break  in  pieces  and  bruise  the  three  preceding  empires  ; 
but  that  it  should  afterwards  he d^vx&Q^'mio  ten  kingdcms, 
answering  to  the  ten  toes  of  the  image,  which,  like  a  mix- 
ture of  clay  and  iron,  should  not  be  equally  powerful, 
but  partly  strong,  and  partly  weak  :  that  the  sovereigns 
of  these  different  kingdoms  should  be  perpetually  con- 
tracting matrimonial  alliances  with  each  other,  but  that 
nevertheless  they  should  not  cohere  together  the  better  on 
that  account  ;*  for,  although  one  or  two  of  the  kingdoms 
might  be  thus  united  together  under  a  single  govern- 
ment ,t  yet  that  the  principle  of  adhesion  should  be  so 
completely  destroyed,  that  there  never  should  be  a  fifth 
universal  monarchy  like  the  foiir  preceding  ones  :  on  the 
contrary,  that  the  only  fifth  empire  should  be  of  a  spirit- 
ual nature,  which  was  to  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all 
the  other  kingdoms,  and  stand,  itself,  for  ever. 

To  see  how  exactly  the  whole  of  this  prophecy  has 
been  accomplished,  excepting  the  last  particular  which 
is  still  future,  we  need  only  read  the  modern  history  of 
Europe. 

The  SLCcowaioi  the  fourth  empire,  in  the  second  pro- 
phecy of  Daniel,  varies  from  that,  in  the  dream  cf  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, only  by  the  introduction  of  another  power, 
not  mentioned  before  among  the  ten  sovereigns,  which  is 
termed  a  little  horn.  The  description  given  of  tJiis  elev- 
enthpO)ver  is,  that  it  came  up  among  the  other  ten  horns  : 
that  three  of  the  first  horns  were  plucked  up  before  it : 
that  it  had  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man,  ^id  a  mouth 
speaking  great  things  :  that  its  look  was  more  stout  than 
its  fellows  :  and  that  it  "  made  war  upon  the  saints,  and 
prevailed  against  them,  until  the  Ancient  of  days  came, 

*  "  Whereas  thou  sawest  iron  minified  witli  miry  clay,  they  shall  mingle 
themselves  with  the  seed  of  men  ;  but 'they  shaft  not  cleave  one  to  another,  even 
as  iron  is  not  mixed  w-ith  clay."  (Dan.  ii.  43  )  '1  he  interpretation  of  this  pas- 
sage, which  I  have  adopted,  seems  to  me  by  mucli  the  most  simple  and  natu- 
ral.     (See  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  in  loc) 

t  The  empire  of  Charlemagne  forms  a  seeming'  exception  to  this  statement ;_ 
hut,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  that  empire  is  predicted  under  the  symbol  of 
tke  last  head  ef  the  great  Roman  beast,  n  head  that  should  l^e  commensurate 
\y\\.\\the  -whole  beast.  After  the  death  of  Charlemagne,  his  vast  dominior.s  sgon 
fell  asunder,  and//:?  Jiojnan  tmpirs  again  returned  to  its  divided  state. 


100 

aikl  judgment  was  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most  Highr 
and  the  time  came  liiat  the  saints  possessed  the  king- 
dom." Upon  Daniel's  inquiring  tlie  meaning  ot  tfiis 
SifmboU  he  is  informed  by  the  interpreting  angel,  that  it 
repioscnts  a  pO)vc)\  which  was  to  rise  up  behind  the  ten 
kings,  and  was  to  subdue  or  depress  three  of  them  :  that 
it  was,  in  some  respect  or  another,  to  be  difTerent  from 
all  the  rest  of  the  kings  :  that  it  was  to  speak  great  words 
by  the  side  of  the  Most  High :  that  it  was  to  wear  out 
or  persecute  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  :  that  it  was 
to  change  times  and  laws  :  and  that  it  was  to  continue  in 
the  possession  of  a  tyrannical  authority  until  a  time-,  and 
times,  and  the  dividing  oj'  tiine-,  or  tliree  prophetic  years 
and  a  half ;  in  other  words,  till  the  commencement  of 
the  time  of  tJte  ew^/,  which  ushers  in  thereign  oj  thesaints 
or  the  apocalyptic  millennium  :  for,  since  the  little  horn 
was  to  prevail  both  to  the  beginning  of  thisreicn  of  the 
saintSy  and  to  the  end  of  the  three  years  and  a  half  it  is 
manifest,  that,  when  tJie  three  years  and  a  half  end,  the 
7'eign  of  the  saints  will  be  about  beginning.*'  Exactly  at 
the  same  time,  the  Roman  beast,  or  the  fourth  great  em- 
Inre,  from  among  whose  ten  horns  the  little  horn  waste 
arise,  will  be  slain  ;  and  that  on  account  of  the  sin  which 
lie  has  contracted  by  tolerr.ting  and  sanctioning  the  great 
words  spoken  by  his  little  horn  :\  for  the  Roman  beast 
in  his  revived  state,X  and  his  little  tyrannical  horn-,  are 
each  to  continue  in  power  during  the  very  same  period  of 
three  years  and  a  halfov^^  months ;  consequently  they 
are  to  he<j;in  and  end  their  career  tosjether.  ^ 

At  the  termination  then  of  this  period,  the  fourth 
beast  and  his  little  horn  will  be  utterly  destroyed,  and 
given  to  the  burning  flame  ;and  the  triumphant  reign  of 
Christ,  or  the  kingdom  of  the  ifiountai/hw'iW  commence.l! 

*  Compare  Dan.  vll— 21,  22  with  Ver.  25,  26. 

+  "  I  buheld  then,  lucause  oi'  the  voice  of  the  groat  word-s  wl»ich  the  horn 
spake  ;  I  beheld,  even  till  the  beast   was  slain."     Dan.  vii.  11. 

I  Tiiis  revived  state  of  the  Uovian  beast  is  expressly  mentioned  by  St.  John, 
though  not  particiiiaily  noticed  by  Daniel.  (See Rev.  xili.  1.  and  xvii — 8,  11.) 
'I'jic  subjecl  ot"  his  rtt/^w/ will  be  resumed  hereafter. 

§  Dan  vii.  25 — licv.  xiii.  5. 

!|  I  may  here  repeat,  what  I  have  already  observed,  that,  after  the  expiration 
of  t/ie  12G0  I'cors,  (iod's  controversy  willi  the  nations,  in  the  course  oi'  which 
the  beaut  ajid  his  iittU  /jjin  vill  be  tic'3tr(>}cil,  will  occupy  a  period  of  at  ka^t 


101 

But  the  three  oilier  beasts^  namely  the  Babylonian,  the 
Medo-Persiaih  and  the  Macedomaih  wliich  were  all  ichla- 
troiis  beasts,  as  contradistinguished  from  an  apostntically 
idolatrous  o??(?,  although  their  dominion  oy  their  power  of 
oppressing  the  Church  be  taken  a^vay,  will  have  their 
lives  or  idolatrous  principles  prolonged  for  a  season  and 
a  time:  that  is,  prolonged,  after  the  utter  destruction 
of  the  revived  fourth  beast  and  his  apostatical  principles, 
and  consequently  during  the  reign  of  the  saints  ;  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  is  to  commence  at  the  death  of  the 
fourth  beast. 

The  lives  however  of  the  three  beasts  are  only  to  be 
prolonged  for  a  season.  Unreclaimed  by  the  glorious 
manifestations  of  God  in  favour  of  his  millenman  Church, 
they  will  still  persevere  in  their  idolatry  ;  and,  at  the 
close  of  the  thousand  years,  will  arrive  at  such  a  pitch  of 
daring  impiety  as  to  make  an  open  attack  even  upon  the 
beloved  city.  But  fire  from  the  Lord  will  consume  them  3 
and  the  Church  of  Christ  will  be  linally  translated  from 
earth  to  heaven.^ 

No  doubt  has  been  entertained  by  most  commenta- 
tors upon  the  prophecies,  that  Daniel's  fourth  beast  is 
the  Roman  empire  ;t  nor  by  most  p  rote  slant  commenta- 
tors, that  the  ten  horns  of  the  beast  are  the  ten  independent 
kingdoms  into  which  that  empire  was  fmally  divided. 
But  there  has  not  been  quite  the  same  unity  of  opinion, 
at  least  not  of  late,  respecting  either  the  character  of  the 
little  horn  or  the  three  kings  whom  it  was  to  subdue. 

Q>Q years  ;  consequenUy,  in  ci^o/f^^e  strictness  of  speech,  they  will  not  be  de- 
stroyed/))'ea,je((/  at  the  end  of  the  1260  yearn  ;  but  only  the  judgments  of  God 
will  then  begin  to  go  forth  against  them. 

*  Compare  Dan.  vii.  13.  with  Rev.  xx.  Both  St.  John  and  Ezekiel  agree  in 
calling  the  nations,  which  will  continue  unreclaimed  during  the  Millennium, 
Gog  and  Magog.     See  Ezek.  xxxviii  and  xxxix. 

+  "  All  ancient  writers,  both  Jcwisli  and  Christian,  agree  with  Jerome  In 
explaining  tlie fourth  khigdotn  to  be  the  lioman.  Porphyry,  who  was  a  heathen, 
was  the  first  wlio  broached  the  other  opinion  ;  which,  though  it  hath  been 
maintained  since  by  some  of  the  moderns,  is  yet  not  only  destitute  of  the  autho- 
rity, but  is  even  contrary  to  the  authority,  of  both  scripture  and  history.  Itis 
a  just  ob.servation  of  Mr.  Mede,  who  was  as  able  and  consummate  a  judge  as 
any  of  these  matters  ;  The  Roman  empire  to  be  the  fourth  kingdom  of  Daniel, 
'was  heliex^ed  by  the  Clmrch  of  Israel  both  before  andin  our  Saviour's  time  ;  received., 
by  the  disciples  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  whoie  Christian  Church,  for  the  first  30(X 
years,  -without  any  kno-ivn  contradicriou.  .^nd  I  co)fess,  haxi>:g  so  good  ground  in- 
Scripture,  it  is  -with  vie  tuntiim  non  articidns  fidei,  little  kss  than  an  article  of 
faith."    Up.  Xewton's  J)issert.  in  loc. 


10^ 

Mr.  Kett  supposes,  that  the  history  of  the  little  horn 
of  the  fourth  beast  is  "an  epitome  of  the  whole  iiistory 
of  Antichrist  ;"*  who,  according  to  his  scheme,  is  a 
triple  monster^  compounded  of  Popery,  Mohammedism, 
and  Infidelitx).\  Hence  he  conjectures,  that  the  little 
horn  of  the  he-goatX  is  nearly  alhed  to  tlie  little  horn  of 
the  fourth  bemty  and  in  some  measure  even  the  same : 
for  as  the  eastern  little  horn  is  upon  his  plan  primarily 
MohanDiiedism,  and  ultimately  Infidelity  :  so  the  we'^tem 
little  horn  is  primarily  Popery,  and  ultimately  Infidelity 
likewise.  Nay,  it  is  even  more  :  for,  if  I  rightly  under- 
stand Mr  Kett,  it  is  also  to  include  Mohammedism :  in- 
asmuch as  Daniel's  account  of  it  "  is  to  be  considered 
as  an  epitome  of  the  whole  history  of  Antichristy^  that  is, 
of  Antichrist  in  every  one  of  the  three  forms  which  Mr. 
Kett  ascribes  to  him.  "  In  the  main  points  of  opposi- 
tion to  Christ,"  says  he,  "  and  of  persecution  of  his  ser- 
vants, all  the  branches  of  Antichrist  must  necessarily 
agree;  but  the  marks,  which  distinguish  these  confede 
rate  powers  from  each  other,  appear  to  me  very  strongly 
descriminated  in  these  different  visions  of  Daniel.  Alt 
foretell  the  power  of  Antichrist,  and  contain  allusions 
perhaps  to  all  the  difTerent  forms  of  that  power  :  but 
each  vision  seems  to  describe  one  of  these  forms  with  pe- 
culiar distinctness,  while  it  points  to  some  circumstances 
which  strongly  characterize  that  po^^•er,  which  was  to 
arise  the  last ;  and,  if  we  rightly  conjecture,  will  prevail 
the  most,  and  which  are  not  easily  appropriated  to  either 
of  the  other.jS  The  symbol  of  ^  little  horn  is  appplicable 
to  Antichrist  in  the  begimiings  of  all  its  forms.  Papal,  Mo- 
hammedan, and  Infidel.  The  power  of  Antichrist  is  stili 
the  little  horn  :  but,   as  exerted  in  Greece  and  the  East, 

*  Hist,  the  Interp.  Vol.  1.  p.  340.        f  Ibid.  p.  309.  +  Dan.  viii.  9. 

§  I  have  not  been  able  clearly  to  discover,  w/i/cA  of  the  three  visions  Mr. 
Kett  supposes  to  describe  lyj'r/i  peculiar  distinctness  the  iiijldcl  .  hitichrist.  Ac- 
cording to  his  plan,  the  little  horn  of  tlie  fourth  beast  is  primarily  the  Papacij, 
secondrrily  JHohanimediain,  and  ultimately  Iifidelitri;  (Hist,  the  Inter  ot 
Proph.  Vol.  1.  p  378  et  infra)  the  little  horn  of  the  he-:(oat  or  the  third  beast  is 
piimarily  Muhatnmcdium,  and  ultimately  Jiifidcliti',  (Ibid.  p.  355.  et  infra)  and 
the  kin^,  predicted  in  Ihinicl\'i  last  visioti,  is  botli  the  Papacy,  in  whicli  case 
his  antas'onists,  the  kintf  of  the  South,  and  the  kin^  of  the  J\''orth,  arc  the  Sara- 
cens and  the  Turk.-  ,-  (Ibid  p.  3G8.)  and  he  is  likewise  n  double  type  of  Anti- 
christ. (Ibid  )  In  the  table  of  contents  indeed  prefixed  to  hi.s  second  volume, 
lie  speaks  of  the  Utile  horn  of  the  fourth  beast  as  being  solely  the  i/ifJcl pouer  ,.■ 
but  the  table  itself  by  no  means  quadrates  with  the  contents  of  cither  volume. 


103 

it  is  described  as  thelittle  horn  of  the  he-goat  ox  the  third 
empire,  and  this  even  to  the  present  hour ;  for  the  seat 
of  the  Mohammedan  empire  is  Grecia,  or  what  was  cal- 
led the  Greek  emjnre  As  exerted  in  Italy  and  the  West. 
it  is  described  as  the  little  horn  of  the  fourth  beast  or  the 
fourth  empire.     But  it  is  remarkable,  that  in  those  pre- 
dicaons,  which  the  angel  expressly  declares  will  be  acconi- 
plished  towards   the    end   of  the  appointed  time,  this 
distinction  of  East  and  West  seems  to  be  lost,   both  m 
this  of ///e  Ram  and  the  He-Goat,  andm  the  following 
vision,  (which  I  conceive  intended  particularly  to  de- 
scribe the  Mohammedan  and  Papal  pozvers,)  and  A72ti- 
Christ  appears  with  all  the  subtlety  and  fury  and  univer- 
sally extended  tyranny,  with  which  we  Imdhim  dehne- 
ated  in  the  Revelation  under  the  symbol  of  the  second 
beast,  and  which  corresponds  with  the  little  horn  in  the 
vision  of  the  four  beasts,  which  is  to  be  considered  as  an 
epitome  of  the  whole  history  of  Antichrist.'^    And  this 
circumstance,  I  apprehend,  intimates  the  ^'e«er«/  aposta- 
cy  and  persecution  which  is  to  take  place  under  the  inji- 
del power,  which  was  to  succeed  the  violence  of  the  txvo 
former,  and  be  an  instrument  of  punishment  to  their  ad- 
herents, and  of  trial  to  the  church  of  Christ."t 

What  the  three  horns  or  hngdoms  are  which  the  pro- 
phet beheld  plucked  up  before  the  little  horn,  Mr.  Kett 
does  not  himself  attempt  to  decide  ;  but  agreeably  to 
his  supposition,  that  this  little  horn  is  a  symbol  of  An- 
tichrist  in  all  his  three  Jorms,  he  seems  to  think  that 
€>very  one  of  these  three  fonns  will  respectively  depress 
three  kingdoms.  "  When  we  consider  the  vision  of  the 
hasts,  and  the  little  horn  which  rose  among  or  after  the 
ten  horns,  it  was  observed,  that  this  vision  p'.obably  con- 
tained a  description  of  the  whole  of  Antichrist.  The 
d'stinct  pictures,  vrhich  we  have  since  seen  of  the  Mo- 
hammedan  a.m\  papal  forms  of  this  power,  appear  to  con- 
firm this  idea.  And,  when  we  reflect  upon  the  superior 
solemnity  of  the  conclusion  of  this  first  vision,  it  will,  1 

*  Mr.  Kett  means,  that  the  little  horn,  not  the  vklon  of  the  four  beasts,  5s  the 
epitome  of  the  whole  history  of  .intichrist.     "  This  account  ot  the  little  honi, 
says  he,  "  1  consider  as  an  epitome  of  the  whole  history  of  Antichrist       >  oi. 
1.  p.  340.  • 

+  Hist,  the  Intern,  of  Tropb.  Vol.  1.  p.  o'W- 


104 

think,  seem  probable,  that  in  this  general  description  the 
last  of  the  forms  it  was  to  assume  would  be  the  most  par- 
ticularl}^  noticed,  if  any  were  particularized  above  the 
rest.  We  shall  find,  I  think,  u})on  examination,  that 
this  was  really  the  case.  These  ten  kingdoms  do  not  ne- 
Cessa rill/ appear  to  belong  to  the  xvestern  ilivision  of  the 
empire  f  and  it  seems  clear  that  this  broken  form  is  to 
remain  till  the  judgment  is  set.  We  are  therefore  at  liber- 
ty to  suppose,  that  tliis  Wtle  horn,  which  is  Antichristy 
represents  both  the  Mohammedan  poxver  in  theeast^  and 
the  papal  poxver  in  the  west ;  which  were  in  fact  raised  up 
nearly  together :  and,  if  the  description  of  this  horn  be 
found  fairly  applicable  to  another  poxver  which  was  to 
arise  afterwards,  within  the  bounds  of  the  ancient  Roman 
empire,  (as  we  gather  from  the  consideration  of  other 
prophecies,)  we  may  as  naturally  conclude,  that  it  was 
designed  to  represent  that  poxver  aho.  If  this  be  grant- 
ed and  surely  it  can  baldly  be  denied,  the  dilTerent  opin- 
ions of  commentators  respecting  this  horn,  so  far  from 
being  discordant,  will  be  found  in  unison,  and  more 
loudly  sound  the  harmony  of  prophetic  truth.f    Those, 

*  It  V.  ill  hereafter  be  shewn,  that  they  do  necessarily  belong  to  the  western 
division  of  the  empire. 

+This  metliod  olshewinj^  tlie  concordance  of  commentators,  and  tJie  harmony  of 
prophetic  truth,  would,  I  fear,  have  but  very  little  weight  with  a  captious  infi- 
del. Such  a  person  would  naturally  say,  "  If  a  single  symbol  may  at  once  repre- 
sent  so  many  different  powers,  it  is  im])ossible  that  there  should  be  any  cer- 
tainty in  prophecy.  A  symbol  must  typify  sotne  one  specijic  poivcr  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  others  ;  or  else  it  may  be  made  to  signify  just  what  the  commentator 
pleases.  In  one  age  it  may  be  convenient  to  apply  it  to  Mokammcdism  ;  in 
another,  to  Popery,  in  a  third,  to  Infdelity  ,•  Mr.  Aett  informs  us,  that  it  repre- 
sents ihem  all  .•  a  succeeding  ivriter  may  apply  it  to  a  poii-er  not  yet  arisen  ; 
what  opinion  can  we  form  of  so  very  ductile  a  prophecy  as  this  f"  These  ob- 
jections I  am  unable  to  answer  upon  Mr.  Kett  s  plan  ;  but  nothing  is  more  easy 
if  we  adopt  the  simple  and  reasonable  scheme  of  "  utterly  denying  the  possi- 
bility of  a  chronulo^ical  prophecy  being  capable  of  receiving  more  than  ore  com- 
pletion ;  and  of  allowing  no  interpretation  of  it  to  be  valid,  except  the  pre- 
diction agree  with  its  supposed  accomplishment  mevery  particular."  On  these 
principles,  the  answer  would  be  sufficiently  obvious.  There  is  a  certain  poxver, 
which  pefectly  accords  with  this  symbol  of  the  little  horn  both  clnonologically, 
locally,  and  circumstanti.illy  :  therefore  the  symbol  must  relate  to  this  iniliviilual 
poiver,  and  to  none  else  ;  to  none  eiUier  of  those  which  preceded  it,  or  which 
hereafter  may  succeed  it.  History  undeniably  shews  us,  that  the  power  in  ques- 
tion does  agree  in  all  these  points  with  the  symbol  .•  we  knoii<  tliat  Daniel  flou- 
rished long  before  this  prr.ier  arose  :  we  ino7v  that  in  his  days  no  human  wisdom 
C(j7/W  have  foreseen  that  it -j'<>!i/f/ arise;  how  then  are  we  to  account  for  this 
exact  correspondence  between  the  symbol  and  the  power  except  by  allowing  the 
divine  inspiration  of  him,  to  whom  the  mystic  vision  oi' the  four  brasia  was  so 
accurately  revealed,  and  to  whom  at  the  same  time  a  literal  interpretation  of 
it  was  prophetically  detailed  r" 


105 

who  see  the  Mohammedan  power  in  the  little  horn  which 
arose  from  the  fourth  heast,  generally  suppose  Egijpt, 
Asia,  and  Greece,  to  be  the  three  horns  plucked  up  by 
the  roots  before  it.  Bp.  Newton,  in  his  application  of 
this  prophecy  to  the  papal  power,  considers  them  to  be 
the  exarchate  of  Ravenna,  the  kingdom  of  Lomhardy,  and 
the.  state  of  Rome  ;  and  observes,  that  the  Pope  hath  in 
a  manner  pointed  himself  out  for  the  person  described, 
by  wearing  the  triple  crown.  We  can  at  present  form 
no  opinion  concerning  the  three  horns,  which  are  to  be 
eradicated  by  the  infidel  power;  whether  absolutely 
kingdoms  be  meant,  or  whether  independent  states  may 
be  considered  as  a  sufficient  explanation  :  but  posterity 
may  be  enabled  to  decide  upon  this  subject  perhaps 
more  clearly  than  the  partial  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy 
has  hitherto  enabled  us  to  do,  respecting  the  conquests 
oithe  Mohaminedan  and  papal  powers ^^ 

The  foregoing  plan  of  Mr.  Kett  appears  to  me  much 
too  complicated  and  intricate  to  be  probable.  If  one 
andthesanie  horn  is  to  symbolize  three  different  powers, 
there  certainly  cannot  be  any  precision  or  defmiteness  in 
the  prophecy ;  for  it  must  be  mere  conjecture  to  attempt 
to  determine,  wA^^/w/'^;  of  the  history  of  tlie  little  Iiorn 
belongs  to  one  of  the  tliree  powers,  and  what  respectively 
to  the  two  otiiers.  From  the  language  of  Daniel  him- 
self no  such  system  can  be  fairly  deduced.  Throughout 
the  whole  vision  of  the  four  beasts,  the  little  horn  is 
described  as  strictly  and  simply  one  power,  uniform  and 
consistent  in  its  conduct,  performing  a  certain  number 
of  clearly  defined  actions,  and  continuing  in  the  exercise 
of  a  tyrannical  authority  the  precise  terra  of  tliree  pro- 
phetic years  and  a  half.  It  is  surely  then  highly  im- 
probable, and  extremely  unlike  the  usual  method  of 
Daniel's  writing,  to  suppose,  that,  while  in  the  exu- 
berance of  his  symbolical  imagery  he  gives  two  several 
hieroglyphical  descriptions  of  i/?^/r^^  and  fourth  empres, 
and  no  less  than  three  such  descriptions  of  tlie  second 
and  third  empires  ;\  he  should  nevertheless  be  suddenly 
reduced  to  such  a  poverty  of  imagination  as   to  represent 

*  Hist,  the  Int.  of  Proph.  Vol.  i.  p.  376.  t  ^an-  ii-  ^'i  '*'i'i- 

VOL.  T.  14 


106 

lliree  *cei'y  different  powers  by  one  ami  the  same  symbol, 
ihcrehy '\\.\\'o\\'mgihe\i\sioxy  oi  those  powers  m  the  most 
imjicnetrable  obscurity  and  the  most  perplexing  uncer- 
taint}''.  To  repeat  an  observation  which  1  have  aheady 
made,  if  various  symbols  be  used  to  represent  the  same 
thing-,  we  shall  be  in  no  danger  of  mistaking  the  pro- 
phet's meaning,  provided  only  we  can  ascertain  the 
import  of  each  individual  symbol ;  but,  if,  on  the  contrary, 
in  the  course  of  a  single  passage,  the  sujtie  symbol  be 
used  to  express  many  different  things,  it  will  be  impos- 
sible to  understand  a  prophecy  couched  in  such  ambi- 
guous terms,  because  we  can  never  be  sure,  when  we 
proceed  to  consider  the  prophecy  article  by  article,  to 
which  of  those  different  things  each  article  is  to  be  re- 
ferred. On  these  grounds  I  feel  mj^self  compelled  to 
reject  Mr.  Kett's  interpretation  of  the  history  of  the 
little  horn,  as  resting  upon  no  solid  foundation,  and 
receiving  no  warrant  from  the  plain  language  of  Daniel. 

Mr.  Galloway,  avoiding  the  perplexity  introduced  by 
Mr.  Kett,  supposes,  that  tlie  little  horn  is  one,  and  only 
one,  power;  which  power  he  conjectures  to  be  re- 
rolutionary  France.  Many  however  are  the  difficulties 
which  must  be  ovciccme,  before  such  an  opinion  as  this 
can  be  satisfiictorily  established.  The  difficulties  are 
these.  The  horn  is  termed  by  the  prophet  a  little  horn, 
and  is  represented  as  a  distinct  power  from  the  other 
ttn  horns  ;  whereas  France  is  not  only  one  of  these  teii 
horns,  but  the  t'ery  largest  of  them  all :  and  this  little 
horn  is  to  subdue  three  of  the  first  Jmigs,  to  wear  out 
the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  to  contimie  in  power 
during  the  space  of  a  time,  and  times,  and  the  dividing  of 
time ;  whcreRS  none  of  these  marks  appear,  at  the  first 
sight,  to  be  at  all  applicable  torevolutionanj  France. 

With  regard  to  the  epithet  little,  Mr.  Galloway  will 
not  allow  it  to  be  taken  in  the  literal  and  most  obvious 
sense.  "  It  cannot,"  says  he,  "  be  little  in  respect  to 
strength  and  powder ;  but  he  is,  in  the  sense  of  the  pro- 
phet, as  I  humbly  apprehend,  little,  and  oi  no  weight,  in 
the  scale  of  virtue  and  religion,  and  of  lii/ie  or  no  account 
in  the  sight  and  estimation  of  God.  He  is  little  and 
worthless,  because  he  is  to  exceed  in  wickedness  all  be- 


107 

fore  him.  In  this  sense  the  word  is  used  in  many  pas- 
safyes  of  Scripture.*  Moreover  his  power,  however  great 
for  a  time,  is  little^  because  it  is  to  continue  but  a  Utile 
time  when  compared  with  other  prophetic  periods  ;  and 
it  is  little  indeed  when  compared  with  the  power  of 
Christ,  who,  according  to  St  Vv.xAy  shall  consume  it  with 
the  spirit  of  his  mouth,  and  destroy  it  zvifh  the  brightness 
of  his  coming.  With  this  sense  of  the  word  little  all  its 
other  tropes,  as  we  shall  presently  find,  are  in  perfect 
agreement ;  and  therefore  we  may  conclude  it  is  the  true 
literal  sense/ 'f  The  three  kingdoms,  which  the  little 
horn  w^as  to  subdue,  Mr.  Galloway  conjectures  to  be  the 
kin gdomof  France,  the  Stadholderateof  Holland,  and  the 
Helvetic  union  orSzviss  confedcraci/.X  And  the  saints  of 
the  Most  High,  whom  it  was  to  wear  out,  he  supposes 
to  be  the  popish  clergy  of  France  and  such  of  the  laity  as 
adhered  to  them.^ — The  prophet  however  asserts,  that 
the  little  horn  was  to  wear  out  the  saints  during  the  space 
of  three  years  and  a  half  These  years  have  been  usu- 
ally thought  to  be  prophetic  years,  in  wdiich  case  they 
would  be  the  same  period  as  the  forty -txvo  prophetic 
months,  or  the  txvelve  hundred  and  sixty  prophetic  days  : 
but  Mr.  Galloway  maintains,  that  they  are  mere  natural 
or  solar  years  ;  and  cites,  in  proof  of  his  supposition,  the 
history  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  whose  madness  was  to  con- 
tinue seven  times,  or  seven  natural  years,  not  seven  pro- 
phetic years.\\  The  three  times  and  a  half  then,  during 
which  the  horn  was  to  w^ear  out  the  saints,  are,  according 
to  Mr.  Galloway,  tJie  three  natural  years  and  a  half,  dur- 
ing which  Christianity  was  formally  suppressed  by  law 
in  France.  "Taking,"  says  he,  *' certain  late  events, 
which  have  come  to  pass  in  France,  as  my  guide,  I  am 
led  to  interpret  these  numbers  into  three  (literal)  years 
and  a  half :  a  construction,  not  only  justified  by  the 
text,  but  clearly  supported  by  the  events.  For,  if  we 
date  the  beginning  of  this  period,  at  the  time  of  the  last 
dreadful  decree  for  the  exile  of  the  clergy,  and  its  mur- 
derous execution  ;    and  its  end,  at  the  thne  of  the  decree 

*  The  texts,  which  Mv.  Galloway  cites  In  favour  of  this  interpretation,  are 
the  following  :  1  Sam.  .tv.  17— Xehem.  ix,  32 — Isaiah  xl.  15— Micah  v.  2. 
t  Comment,  p.  401.  4  Ibid.  p.  419. 

§  Ibid.  p.  417.  Ij  Ibid.  p.  413—117. 


108 

granting  to  the  Christians,  who  remained  in  France,  and 
had,  through  the  mercies  of  God,  been  wonderfully  pre- 
ser\ed,  a  tree  toleration  of  their  religion  :  we  shall  find 
it  a  timcy  iimesy  and  the  dividing  of  tivie^  or  exactly  three 
years  and  a  half.  The  decree  for  the  exile  of  the  clergy 
passed  the  Q.Qth  of  August  \1^%  but  the  murderous  ex- 
ecution of  it  was  not  finished  until  the  latter  end  of  the 
folio  win  g  VLonth.  From  that  time  no  person  in  France 
dared  to  mention  the  name  of  God,  or  of  his  blessed  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  but  with  disrespect  and  contempt ;  or,  if 
he  did,  he  was  scorned  and  insulted,  and  put  to  death  as 
a  fanatic.  This  is  therefore  a  [)roper  epoch,  from  vv  hence 
to  date  the  giving  up  the  saints  into  the  hands  of  the 
little  horn,  or  the  then  horrible  government  of  France^ 
whose  {XDwer  was  theji  styled  the  reign  of  teiror  and  of 
death.  As  to  the  end  of  this  prophetic  period,  the  event 
is  equally  demonstrative  of  it.  For  from  tlie  end  of  Sep- 
tember 1 79^i,  v\  hen  the  clergy  were  imprisoned  and  mas- 
sacred, (for  they  were  not  permitted  even  to  go  into  ex- 
ile) the  distressing  state  of  the  Christians  in  France  sur- 
passes description.  Death,  the  most  horrible,  was  con- 
tinually staring  them  in  the  face.  The  guillotine,  the 
cannon,  musket,  and  national  baths,  were  in  constant 
exorcise ;  and  the  minds  of  every  man,  woman,  and 
child,  professing  ( hristianity,  were  smitten  with  the 
dread  of  immediate  death.  In  this  dreadful  state  (a  state 
in  which,  according  to  the  literal  sense  of  the  text,  they 
were  given  info  the  hand  of  the  French  government)  thoy 
remained  until  the  latter  end  of  March  179')  ;  when, 
glu  ted  with  Christian  blood,  the  atheistical  demagogues 
passed  a  decree,  granting  a  full  toleration  of  all  kinds  of 
religion,  which  virtually  repealed  all  the  decrees  against 
fanatics,  and  delivered  the  Christians  out  of  their  hands. 
Now,  if  we  calculate  the  time  between  the  latter  end  of 
September  lld%  and  the  latter  end  of  March  1796',  wc 
shall  find  it,  in  the  language  of  prophecy,  a  timcy  timest 
and  a  dividing  oj  time  ;  which,  when  interpreted,  is  ex- 
actly a  |)eriod  of  three  years  and  a  half .''^ 

This  hypothesis  of  Mr.  Galloway  is,  I  fear,  no  better 
founded  than  that  of  Mr.  Kett. 

•  Comment,  p.  41?'. 


109 

Whatever  the  epithet  little  may  signify  in  other  parts 
of  Scripture,*  the  context  sufficiently  shews,  that,  when 
applied  to  the  eleventh  horn  of  the  Roman  beast-,  it  ^xxa- 
p\y  means  small  m  point  of  size  There  is  a  very  sensi- 
ble rule,  that  words  used  in  the  same  passage  antitheti- 
cally or  relatively  must  bear  the  same  kind  of  significa- 
tion. Thus,  when  Ezekiel,  in  one  continued  clause, 
speaks  of  a  righteous  man  turning  from  his  righteousness 
Xoiniquityy  and  of  a  wicked  man  turning  from  his  wicked- 
ness to  righteousness :  no  one  can  reasonably  doubt, 
that  the  righteousness.,  which  the  one  has  forsaken,  is  the 
very  righttousnessy  which  the  other  has  attained  ;  or  that 
the  iniquity y  which  the  one  has  plunged  into,  is  no  less 
an  aberration  from  the  will  of  God,  (though  it  may  not 
be  precisely  the  same  mode  of  aberration,)  than  the  ini- 
quity, which  the  other  has  happily  forsaken.  Unless  this 
be  allowed,  the  antithesis  and  relation  of  the  words  righ- 
teous man  and  wicked  man,  and  righteousness  and  wicked- 
ness-, are  entirely  destroyed ;  and  the  whole  passage  is 
consequently  deprived  of  all  definiteness  of  meaning.  If 
then  we  advert  to  the  context  of  the  passage,  wherein 
the  little  horn  is  mentioned,  we  shall  find,  that  the  pro- 
phet beheld  four  great  beasts  coming  up  from  the  sea; 

*  I  am  not  perfectly  clear,  that  the  word  little  ever  occurs  in  Scripture  in  the 
sense  ot  morally  -zvorthless.  The  passaf^es,  cited  by  Mr  Galloway  in  support 
of  this  interpretation  of  the  word,  afford  it  no  support  whatsoever.  In  all  of 
them,  without  exception,  the  epithet  ^/V^/e  is  used  in  the  sense  of  worthiess  or 
trifling  inpoim  of  value  or  consequence,  not  in  that  ot'~vorthiess  in  point  of  religion 
and  morality.  It  is  superfluous  to  observe,  that  there  is  a  viost  essential  aif- 
ference  between  these  tivo  kinds  of  ijcorthlessness.  Cruden,  than  whom  few  men 
were  better  acquainted  with  the  bible,  does  not  mention  the  sense  of  moralli/ 
worthless  among  the  different  scriptural  significations  which  he  supposes  the 
word  little  to  bear  :  and  Parkhurst  only  gives  three  meanings  of  the  radical 
*T3/l5  here  used  by  Daniel,  namely  *mrt//in  point  of  s/ze,  ti/ne,  Sind  qvantify.  The 
matter,  after  all,  is  reducible  to  this.  We  are  not  concerned  with  what  the 
Eug'lish  word  little  may  mean,  when  it  occurs  in  Scripture  ;  but  with  what  the 
Hebre~M  word  IW  which  occurs  in  this  particular  passage,  means  Let  the 
reader  then  turn  to  Calasio's  Ileb.  Concordance,  and  he  will  soon  be  satisfied, 
that  the  word  TJ/I  never  signifies  mora//)/ worfA/ej*.  Mr.  Galloway  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  aware,  that  tliis  word  lyi  is  not  used  in  any  one  of  the  passage.s 
to  which  he  refers  in  proof  of  his  interpretation.  Consequently,  even  if  our 
English  translation  little  had  signified  morally  tvorthlessin  all  of  them,  he  would 
have  been  no  nearer  to  the  establishing  of  his  opinion.  In  one  of  them  indeed 
the  cognate  word  "lj?lf  is  used ;  but  this  no  more  bears  the  sense  of  morally 
worthless  than  ^3;l.  In  the  three  others,  three  entii-ely  different  words  are 
employed  ;  all  of  which  are  alike  translated  little. 
+  Ezek.  xviii.  26,  27. 


and  that  one  of  these  great  beasts  had  a  little  horn,  which 
sprung  up  among  his  other  ten  larger\\oxTi^.  In  a  simi- 
lar manner,  if  we  advert  to  the  context  of  the  passage, 
wherein  tJie  little  horn  of  the  he-goat  or  third  great  beast 
is  mentioned,*  we  shall  find,  that  this  he  goat  is  said  to 
have  had  one  great  horn  ;  from  the  broken  stuinp  of 
which  came  up  four  notable  horns,  and  also  a  little  horn 
which  came  forth  out  of  one  of  the  four  notable  horais.f 
With  such  a  double  context  then  before  us,  is  it  reason- 
able to  suppose,  that  the  four  great  beasts,  and  the  great 
/iarn,mea,n  lite '-ally /b^^r  beasts,  and  a  horn,  large  in  point 
of  size  i  but  that  the  little  horn  does  not  mean  literally 
a  horn  small  in  point  of  size,  but  figuratively  a  morally 
worthless  horn?  To  make  the  two  passages  at  all  con- 
sistent, the  same  kind  of  signification  must  be  borne  by 
the  wQix^L great,  as  by  the  word  little  :  consequently,  if  a 
little  horn  mean  a  morally  worthless  stale,  a  great  horn, 
and  a  great  beast  will  mean  a  morally  worthy  state  or 
empire.  But,  since  this  conclusion  is  a  manifest  absur- 
dity, and  since  agreat  horn  and  a  great  beast  certainly 
mean  a  large  state  or  empire,  a  Utile  horn  must  necessa- 
rily mean  a  small  state.  France  however  is  both  a  large 
state,  and  one  of  the  ten  horns  ;  and  the  little  horn,  what- 
ever it  may  be,  is  both  a  small  state,  and  not  one  of  the 
ten  horns  :  France  therefore  most  undeniably  cannot  be 
symbolized  by  the  little  horn. 

Having  thus  shewn,  that  the  little  horn  cannot  be 
France,  it  may  seem  almost  unnecessary  to  prosecute 
the  matter  any  further ;  for,  if  the  horn  itself  Ix;  not 
France,  none  of  the  particulars  which  are  predicated  of 
the  horn  can  be  applied  to  that  country.  Nevertheless, 
in  order  that  the  non-identity  of  France  and  the  Utile 
horn  may  be  the  more  satisfactorily  established,  I  shall 
likewise  consider  the  other  points  wherein  Mr.  Galloway 
thinks  that  he  has  discovered  an  agreement  between 
them. 

The  little  horn  is  to  depress  three  of  the  first  ten  horns. 
These,  according  to  Mr.  Galloway,  are  the  monarchy  of 

*  T}\e  he-goat  symbolizes  the  same  power  as  the  leopard  in  the  preceding  visioii 

Q^thefourbcatts. 

+  Dan.  vili.  8,  9. 


HI 

♦ 

France,  the  St  acVi  older  ate  of  Holland,  and  the  Szviss  co7i- 
federacv — The  first  objection,  that  an  historical  ?>\.\xAi^xv\. 
would  make  to  such  a  mode  of  interpretation,  is  obvi- 
ously this:  Daniel  declares,  that  three  of  the  first  ten  horns 
should  be  plucked  up  before  the  little  horn  :  now,  upon 
adverting  to  the  list  of  the  ten  primary  Gothic  sovereign- 
ties into  which  the  Roman  empire  was  originally  divided, 
we  shall  find  it  a  vain  labour  to  discover  among  them 
those  two  completely  modern  states,  Holland  and  Sxvit- 
zerland.  One  only  of  the  first  ten  horns  was  in  exis- 
tence when  the  French  revolution  broke  out,  the  ancient 
kingdom  of  the  Franks  :*  hence  it  is  plainly  impossible, 
that  the  prophecy  should  receive  its  accomplishment  in 
i\\e present  day.  If  it  has  not  been  lo7ig  since  fulfilled, 
it  flow  never  can  be  fulfilled — The  next  objection  is, 
that  France  cannot,  with  any  shew  of  probability,  be 
reckoned  at  once  both  the  little  horn  which  subdues,  and 
the  horn  which  is  subdued.  I  am  aware,  that  Mr.  Gallo- 
way supposes  the  little  horn  to  be  revolutionary  Francey 
and  fne  other  horn  to  be  regal  France  ;  but  the  language 
of  prophecy  knows  no  such  distinctions.  It  considers 
states,  rather  than  revolutions  of  states  ;  though  it  will 
frequently  m.ark,  with  wonderful  accuracy,  even  those 
very  revolutions.  The  Roman  empire,  or  the  fourth 
beast,  under  all  its  seven  different  heads  ox  forms  ofgov- 
ernment,  is  still  considered  as  only  one  power.  l"he  de- 
struction of  its  regal  head  hj  the  co7istilate,  and  of  its 
consular  head  by  the  e??iperoj^ship,is  notrepresented  un- 
der the  image  of  its  being  attacked  by  another  beast : 
Rome  is  never  said  by  the  prophet  to  subdue  Rome.     In 

•  In  strict  propriety  of  speech,  the  original  kingdom  of  the  .^ingels  cannot  be 
considered  as  being  at  present  in  existence,  the  line  of  succession  having  been 
broken  both  by  the  Danish  and  Norman  conquests  :  o.ie  only  therefore  of  the 
ten  pmnary  kingdoms,  that  of  the  Franks,  remained  at  the  era  of  the  revolu- 
tion. The  kingdom  of  the  Huns  indeed  still  exists  noviimd/tf,  but  its  indeper.' 
tlence  is  no  more.  It  is  swallowed  up  in  tlie  superior  power  oi  Jlustria,  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  primitive  kingdom  of  Bnrgundij  is  lost  in  that  of  the  Frank:. 
There  is  moreover  another  reason,  why  tJie  Timdcrn  kingdom  of  Hungary  can 
scarcely  be  considered  tlie  same  as  the  primitive  kingdom  of  the  Huns.  "  Hun- 
gary," says  Mr.  Gibbon,  "  has  been  successively  occupied  by  three  Scythian 
colonies  ;  tlie  Huns  of  Attila  (who  constitute d  the  primitive  kingdom  -J  tiie 
Abares,  in  the  sixth  century  ;  and  the  Turks  of  Magiars,  a.  d.  889.  the  im- 
mediate and  genuine  ancestors  of  the  modern  Hungarians,  whose  connection 
with  the  two  former  is  cxtremelv  faint  and  rcrp.ou-."  Hist  of  Hecline  and 
Fall,  Vol,  vi.  p.  38. 


a  slmila'-  manner.  Trance-,  whether  under  the  government 
of  the  Merovingians,  the  Carlovingians,  or  the  Capets : 
whether  opprt  ssed  by  the  diabolical  tyranny  of  the  re- 
publican  faction^  or  tamely  subraittins:  to  the  degrading 
usurpation  of  the  upstart  family  of  Buonaparte  :  France-^ 
however  circumstanced  in  point  of  legislature,  is  still 
France,  still  one  of  the  original  ten  horns  of  the  Roman 
beast  Hence  surely  it  cannot  be  at  once  both  tlie  hum 
that  subdues,  and  the  horn  that  is  subdued:  France  is 
never  said  by  the  prophet  to  subdue  France. 

The  little  hoini  is  further  toxvear  out  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High — Fhese  saints  Mr.  Galloway  supposes  to  be 
the  popis'i  clergy  of  Fratice,  and  such  of  the  laity  as 
were  unwilling  to  give  up  the  Christianity  of  the  Church 
oj  Rome  tor  the  blasphemous  atheism  of  the  mock  republic. 
That  there  have  been  many  sincere  Christians  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  voluntary  humility  and  superstitious  will- 
worship  of  the  mystic  Babylon^*  I  am  by  no  means  dis- 
posed to  deny.  To  adopt  the  words  of  the  excellent 
Hooker,  "  Forasmucli  as  it  may  be  said  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  she  hath  yet  a  little  strength,  she  doth  not  directly 
deny  the  foundation  of  Christianity ;  I  may,  I  trust, 
without  offence,  persuade  myself  that  thousands  of  our 
fathers,  in  former  times  living  and  dying  within  her  walls, 
have  found  mercy  at  the  hands  of  God.f  Nevertheless, 
though  I  readily  make  this  concession  to  the  pious  papist, 
I  cannot  quite  so  easily  bring  myself  to  think,  that  the 
members  of  an  idolatrous  and  persecuting  Apostacy, 
xvhen  spoken  of  collectively,  would  be  called  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  the  saints  of  the  Most  High.  They,  w^ho 
as  a  body,  are  represented  as  worshippers  of  mediating 
demons,  and  idols  of  gold  and  silver  and  brass  and  stone 
andxi'Ood ;  vl?>  murderous  persecutors,  sorcerers  or  Jug- 
glers, spiritual  J  ornicato?'s,and  thieves:X  they,  who  bear 

*  Coloss.  ii.  18—23. 
+  Discourse  of  Justification,  Sect.  17  Hooker  however  gruards,  with  his 
usual  wisdom,  ai^ainst  any  misapprehension  or  perversion  of  these  words. 
«  M;iny  in  former  times,  as  their  hooks  and  writings  do  yet  shew,  held  the 
foundation,  to  wit,  salvation  by  Christ  alone,  and  therefore  mipU  he  saved. 
God  Iiath  always  had  aChurch  amongst  tliem,  which  firmly  kept  his  saving  truth. 
As  for  such  as  hold  with  the  Church  of  Home,  that  we  cannot  be  siived  by 
Christ  alone  without  works  ;  they  do,  not  only  by  a  circle  of  coasequence,  but 
directly  deny  the  foundation  of  fititli ;  they  hold  it  not,  no  not  so  much  as  by  a 
thread."    Ibid.  Sect.  19.  *  Uev.  ix.  20,  21. 


113 

such  a  character  in  one  part  of  Scripture,  can  never  sure- 
ly l^e  honoured  with  the  title  of  saints  of  the  Most  fligk 
in  another  part.     Even  Mr.  Gallovi^ay  himself,  though 
he  supposes  the  popish  clergy  of  France  io  ha  the  saints 
worn  out  by  the  tyranny  of  the  little  horn  ;  yet,  in  another 
part  of  his  work  thinks,  that  the  second  vial  of  the  wrath 
of  God  is  to  be  poured  out  xx^onpapal  Rome^   "  as  a  just 
judgment  for  her  abominable  idolatry,  for  her  artful  se- 
duction and  unrelenting  and  bloody  persecutions  of  the 
Church  of  his  blessed  Son,  and  for  her  daring  impiety  in 
the   assumption  of   his   divine  attributes.'"^       Now,  al- 
though the  French  clergy  did  not  quite  so  implicitly  sub- 
mit to  the  unqualified  claims  of  the  pretended  successors 
of  St.  Peter  as  those  of  Spain,  PortugaU  and  Italy  :  yet 
I  never  heard,  that  they  had  in  any  degi^ee  renounced 
their  heretical  opinions,  their  blasphem.ous  idolatries,  and 
their  ridiculous  m.ummeries  ;  or  that  any  of  them  felt  a 
single  scruple  of  conscience  respecting  the  execrable  oath, 
exacted  by  the  Pope  from  all  whom  he  consecrates  bis'i- 
ops,  that  they  will,  as  far  as  in  them  lies,  persecute  and 
oppose  all  impitgners  of  the  authority  of  the  see  of  Rome. 
This  being  the  case,  let  the  little  horn  be  what  power 
it  may,  the  bigoted  adherents  of  that   sanguinary  hie- 
rarchy cannot  surely  he   styled,   by  a  divinely  inspired 
prophet,  saints  of  the  Most  High.\ 

•  Comment,  p.  235. 

+  The  reader  will  find  a  very  full  and  satisfactory  statement  of  the  pernicious 
maxims  of  Popery  in  the  able  strictures  on  J^lowden's  Historical  Revierj  of  L-e- 
/and,  commencing  in  the  .!nii-Jacobin  lievie-w  for  'Sov  1804  He  \yill  likt- wise 
do  well  to  peruse  a  tract  published  at  Cambridg'c  in  the  year  1746,  intitled  The 
true  spirit  of  Popery  displayed.  A'.-.d,  if  he  require  a  yet  moi-e  circumstantial 
detail  of  the  principles  and  practice  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  he  will  find  uin  Mr. 
Whitaker's  well-timed  Commentary  on  the  Revelation.  To  these  writers  I  beg 
to  refer  him,  if  he  wish  for  any  further  confutation  of  Mr.  Galloway's  opinion, 
that  the  popish  clergy  and  royalist  laiiy  of  France  are  the  saints  of  the  Most  High 
ivorn  out  bn  the  tyrcmny  of  the  little  horn. 

Mr  Rett's  conjecture,  that  the  little  horn  ultimately  typifies  the  Infidel  power 
nf  Frarice,  and  that  the  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit  which  slays  the  apocaiyptic 
■witnesses  is  French  /7i^Je//rv,  must  necessarily  lead  him  to  adopt  Mr.  Galloway's 
sentiments  respecting'  the  .'iaints  of  God  mentioned  by  Daniel,  and  the  -.vitnesses 
mentioned  by  St.  Jolin  :  (Compare  Hist,  the  Interp.  Vol  I  p  3?1,  with  p.  413, 
419.)  nay,  his  scheme  is  perplexed  with  mors  irreconcileable  contradictions 
tlian  even  that  of  T^li:  Gallowr.y.  When  the  little  horn,  in  its  primary  sense, 
meaiiK  Popery  ;  then  the  saints  ivoni  out  by  it  must  of  course  mean  all  those  holy 
men  ivho  protested  against  its  corruptions.  But,  wlien  the  little  horn,  in  its  -.dti- 
jnate  sense,  means,  the  hfdel  pov^er  of  France  ;  then  the  saints  -vtrrn^  on!  by  it 
must  mean  the  Popish  clergy  and  Royalist  laity.  Thus  it  is  evident,  t':  .1,  upon 
Air.  Kett's  plan,  the  ■■^ainta  sometimes  mean  the  persecuted  pro.'estants,  and  at 
VOL.  T.  1-^ 


Lastly,  the  little  horn  is  to  cmtinne  in  power  tlireeyears 
and  a  half — These  years  Mr.  Galloway  decides  to  be 
natural  years,  and  pronounces  them  to  be  the  three  years 
and  a  half,  during  which  atheism  w^is  established  by  law 
in  France.  Upon  this  point,  I  cannot  see,  that  the  ar- 
gument, wdiich  he  brings  from  the  term  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar's madness,  is  at  all  conclusive.  Because  the 
word  timCy  when  it  occurs  in  a  prophecy  relative  to 
a  single  individual,   manifestly  signifies  a  natural  year  ; 

other  timfts  the  persecuting  papists  ,•  while  the  little  hovn,  with  equal  flexibility, 
sometimes  means  the pemecutijisr  cliuich  of  Rome,  and  at  other  times  the  French 
Jiepui^'ic,  wirich  in  its  turn  persecuted  the  members  of  that  persecuting  Church, 
Or,  to  state  the  matter  somewliat  diflerently,  the'Uttle  horn  in  its  ultimate  sense, 
persecutes  the  little  horn,  in  its  priviary  sense  ;  while  the  saints,  in  their  ulti' 
7na/e  sense,  Are  the  very  set  of  men  -vho  persecuted  the  saints,  in  their  priniari/ 
sense  ;  in  other  words,  the  saint.^,  in  their  ultimate  sense,  and  the  little  horn, 
in  its /)mna;7/ sense,  equally  symbolize  the  Church  of  Home  and  her  memSers. 
Such  is  the  strange  conlusiou  that  results  from  Mr.  Kelt's  scheme  of  primary 
and  secondary  interpretations  of  the  same  prophecy. 

Ur.  Zouch's  sentiments  on  this  point  so  perfectly  accord  with  my  own,  that 
I  cannot  resist  the  pleasure  of  transcribing  them.  Speaking  of  those  interpre- 
tations which  apply  the  character  of  the  little  horn  to  the  French  Itepublic  and 
the  chaxACier  oi the  saints 'Korn  out  by  it  to  the  Popish  clergy,  he  observes: 
"An  indiscriminate  massacre  of  more  than  two  millions  of  the  human  race  suf- 
ficiently indicates  a  most  savage  and  relentless  power,  but  by  no  means  at- 
taches to  it  tl>e  peculiar  attribute  of  ivearing  out  the  saints  of  the  JMost  High  .- 
a  character  this  strongly  expressive  of  spiritual  tyranny,  of  persecution  exer- 
cised upon  others  merely  for  their  religious  opinions,  and  truly  appropriate  to 
//le  €/ia;cA  w/'i^oTne  which  punishes  good  men  as  being  heretics;  professing 
enmity  against  them  as  such  ;  regardless  of  the  atrocity  of  guilt,  however  no- 
torious, in  her  own  followers,  while  those,  who  dissent  from  her,  become  the 
victims  of  her  inexorable  rage.  A  serious  pi-otestant,  conversant  in  those  in- 
spired writings  in  which  the  portrait  o( ^Antichrist"  (bad  as  the  Papacy  is,  I  can 
sec  no  j:  I  st  warrant  by  the  way  for  applying  ;/;«  title  to  it)  "is  delineated  as 
with  a  pencil  of  light,  will  hesitate  to  pronounce  the  members  of  the  church 
of  liome  tlic  saints  of  the  Most  Jligh.  Svithout  violating  the  law  of  Christian 
charity,  be  must  consider  them  as  professors  of  a  religion  perfectly  abhorrent 
from  the  purity  of  the  Gospel,  as  involved  in  idolatrous  and  superstitious  prac- 
tices, as  men  who  have  not  repentedof  the  works  of  their  hands,  that  t/icy  should 
not  -wors/iip  dtvils  and  idols  of  gold  and  silver  and  bras.^  and  stone  and  xvood,  ivhich 
neither  cati  see  nor  hearnor  -walk  ;  neither  repented  they  of  their  murders  norof  their 
sorceries,  nor  of  their  for  ni  cation, nor  of  their  thefts.  The  blood  of  such  men  has  been 
prodigallyshed:  and  it  is  very  remarkable,  that  the  Frencli  anarchists  have  in- 
troduced the  horrors  of  war  principally  into  popish  eoimtries,  as  if  those  nations, 
which  profess  the  purity  of  the  protestant  religion,  were  providentially  preserv- 
ed from  danger."  (Zouch  on  Prophecy,  p.  61.)  The  unerring  voice  of  prophecy 
many  ages  ago  predicted  this  last  circumstance,  which  Ur  Zouch  justly  styles 
a.  rcmarhable  one.  The  lials  of  God's  -urath  were  to  be  poured  out,  not  upon  the 
mystic  -iuitr.esses,  but  upcin  those  "  which  had  the  mark  of  the  beast  and  wor- 
shipped his  image,"  u])on  those  "  who  had  shed  the  blood  of  saints  and  pro- 
phets," and  along  with  them  upon  those  dai-ing  infidels,  whctlier  apostate  pro- 
tei>l;'.iits  or  rcnegado  p.".pl.'<ts,  "  wlio  blasphemed  the  name  of  (iod  and  repent, 
ed  not  to  give  Iiim  glory."  As  lor  tliose  who  harkenid  to  the  gracious  invita- 
tion, '*  Come  out  of  IJab\lon,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins, 
and  tliat  ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues;"  they' have  not  received  of  her  plague.", 
they  liave  been  "  proyidcntiaJly  preserved  from  danger.". 


115 

it  does  not  therefore  foUov/,  that  the  same  word,  when 
it  occurs  in  a  prophecy  relative  to  a  state  or  kingdoniy 
must  necessarily  signify  a  ?iatural  year  in  that  case  ako. 
The  probability  rather  lies  on  the  contrary  side  ;    more 
especially  when  we  consider  the  context  both  of  Daniel 
and  St.  John.     Daniel  speaks  of  a  power y  that  was   to 
persecute  the  saints  during  the  space  of  three  years  and 
a  half:  St.  John  represents  the  Churchy  under  the  sj^m- 
bol  of  a  7Voma?i,  as  being  persecuted  IQ60  days^  by  the 
devil  acting  through   tlie  instrumentality   of  the  Roman 
beast ;   and  he  afterwards  adds,  in  the  very  same  chapter^ 
that  she  was  nourished  from  the  face  of  the  persecuting 
serpent  for  a  timcy  timeSi  and  half  a  time,  or  three  years 
aid  a  half.\     Now,  when  we  find,  that  three  years  and 
a  ^a^/"  precisely  contain  1360  days  at  the  rate  of  oQO  days 
to  the  year  ;  that  Daniel  limits  a  persecution  of  the  saints 
to  three  years  and  a  half,  that   St.  .John,  apparently   at 
least,  uses  the  two  expressions  of  twelve  hundred  and  sixty 
days  and  three  years  and  a  half  as  synonymous,  for  in 
one  place  he  says  that  the  woman  is  fed  in  the  wilderness 
3260  daysy  and  in  another  place  that  she  is  nourished  in 
the  wilderness  three  years  and  a  half:  it  is  surely  only 
reasonable  to  conclude,  that  the  two  expressions  mean  one 
and  the  same  period  of  time,  whatever  that  period  may  be. 
But  that  the  1260  daysmeRn  years,  no  one  doubts  :  con- 
sequently the  three  years  and  a  half  must  mean  years  of 
years  ;  or,  in  other  words,  prophetic  years,  not  natural 
ones,  as  Mr.  Galloway  supposes — Again :  Daniel,  in  his 
last   chapter,  speaks  of  tliree  different  periods :  the  time 
times  and  a  half,  which  he  had  already  mentioned  when 
treating  of  the  little  horn  ;  twelve  hundred  and  ninety  days; 
2iXi\  thirteen  hundred  ami  thirty  five  days.     Now,  ii  these 
days  he  years,  the  three  ytars  and  a  half  must   be  yea?'s 
of  years :  otherwise  Daniel  uses  two    different  modes  of 
computation  in  the  same  passage,  and   thus  involves  his 
meaning  in   needless  uncertainty— i^?(;r//i^r  ;  we    may 
fairly  conclude,  that,  as  a  prophet  expresses  a  given  pe- 
riod oi\m\e  in  one  place  ;  so  he  would  express  the  same 
period   in  another  place,  if  he  should  have   occasion  to 
notice  it  again.     But  St.  John,  when  really  speaking  of 
*  Rev.  xii.  6,  \  Ver.  14. 


116 

three  "natural years  and  a  halfy  terms  them  three  'days  and 
a  half  ;*  consequently,  if  he  had  wished  to  inform  us 
that  the  woman  was  to  be  nourished  in  the  wilderness 
three  natnral  years  and  a  half,  he  would  surel}  have 
called  that  period  three  days  and  a  half,  not  a  time  thnes 
and  ludf  (I  time — Once  more,  and  the  subject  shall  be  dis- 
missed :  Daniel  has  given  us  a  special  mark,  whereby  we 
may  know  when  the  three  years  and  a  half)  during  which 
the  little  horn  was  to  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High,  shall  have  expired.  "  And  one  said  to  the  man 
clothed  in  linen,  which  was  upon  the  waters  of  the  river. 
Until  how  long  shall  be  the  end  of  the  wonders?  And  I 
heard  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  which  was  upon  the  wa- 
ters of  the  river,  when  he  held  up  his  right  hand  and  his 
left  hand  unto  heaven,  and  sware  by  him  that  liveth  for 
ever,  that  it  shall  be  until  a  timey  times  y  and  a  half;  and, 
when  he  shall  have  Jinished  to  scatter  the  power  of  the 
holy  people,  all  these  things  shall  be  fi'jshed."'\  It  ap- 
pears then,  that  the  three  years  and  a  half  were  to  expirCy 
when  God  should  have  ceased  to  scatter  the  Jews,  whose 
restoration  Daniel  had  predicted  at  the  beginning  of  the 
cliapter,  and  when  the  period  of  the  wonders  should  be 
finished :  in  other  words,  when  the  three  years  and  a 
halfy  whether  natural  or  prophetic,  shall  have  expired, 
the  restoration  of  the  Jews  will  commence,  and  all  the 
wonders  comprehended  within  the  period  of  the  1260 
years  will  be  accomplished.  Now,  from  the  termination 
of  the  three  years  and  a  half  during  which  religion  was 
put  down  by  law  in  France  (that  is  to  sa}',  from  the  lat- 
ter end  of  March  1796,  when  those  three  years  and  a 
half  CKpiYcd)  full  eight  yearns  have  elapsed  at  the  moment 
that  I  am  now  writing  :  consequentl}*,  if  those  three  years 
and  a  half  were  the  three  years  and  a  //^//intended  by 
D.  niel,  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  would  iiave  commenc- 
ed, and  the  series  of  events,  predicted  under  the  seventh 
vial  and  at  the  close  oi  the  Wth  chapter  of  Daniel,X  as 
leading  to  the  destruction  of  the  two  little  horns  (one  of 
them  upon  Mr.  Galloway's  scheme  revolutionary  Prance) 
and  of  some  Iangdo7n  notorious  for  magnifying  itself  above 
every  god,  would  have  begun  to  be  accomplished,  exactly 

♦  Rev.  xi.  9.  +  Dan.  xii.  0,  7.  \  Dan.  xi.  40—45. 


117 

when  ifiose  three  years  and  a  half  expired  *  None  of 
these  great  events  however  took  places  March  1796: 
it  follows  therefore,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  that  the 
three  years  and  a  half  of  legalized  French  afheism,  horri- 
ble as  were  the  enonnities  of  the  then  miscreant  ruh  rs 
of  the  infidel  republic,  cannot  be  the  time,  times,  aiid  a 
half,  during  which  the  little  horn  was  to  wear  out  the 
saints  of  the  Most  H'gh, 

Having  now  sufficiently  pointed  out  what  I  conceive 
to  be  the  errors  of  Mr.  Kett  and  Mr.  Galloway,  I  f^hall 
endeavour  to  ascertain  the  true  interpretation  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  little  persecuting  horn,  which  was  to  spring  up 
out  of  the  fourth  or  Roman  beast. 

Upnn  this  subject  I  heartily  agree  in  the  general  with 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Mr.  Mede,  and  Bp.  Newton ;  though 
I  cannot  entirely  assent  to  their  precise  mode  of  exposi- 
tion. The  points,  wherein  I  differ  from  them,  are  these  ; 
their  supposition,  that  the  little  horn  means  the  temporal 
kingdom  of  the  Papacy  :  and  their  respective  interpreta- 
tions of  that  part  of  the  prophecy  which  relates  to  the 
eradication  of  the  three  horns  before  the  little  honi. 

In  the  figurative  language  of  Scripture,   the  same  ^yxn- 

bol,  as  I  have  already  abundantly  shewn,  represents  both 

temporal  and  spiritual  things,  provided  only  those  things 

are  connected  w  th  each  other  by  a  common  leading  idea. 

Thus  a  star  typifies  either  a  prince  or  a  minister  of  reli^ 

gion,  the  one  being  in  tJw  state  what  the  other  is  in  the 

church  :    whence  we  are  accustomed  familiarly  to  style 

both  a  king  and  a  priest,  in  their  different  capacities,  a 

shepherd  of  the  people.     In  a  similar  manner,  a  beast 

means  an  empire,  either  secular  or  ecclesiastical  :  and  a 

mountain  denotes  a  kingdom  either  temporal  or  spiritncd.\ 

By  a  parity  of  reasoning  therefore  the  present  symbol,  a 

horn,  signifies  either  a  temporal  or  an  ecclesiastical  king- 

dotn.      Those    three   eminent   commentators,  Sir   Isaac 

Newton,  Mr.  Mede,  and  Bp.  NewtoJi,  adopt  the  former 

of  the  two  significations  ;  and  suppose  the  little  horn  of 

•  That  the  sfventh  vial  did  not  then  begin  to  be  poured  out,  is  manifest 
indeed  from  this  circumstance.  Tlie  sixth  vial,  wiiich  will  produce  tlie  down- 
fall of  the  Ottoman  empire,  remains  even  yet  to  be  poured  out  ;  consequently 
the  seventh  rial,  which  succeeds  it,  cannot  have  begun  to  be  empti'-d  in  the 
year  1796. 

\  Compare  Jeremiah  li   '^.5.  with  Dan.  ii.  35. 


118 

the  Roman  beast  to  mean  the  temporal  kingdom  of  the 
Papaqj,  that  Italian  principality  which  bears  the  general 
name  of  The  States  of  the  Churchy  or  St.  Peters  Patri- 
mony. They  further  conceive,  that  Uie  Papacy  was  not 
a  little  horn  till  it  acquired  this  principality  ;  and  that  it 
became  a  horn  by  the  subversion  of  the  three  horns  which 
were  destined  to  fall  before  it. 

To  this  scheme  there  appear  to  me  to  be  insuperable 
objections :  it  will  not  accord  with  the  prophecy  itself ; 
and  therefore,  as  we  might  naturally  expect,  it  will  not  ac- 
cord with  the  events. 

l.The  actions,  ascribed  to^^e  /i^^/e^orw,  were  never  per- 
formed by  the  Pope,  as  a  temp  oral  horrid  as  the  sovereign 
of  his  Italian  principality ,  but  as  an  ecclesiastical  pozver. 

9.  The  little  horn  is  represented  by  the  prophet  as  be- 
ing already  in  existence  previous  to  the  eradication  of  the 
three  horns :  but  the  scheme  at  present  under  considera- 
tion supposes,  that  the  Papacy  became  a  horn  by  such 
eradication.  Now,  if  the  Papacy  only  becanie  a  horn  by 
the  eradication  of  tJie  three  horns-,  how  can  it  be  said  that 
those  three  hornsy  were  plucked  up  before  if,  or  that  the 
power  typified  by  the  little  hoi^n  should  subdue  the  three 
powers  typified  by  the  three  horns,  when  at  that  very  pe- 
riod, according  to  the  scheme,  the  papal  horn  was  not  as 
yet  in  existence  ?  The  prophecy  places  the  rise  of  the 
little  horn  before  the  eradication  of  the  three  horns  :  the 
scheme  supposes  it  to  rise  in  cojisequence  of  that  eradica- 
tion. Hence  it  is  manifest,  that  the  scheme  makes  the 
horn  both  to  exist  and  to  act,  previous  to  the  supposed 
date  of  its  existence. 

o.  The  contradiction  becomes  more  glaring  and  the 
difficulties  increase,  when  we  begin  to  consider  the  pe- 
riod of  three  times  and  a  half  or  \^^0  years.  Daniel 
teaches  us,  that  the  saints  should  be  given  into  the  hand 
of  the  little  horn  during  that  space  of  time  :  whence  we 
may  naturally  conclude,  that  they  were  given  into  his 
hand  both  by  some  formal  deed,  and  by  some  specific 
person.  Now  Mr.  Mede  supposes  (with  what  propriety 
we  shall  hereafter  consider,)  that  the  first  of  the  three 
horns  was  })lucked  up  in  the  year  727,  when  the  Pope 
caused  the  Italians  to  revolt  from  the  Emperor  Leo :  yet 


119 

he  hesitates  whether  to  date  the  19.^0  years  from  the  year 
365,  when  the  Goths  began  to  invade  the  Empire  ;  from 
the  year  410,  when  Alarac  sacked  Rome  ;  or  from  the 
year  4,55,  when  Valentinian  died,  whom  he  makes  to  be 
the  last  Emperor  of  the  West:*  Independent  of  the 
confutation  which  all  these  opinions  respecting  the  date 
of  the  1360  years  have  received  from  the  event,  inde- 
pendent of  its  being  impossible  to  shew  how  the  saints 
were  given  into  the  hand  of  the  Pope  at  any  one  of  those 
eras,  who  can  avoid  observing  the  palpable  contradicto- 
riness  of  such  a  scheme  ?  According  to  Mr.  Mede,  the 
little  horn  began  to  exist  in  the  year  1^1 :  but  the  saints 
were  eiven  into  the  hand  of  tliat  little  horn  about  the 
year  455  (for  that  is  the  date  which  he  seems  to  prefer)  : 
in  other  words,  the  saints  were  given  into  his  hand  near 
three  centuries  before  he  began  to  exist.  The  scheme 
of  Bp.  Newton  leads  him  into  the  very  same  contradic- 
tion, though  he  rejects  all  Mr.  Mede's  dates,  having 
seen  his  theory  confuted  by  the  event.  He  supposes, 
that  the  first  of  the  three  horns  was  plucked  up  in  the 
year  155,  when  the  Pope  became  master  of  the  Eocar- 
ehate  of  Ravenna,  and  consequently  that  the  little  horn 
then  began  to  exist  :  yet  he  is  inchned  to  date  the  1260 
years  from  the  year  1^1. ■\  Thus  he,  like  Mr.  Mede, 
dates  the  1260  years  from  an  era,  when,  by  his  own  ac- 
count, the  little  horn  was  not  yet  in  existence :  and  from 
an  era  likewise  at  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  shew 
how  tlie  saints  were  given  up  to  the  little  horn,  even  sup- 
posing the  little  horn  had  then  first  begun  to  exist. 

On  these  grounds  I  am  rather  inclined  to  think,  that 
the  little  horn  typifies,  not  the  temporal,hut  the  spiritual 
Icingdom  of  the  Pope;  that  tyrannical  ecclesiastical  dom- 
ination, which  at  lirst  was  only  a  small  and  harfuless 
fiingdom,  but  which  afterwards  became  «^)re/e?2^e6?  oath- 

*  The  reason,  why  Mr.  Mede  dates  the  1260  years  so  early,  is,because  he  ima- 
gined that  the  rise  of  the  man  of  sin  was  iimnediately  to  succeed  the  downfall 
•f  the  Western  empire,  or  that  which  letted.  The  little  horn  indeed  began  to 
arise  along  with  the  incursions  of  tlie  northern  nations ;  but  it  did  not  become 
the  apottate  man  of  sin  till  the  saints  were  delivered  into  its  hand.  According- 
ly we  are  taught  by  Daniel  to  date  the  1260  years,  not  from  the  rise  of  the  lit- 
tle horn,  but  from  the  commenceinent  of  its  spiritual  catholic  tyraivw.  "^ee 
Mede's  Apostacv  of  the  latter  Times,  Part  I.  Chap.  14. 
+  Dissert.  XXVL  3. 


150 

oUc  emt)ire,  symbolized  in  the  Apocalypse  by  a  txvo-horn- 
ed  beast  rising  up  out  of  the  earth  or  Roman  empire,  as 
the  little  horn  rises  up  out  of  the  ten-horned  beast.  In 
short,  1  conceive,  that  the  little  horn  and  the  two-horned 
heist  represents  the  vety  same  ecclcsiasfical  poxver  :  the 
one  symbolizing  that  power  at  its  first  rise^  and  describ- 
ing it  as  afterwards  having  a  look  more  stout  than  its  fel- 
lows and  as  influencing  the  actions  oithe  ivhle  ten-horn- 
ed beast  ;*  the  other  symbolizing  it,  when  it  had  grown 
up  into  a  catholic  empire  by  having  had  the  saints  deli- 
vered into  its  hand.  Hence  we  fjnd,  that  Daniel,  who 
largely  describes  the  little  horn,  makes  no  mention  of  the 
two-horned  beast :  while  St  Jolm,  who  as  largely  de- 
sci  it^es  the  two-horned  beast,  styling  him  a  false  prophet, 
makes  no  mention  of  the  little  horn. 

I  have  asserted,  that  the  little  horn,  at  its  first  rise 
among  the  ten  other  horns.,  was  harmless.  This  appears 
both  froirj  the  prophecy,  and  from  the  accomplishment 
of  the  prophecy.  The  little  horn  was  already  in  exis- 
tence when  the  saints  were  dehvered  into  his  hand  :  but 
the  apostacy  of  the  1260  days  did  not  commence  in  its 
dominant  state  till  the  era  of  their  being  so  delivered  : 
consequent^  the  little  horn  was  already  in  existence  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  apostacy  :  that  is  to  say,  it  ex- 
isted as  a  horn  previous  to  its  existence  as  an  apostate 
horn.  The  spiritual  kingdom  of  the  Pope  sprung  up  af- 
ter the  empire  had  become  Christian^  or  during  the  pe- 
riod of  what  St  John  styles  its  non-existence  as  a  beast. \ 
When  the  ancient  pagan  beast,  thathad  been  wounded  to 
death  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  revived,  and  set 
up  an  idolatrous  spiritual  tyrant  in  the  Church  by  con- 
stituting l^onifacethe  third  Universal  Bishop  ;  then  were 
the  saints  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  little  horn  ;  then 
did  the  little  horn  begin  to  have  a  look  more  stout  than^ 
his  follows  ;  then  did  the  universal  spiritual  e)?ipire  of 
the  Pope  commence.  This  happened  in  the  year  606  : 
consequently  I  esteem  this  year  the  most  probable  date 
oUhe  I960  days. 

*  -'  1  helielcl  then  because  of  the  voice  of  the  J»reat  \Vortls  which  the  horn 
spake  ;  1  bc-iicid  cvm  till  the  beast  was  slain."     Dan.  vii.  11. 

t  "  Tlie  beast,  thut  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is."  (Uev.  xvii.  8.)  The  deaV. 
^nd  revival  of  the  Itoman  beast  will  be  discussed  at  large  hereafter. 


Hi 

The  errors,  that  have  arisen  from  riot  attending  lo  the 
plain  language  of  Daniel  relative  to  the  date  of  that  pe- 
riod are  almost  endless.  Scarcely  any  commentator  lias 
paid  the  least  regard  to  the  special  badge  of  the  date  :  on 
the  contrary,  most  have  wearied  themselves  with  seek- 
ing for  some  imaginary  period  of  the  inse  of  the  little 
ho  n  *  Daniel  however  explicitly  informs  i;s,  that  we  are 
to  date  the  1*2^0  days  from  no  one  era  but  this :  the  year; 
in  which  the  saints  were  given  into  the  hand  of  the  little 
horn  ^hen  already  in  existence.!  Now  the  giving  the 
saints  into  his handhy  no  means  implies,  that  he  iimnedi' 
atel ,  t>egan  to  persecute  them,  hut  only  that  the  po,-er 
of  perserution  w/sthen  conferred  upon  him,  that  he  wag 

The  falsehood  of  many  of  these  computations  has  been  alr<?;tcly  shewn  by 
the  event ;  had  the  plain  languaire  of  Daniel  been  attended  to,  they  would 
nevfi"  have  been  made      -jee  Medr's  Works      Book  III  Chap,  lO  "^ 

+  r  am  aware,  that  Sir  Isaac  Newton  supposes,  that  it  was  not  the  saints  who 
We-e  delivi  red  into  the  hand  of  t'.^  t'/tj/f  Aor/z  during  the  1260  rears,  but  th^ 
times  and  laivs  Now  it  is  not  only  impossil>le  to  point  out  any  specific  seasoa 
"when  the  t fines  and  Laos  were  delivered  formally  into  liis  hand,  which  the  pas- 
sage obviously  reqiiii'es  ;  bui  such  an  opinion  is  totally  ii  reconcileable  with 
the  parallel  context  of  the  Rtvebtion.  The  saints,  mentioned  by  Daniel,  are 
manlftstly  the  same  as  che  ap'icalyhtic  luit'. esses  and  as  the  persecuted  Church  in 
the  loilierness  But  the  apocalyptic  -ivitaesses  were  to  propliesy  in  sackcloth,  and 
the  Church  was  to  flee  fr  m  the  aitack  of  the  dragon,  each  during  the  period  of 
1260 years:  hence  it  is  clear,  that  the  saints,  not  the  times  and la~.vs,  were  to  be  giv- 
en  into  the  hand  of  the  Utile  horn  during-  the  very  same  space  of  three  prophetic 
years  and  a  half  The  identity  of  the  numbers  suificiently  shews  that  they  refer 
to  the  same  peiso  is  ;  but  the  apocalyptic  )  260  years  refer  to  the  cahnnitous  prophc 
^y*i'S  'f  '''^  witnesses  and  the  desolation  of  the  true  Church  ;  therefore  the  three 
times  and  a  half  of  IJaniel  must  refv;r  to  the  v.earing  out  of  the  saints,  not  sure- 
ly to  the  changing  of  times  and  laivs.  In  short,  the  delivi'ring  of  the  saints  into 
the  hand  of  the  little  hor-i  dur'?:g  three  prophetic  years  and  a  half  \s  c\enr\y  the 
same  *=ivent,  as  the  causing  of  the  xvitnesscs  to  proplicst'  in  sackcloth  by  giving  the 
outer  court  of  the  temple  and  the  holy  city  to  the geiitiles  (or  those  Christians 
who  had  relapsed  into  tlie  idolatrous  abominations  of  gentilism)  during  42 
m.ent'.s  The  legenerate  church  however,  and  along-  with  it  the faithfu'  ivi.nesses, 
were  then  first  g-iven  into  the  hand  of  'he  little  horn,  when  the  Pope  was  declar- 
ed to  be  Universal  Bishop  and  Supreme  Ik'.:d  of  the  Church.  It  is  almost  su- 
perfluous to  remind  the  reader,  tiiat  three  years  and  a  half,  42  months,  and! 
1260  days,  are  all  the  same  period.  (Compare  Dan  vii  2i>.  with  Kev.  si.  ?,  3. 
xii  6,  14.  and  xiii.  5,  7  "i  I  may  properly  add,  at  the  conclusion  of  this  note, 
that,  even  if  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  supposition  be  adopted,  the  dates  fixed  upon 
by  Mr  Mede  and  Bp.  Newton  for  the  commencement  of  the  1..'60  years  will  be 
equally  irreconcileable  with  their  opinion  that  the  Papacy  becatne  a  horn  by 
the  eradication  uf  the  three  horns-  The  times  and  laws  could  no  more  be  deli'- 
vei-ed  inti  Jie  hand  of  the  iutle  horn  previous  to  the  period  of  its  beg-inning-  to 
exist,  tlian  f/ie  .sflw«  could.  I  write  this  however  not  as  in  the  least  hesitat- 
inic  respecting-  what  I  have  said  of  Sir  Isaac's  acceptation  of  the  passage  in. 
question  Since  the  apocalyptic  vdtuessts  are  manifestly  the  same  as  the  saints 
mentioned  by  Daniel,  and  »;ii.ce  those  -witiesses  were  to  prophesy  in  sackclotJi 
126U  .ays  ;  what  wa^  delivn-ed  into  the  hand  of  </ie  little  horn  during  the  seMl- 
sa.rr,c  spii.ce  <i(  three  years  and  a  half  must  undoubtedly  be  the  sairif?,  not  tht: 
times  and  laivs.  ,- 

VOL.  I.  16  i 


constituted  their  universal  spiritual  superior .  Hence  it 
is  evident,  that,  would  we  know  the  date  in  question,  we 
must  learn  in  what  year  this  ecclesiastical  power  was  for- 
mally conferred  upon  the  little  horn.  It  certainly  can- 
not be  said  to  have  been  conferred  either  by  the  dou  n- 
fall  of  the  JFestern  empire,  by  the  revolt  of  the  Pope  from 
the  Greek  Emperor^  or  by  his  acquisition  oi  the  Exar- 
chate. In  all  these  events  we  can  discover  nothing  like 
any  delivering  of  the  saints  into  his  hand,  But,  when 
wefmd,  that  in  the  year  606  Phocas  the  usurper  of  the 
Constantinopolitaii  throne,  constituted  hin>  Uni'versal 
Bishop  and  supre7ne  head  of  the  Clrirch.  declaring  li^t 
in  ^ipintualsa;l  the  churches  were  subject  to  hira,  we  can 
clra.iy  see  that  at  that  particular  era  the  saints  were  sub- 
jected to  an  imperious  master,  that  they  were  given  into 
the  i^nnd  oi  the  little  horn  now  beconic  a  great  empire. 
If  th'^'n  the  saints  were  given  into  his  hand  at  that  par- 
ticular time,  (and  I  know  not  any  more  probable^  era 
thf.ri  this  that  can  be  pitched  upon  for  such  an  event,) 
the  little  horn  must  at  that  time  have  been  already  in  ex- 
istence ;  but,  if  we  suppose  that  this  symbol  denotes  the 
temporal  kinpdom  oi  the  Papacy,  that  was  not  as  yet  in 
existence,  for  the  Pope  had  not  then  either  thrown  off 
his  allegiance  to  the  Greek  Emperor,  or  acquired  the 
Exarchaie  of  Haxenna.  The  little  horn  however,  ac- 
cording to  the  prophecy,  was  not  merely  to  begin  to  exist 
when  the  saints  were  given  into  his  hand,  but  was  al- 
ready to  have  been  in  existence  an  indefinite  period  of 
time.  Such  being  the  case,  it  certainly  cannot  symbol- 
ize the  temporal  kingdom  of  the  Papacy  :  and,  if  it  do 
not"  symbolize  its  temporal  kingdom,  I  know  not  what  it 
can  symlx)lize  except  its  spiritual  kingdom. 

We  have  seen,  that  the  little  horn  was  to  arise  pre- 
vious to  the  commencement  of  the  Apostacy  of  I  .^60 
year^  wher  the  Roman  beast  revived,  and  therefore  that 
it  was  to  arise  during  the  time  that  the  beast  lay  dead. 

•  There  is  another  era,  which  is  possible,  Ihonpch  (I  Uiink)  not  probable  ; 
nftjmcly,  tie  ijfar  787,  wlicn  the  supremacy  ofl/ie  Pope  was  acknowledged  by 
llic  seconc  coii-icil  ©<■  Tsice  This  matter  will  he  discussed  more  largely  here- 
■A\rr  ;  mciiT.\\'hile  I  v.isli  it  fully  to  be  uudei stood,  that  1  pitch  upon  the  yem^ 
flOQ,  ynly  a;,  appearing  to  mc  tlic  most  probable  date.  Tlie  event  alone  Wil> 
C'-.able  us  Vj  alUin  t»  absolute  certmnti/. 


us 

Daniel  accordingly  teaches  us,  that  it  was  to  come  up 
amon^  the  tenjirst  horns  into  which  the  empire  should 
be  divided  by  the  incursions  of  the  northern  nations. 
Now  the  fir  St  of  these  kingdoms,  that  of  the  Htms,  arose 
about  the  year  S5^  ;  and  the  last  of  them,  that  of  the 
Lombards,  about  the  year  48-3  in  the  north  of  Germany, 
and  about  the  year  ^^^  in  Hungary.  We  must  look 
therefore  for  the  gradual  rise  of  the  little  horih  by  which 
I  think  we  are  obliged  to  understand  the  spiritual  king- 
dom of  the  Pope,  between  the  years  356  and  5Q6.  As 
for  the  temporal  kingdom  of  the  Pope,  it  did  not  come 
up  among  the  first  ten  hornsy  as  Bp.  Newton  himself  al- 
lows, who  is  thence  obliged  to  construct  a  catalogue  of 
ten  kingdoms,  not  suited  to  the  primitive  division  of  the 
Empire,  but  to  the  eighth  century  :  the  ternporal  king- 
dom oj  the  Pope  therefore  cannot  be  intended  by  the 
little  horn.  But  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  the  Pope  arose 
precisely  at  this  period.  In  the  primitive  Church,  the 
authority  of  the  Bishops  of  Rome  extended  not  beyond 
their  own  diocese  :  precedence  only  was  allowed  to 
them  in  general  councils  by  reason  of  the  imperial  city 
being  their  see.  This  precedence  of  honour  was  gradu- 
ally enlarged  into  a  precedence  of  authority.  Still  how- 
ever no  direct  right  could  be  claimed,  for  the  Church 
was  not  as  yet  supported  by  the  secular  arm.  But,  af- 
ter the  conversion  of  the  Empire  to  Christianity,  great 
privileges  were  conferred  upon  the  more  dignified  sees, 
especially  upon  that  of  Rome.  Sir  Isaac  Newton  has 
given  a  very  minute  detail  of  the  gradual  rise  of  this  spi- 
ritual power  ;  and  the  first  special  edict,  that  he  mentions 
as  being  made  in  its  favour,  bears  date  either  the  end  of 
the  year  378,  or  the  beginning  of  the  year  S79.  This 
edict  gives  the  Church  of  Borne  the  right  of  deciding  ap- 
peals in  all  doubtful  cases  that  concerned  the  western 
bishoprics.  Sir  Isaac  accordingly  dates  very  properljr  tli(j 
commencement  of  the  Pope's  spiritual  jurisdiction  from 
it.  This  power  however  constituted  but  a  very  small 
kingdom  compared  to  that  which  was  afterwards  erected 
upon  its  foundations.  The  irruption  of  the  northern 
tribes,  which  at  first  seemed  likely  to  involve  every  thing 
m  ruin  and  confusion,  and  the  previous  transfer  of  the 


seiit  of  government  from  Rome  to  Const antinoj)le,  jointly 
contributed  to  increase  the  authority  oi  the  Jioniau  Bi^ 
shop  "  \V  hilc  this  ecclesiastical  dominion  was  risiiig  up," 
says  Sir  Isaac,  "  the  northern  barbarous  nation-  invaded 
the  IVcstcrn  empire, iXVi&ic)\im\ei\sc\era\  kingdoms  there- 
in f)f  dillerent  religions  Irom  the  Church  of  Rome.  But 
these  kingdoms  by  degrees  embraced  the;  liomau  taith, 
and  at  the  same  time  submitted  to  the  Pope's  authority. 
The  Franks  in  Gaul  submitted  in  the  end  of  the  filth 
century;  the  Goths  in  Spain,  at  the  end  of  theauih; 
and  the  Lombards  in  Italy  were  conquered  by  Charles 
the  great  in  the  year  ll'\!.  Between  the  years  77.'>  and 
79i-,  the  same  Charles  extended  the  Pope's  authority 
over  all  Germany  and  flungary  as  far  as  the  river  Theysse 
and  the  Baltic  sea.  He  then  set  him  above  all  human 
judicature  ;  and  at  the  same  time  assisted  him  in  subdu- 
ing the  city  and  dutcliy  of  Rome."*  The  manner,  in 
wiiicii  the  little  horn  almost  insensibly  arose,  after  the 
transfer  ot  the  seat  of  government,  and  during  the  dark 
period  of  Gothic  invasion,  is  similarly  described  by  Ma- 
chiavel.  Having  shewn  how  the  Roman  empire  was  di- 
vided b}''  the  incursions  of  the  northern  nations,  he  ob- 
serves, "  About  this  time  the  Bishops  of  Rome  began  to 
take  upoji  them,  and  to  exercise  greater  authority  than 
they  had  formerly  done.  At  first,  the  successors  of  St. 
Peter  were  venerable  and  eminent  for  their  miracles, 
and  the  holiness  of  their  lives  ;  and  their  examples  add- 
ed daily  such  numbers  to  the  Christian  (  hurch,  that, 
to  obviate  or  remove  the  confusions  which  were  then  in 
the  world,  many  princes  turned  C  hristians  :  and  the  Em- 
peror of  Rome  being  converted  among  the  rest,  and  quit- 
ting Rome  to  hold  his  residence  at  Constantinople,  the 
Roman  empire  began  to  decline,  but  the  church  of  Home 
augmented  as  fast. "t  After  this  he  shews  how  the  ho- 
Via?i  empire  declined,  and  how  the  power  of  the  (  hurch 
of  Rome  increased,  iirst  under  the  Ostrogoths,  then  un- 
der the  Lombards,  and  lastly  under  the  Franks.  I  liave 
borrowed  the  preceding  very  apposite  citation  from  iJp. 
J^^ewton,   who,   somewliat   singularly,  according   to   his 

*  Observ  on  Dan.  Chap.  viii. 

+  ^Ii«t.,of  t'lofcncci  li.  1.  p.  6.  cited  by  Pp.  Newton. 


9^5 

iBcl^m<?,  adduces  it  to  shew  the  springing  up  of  the  Hi" 
il<  horn  among  the  ten  oher  horns  ;  and  yet,  after  hav- 
ing ^(kluced  it,  declares  no  less  singuL.rly,  so  tar  as  the  pro- 
priety of  the  citation  is  concerned,  that  the  Bishop  of  Rome 
did  not  become  a  horn  till  he  l)ecame  a  temporal  prince. 
Now,  if  ihe  Bishop  of  Rome  did  not  become  a  horn  till 
he  became  a  temporal  prince,   the  citation,  which  speaks 
of  the  fourth  fifth,  si.vth, and  seventh  centuries,  ceriam- 
ly  cannot  shew  ttte  rise  of  a  horn,  which,  according  to 
his  Lordship's  scheme,  did  not  begin  to  exist  till  the  mid- 
dle of  the  eighth  century  :  but,  if  we  consider ///e  little 
horn  as  typifying  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  the  Papacy, 
nothing  can  be  more  to  the  point  than  the  citation  from 
Machiavel ;  for  it  decidedly  shews,  that  such  a  kingdom 
arose  from  very  small  beginnings  among  the  ten  hornsj 
precisely  at  the  time  when  Daniel  had  predicted  that  it 
should  arise.     I   shall  conclude  this  account  of  the  rise 
of  the  papal  horn  whh  Mr.  Gibbon's  description  of  its 
state  at  the  close  of  the  sixth  and  at  the  beginning  of 
the  seventh  century,\mme<X\i\iciy  before  the  ecclesiastical 
kingdom  became  an  ecclesiastical  catholic  empire.  "  The 
pontiiJcate  of  Gregory   the   great  lasted  thirteen  years, 
six  months,  and  ten  days— In  his  rival,  the  patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  he  condemned  the  Antichristian  title  of 
Universal  Bishop,  which  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  was 
too  haughty  to  concede,  and  too  feeble  to  assume  ;  and 
the   ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  of  Gregory  was  coniined 
to  the  triple  character  of  Bishop  of  Rome,  Primate  of 
Italy,  and  Apostle  of  the  I  Test. — The  bishops  of  Italy 
and  the  adjacent  islands  acknowledged  the  Roman  pon- 
tiff as  their  special  metropolitan.     Even  the  existence, 
the  union,  or  1  he  translation,  of  the  episcopal  seats,  was 
decided  by  his  absolute   discretion;  and  his  successful 
inroads   into  the  provinces  of    Greece,  of   Spain,  and 
of  Gaul,  might  countenance  the  more  lofty  pretensions 
of   succeeding  Popes.      He   interposed  to   prevent   the 
abuses  of  popular  elections  ;  his  jealous  care  maintain- 
ed the  [)urity  <4  faith  and  discipline  ;    and  the  apostohc 
shepherd  assiduously  watched  over  the   faith   and  dis- 
eii^line  of    the  subordinate  pastors.     Under   his  reign, 
the  Arians  of  Italy  and  Spain  were  reconciled  to  the 


1«6 

oatholic  church  ;  and  the  conquest  of  Britain  reflects 
less  glory  on  ttie  name  of  Cesar,  than  on  that  of  Gregoiy 
the  first.  Instead  of  six  legions,  forty  monks  were  em- 
barked for  that  distant  island  ;  and  the  pontiff  lamented 
the  austere  duties,  which  forbade  him  to  partake  the 
perils  of  their  spiritual  warfare.  In  less  than  two  years 
he  could  announce  to  the  Archbishop  of  Alexandria 
that  they  had  bajjtized  the  king  of  Kent  with  ten  thou- 
sand of  his  Anglo-Saxons,  and  that  the  Roman  mis- 
sionaries, like  those  of  the  primitive  (hurch,  were  armed 
only  with  spiritual  and  supernatural  powers."*  Such 
was  the  power  of  the  little  horn  immediately  previous 
to  its  apostacy  in  the  year  606,  when  it  was  declared  to 
he  an  u>/iversal  empire  imder  a  Bishop  of  bishops^  and 
when  the  saints  were  thus  formally  delivered  into  its 
hand.  How  great,  even  before  the  commencement  of 
the  1260  daysy  was  its  authority  become,  compared  with 
what  it  had  been,  when  tJie  Pope  was  only  Archbishop 
of  the  neighbouring  Italian  bishops ^  and  ecclesiastical 
judge  in  cases  of  appeal  from  the  other  bishops  of  the 
TVestern  empire  !  As  yet  however  the  man  of  sin,  the 
head  of  the  great  Apostacy  *  was  not  revealed.  Gregory 
equally  abhorred  idolatry,  persecution,  and  the  proud 
claim  of  universal  episcopacy  :  and  it  was  left  to  his  suc- 
cessors formally  to  re-establish  the  worship  of  images,  to 
wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  to  assume 
the  metropolitanship,  not  only  of  Italy  and  the  West, 
but  of  the  whole  world.t  Though  tinctured  with  the 
growing  supei'stition  of  the  age,  his  piety  was  fervent  and 
sincere  :  and  this  last  of  the  primitive  bishops  of  Rome 
was  snatched  away  to  a  better  world,  ere  the  7nojistrous 
two-fold  dominant  Apostacy  of  the  East  and  the  li  'est 
had  commenced.  His  death  was,  as  it  were,  the  signal 
lor  its  deveiopement. 

Thus  we  have  seen,  that  the  little  horn  cannot  typify 
the  temporal  kingdom  of  the  Pope,  because  it  is  present- 
ed as  springing  up, as  existing,  and  ?i^  d.c\'mg, previous  to 
the  time  when  the  three  horns  were  eradicated  ixifore  it, 
and  consequently  previous  to  the  time  when  it  acquired 

*  nist.  of  Dedine  and  FuH,  Vol.  vm.  p.  164:— 16r. 

*  This  subject  wiU  be  r«;sumed  Lere^fier. 


m 

by  their  fall  St.  Peter  s  patr'wiony.  Its  acquisition  of 
temporal  authority  is  indeed  distinctly  predicted  in  that 
part  of  the  prophecy  which  relates  to  the  subversion  of 
the  three  horns  :  but  this  is  mentioned  as  it  were  only 
by  the  bye,  only  as  a  mark  whereby  we  might  certainly 
know  the  power  typified  by  the  little  horn.  The  power 
in  question  was  gradualiy  to  arise  during  the  turbulent 
period  of  Gothic  invasion  :  and,  after  it  had  existed  an 
indefinite  space  of  time,  the  prophet  teaches  us  thfit 
three  horns  should  be  plucked  up  before  it,  by  the  fall 
of  which  it  should  acquire  temporal  dominion.  Plence  it 
is  plain,  that,  since  the  little  horn  was  to  be  in  existence 
previous  to  its  acquisition  of  temporal  dominion  by  the 
successive  eradication  of  the  three  horns,  it  cannot  liave 
been  designed  to  symbolize,  as  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Mr. 
Mede,  and  Bp.  Newton,  suppose,  the  Papacy  considered 
as  a  secular  principalify. 

This  will  appear  yet  more  evident,  when  w^e  examine 
the  prophetic  character  of  the  little  horn  article  by  article.. 

1.  The  little  horn  rvas  not  only  to  be  a  small  kingdom  at 
its  first  rise,  but  it  was  to  be  different  from  all  the  other 
horns — Accordingly  every  one  oi  the  ten  kingdoms.,  founded 
by  the  northern  nations,  were  tempoi-al  sovereignties :  but 
the  papol  horn  was  a  spiritual  sovereignty.  And  after* 
wards,  when  it  had  acquired  a  secular  principality  by  'he 
fall  of  three  of  the  ten  temporal  horns,  it  still  continued 
to  differ  essentially  from  them,  being  an  ecclesiastical  and 
spiritual,  as  well  as  a  cixiil  and  temporal  power. 

%  The  little  horn  had  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  maiv—- 
This  particular,  like  the  former,  serves  to  shew,  that  a 
spiritual,  not  a  temporal,  kingdom  was  intended  by  the 
symbol.  "  By  its  eyes  it  was  a  seer  ;  and  by  its  mouth 
speaking  great  things  and  changing  times  and  laws  it 
was  a  prophet — A  seer,  Emo-HOTro?,  is  a  bishop  in  the  li- 
teral sense  of  the  word  ;  and  this  church  claims  the  uni- 
versal bishopric."*  At  its  first  rise  indeed,  it  presumed 
not  to  make  so  bold  a  claim  :  still  nevertheless  it  was 
equally  a  seer,  or  a  bishop,  within  its  own  proper  diocese 
and  metropolitanship. 

o.  The  little  horn  had  a  mouth  speaking  great  things-^ 
*  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  Observ  on  Ban.  Chap.  7, 


I9S 

In  his  pretended  capacity  ot  a  prophet  and  vicar  of 
Chri<t^  and  in  the  plenitude  of  his  usurped  power,  the 
BishoJ)  of  Rome  has  at  various  times  anathematized  all 
wo  dared  to  oppose  him,  has  laid  whole  kingdoms  under 
an  interdict,  has  excommunicated  kings  and  emperors, 
and  has  absolved  their  subjects  from  their  allegiance. 

4.  The  little  horn  had  a  look  more  stout  than  his  fel- 
lows— The  popes  have  claimed  an  unlimited  superiority 
over  other  bishops  their  equals,  in  spiritual  matters  ;  and 
have  affected  greater  authority  than  even  sovereign 
princes,  in  temporal  matteis.  *'  Pope  Paul  the  fourth," 
says  the  historian  of  the  council  of  Trent,  "  never  spake 
with  ambassadors,  but  he  thundered  in  their  ears,  that  he 
was  above  all  princes,  that  he  would  not  that  any  of 
them  should  be  too  domestical  with  him,  that  he  could 
exchange  kingdoms,  that  he  was  successor  of  him  who 
had  deposed  kings  and  emperors,  and  did  often  repeat 
that  he  had  made  Ireland  a  kingdom."*  The  Topes  in- 
deed have  pretended,  that  the  dominion  of  the  whole 
earth  belonged  to  them :  and,  strictly  acting  up  to  this 
claim,  they  have  gone  so  far  as  to  divide  all  new  disco- 
vered countries  between  Spain  and  Portugal,  assigning  to 
the  one  the  western,  and  to  the  other  the  eastern,  he- 
misphere. 

i).  The  little  horn  spake  great  ivords  by  the  side  of  the 
Most  Iliglh  affecting  an  equality  with  God — So  the 
Popes  have  not  scrupled  to  lay  claim  to  infallibility,  an 
especial  attribute  of  God  ;  and  have  sometimes  blasphe- 
inousiy  assumed  even  the  name  of  God  himself,  and  as 
such  have  imi)iously  received  divine  honours.  Accord- 
ingly they  are  not  offended  at  being  styled.  Our  Lord 
God  'he  Pope ;  another  God  upon  earth  ;  king  of  ki}?gs» 
and  lord  of  lords ;  nor  do  they  disapprove  of  the  impi- 
ous flattery,  which  tell?  them,  that  the  same  is  the  domni- 
ion  of  God  and  the  Pope  ;  that  the  power  of  the  i^ope 
is  greater  than  all  created  power,  extniding  itself  to 
things  celesiiah  terreslriaU  and  ivfcrnal  ;  and  that  the 
Pope  doetk  whatsoever  he  listeth,  even  things  unlnnjuh 
and  is  mere  than  God  :  nor  yet  do  they  refuse,  on  the 
day  of  their  election,  to  receive  the   adoration  of  their 

•  ClteU  by  Dr.  Zouch,  p.  17S. 


m 

cardinals  on  the  very  altar,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  tem- 
ple, of  the  Lord  of  hosts.'* 

*  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  xxii.  3.  The  other  divine  titles,  by  which  that  man 
^f  sin,  the  apostate  Bishop  of  Borne,  suffers  himself  to  be  hailed,  are  Ounn^t 
Holy  Lord ;  our  Lord  God  the  Pope  ,-  his  divine  Majesty  ,■  the  victorious  God  and 
man  in  his  see  of  Rome  ;  Deus  optimus  maximus  and  Vice-God  ,-  named  God  by 
the  pious  emperor  Constantir^e,  and  adored  as  God  by  that  e'tnperor  ;  the  Lam,b  0/ 
God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  -world  ;  the  most  holy  -who  carrieth  the  'inost 
holy.  (Whitaker's  Comment-  p.  304.)  Lord  Lyttelton  observes  of  the  age  of 
Henry  11-  that  "  those  times  thought  it  no  blasphemy  to  give  to  the  Pope  the 
honour  of  God;"  and  he  instances  it  in  a  curious  letter  of  the  turbulent  Becket, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  wherein  he  implores  the  aid  oi  the  Pope  in  phrases 
of  Scripture  appropriated  to  God.  "  Rise,  Lord,  and  delay  no  long-er  ;  let  the 
light  of  thy  countenance  shine  upon  me  ;  save  us  for  we  perish  ;  not  unto  us, 
O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  make  unto  thy- 
self a  great  name."  ((bid.  p.  o02,  303  )  A  singular  story  is  told  by  Baronius 
respecting  the  idolatry  thus  paid  to  the  person  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome.  In  the 
ijear  1102,  '«  when  Pope  Alexander  made  his  first  entrance  into  JNlontpellier, 
among  the  Christian  nobility  tliat  attended  him  on  his  way  in  a  solemn  pro- 
cession there  was  a  Saracen  prince  or  emir,  who  reverently  came  up  to  him, 
and  kissed  his  feet,  he  being  on  horseback  ;  then  knelt  down  before  him,  and 
bowing  his  head  adored  him  as  the  holy  and  good  God  of  the  Ciiristians  He 
does  not  tell  us,  tliat  Alexander  in  any  manner  reproved  him  for  his  blasphe- 
mous error  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  takes  notice  that  he  sliewed  him  extraor- 
dinary kindness  ;  and  adds,  that  all  who  saw  it,  were  filled  with  great  admt- 
ration,  and  applied  to  the  Pope  the  words  of  the  prophet  David  ;  AH  the  kings 
of  the  earth  shall  -worship  him,  and  ail  nations  shall  serve  him.  Thus,  in  that 
age  of  ignorance  and  credulity  did  superstition  even  deify  the  Bishop  of  Rome  : 
but  it  is  a  still  more  shocking  impiety,  that  a  learned  cardinal,  w  ho  lived  in 
the  I7th  century,  should  relate  such  a  fact  without  expressing  the  least  disap- 
probation of  it ;  nay,  rather  with  an  air  of  complacency  and  applause."  (Ibid, 
p.  273,  274  )  "Even  to  this  day  the  Romanists  cojitinue  the  blasphemous 
practice  of  calling  the  Pope  the  Lord  <Jod,  as  appears  from  a  confession  of  faith 
found  in  the  pocket  of  a  priest  during  the  late  rebellion  in  Ireland,  and  report- 
ed by  Sir  R.  Musgrave  "  (Ibid.  p.  3i7.)  In  short,  the  sentiments  which  the 
Romanists  entertain  of  their  idol  the  Pope,  and  the  manner,  in  which  bespeaks 
great  words  by  the  side  of  the  Most  High,  affecting  an  equality  with  God,  are 
shewn  very  remarkably  by  a  print  in  tlie  Roman  Breviary  jjublished  by  the 
authority  of  the  council  of  Trent,  and  printed  at  Antwerp  in  the  year  169^.  In 
this  print,  which  is  placed  opposite  to  p.  413.  of  the  Breviary,  "  there  is  a  re- 
presentation of  heaven  opened  to  full  view,  in  which,  seated  upon  a  cloud,  ap- 
peareth  the  Pope  with  his  triple  crown  upon  his  head.  I'he  Pope's  head  is  ir- 
radiated with  a  triangular,  not  a  circular,  glory,  (expressive  no  doubt  of  the 
Trinity  in  Unity  ;)  the  dove  is  hovering  over  the  heads  of  him  and  our  Saviour, 
i'ut  more  inclmed  toward  the  Pope  The  Pope  sits  upright  upon  the  Globe  of  the  earthy 
•aith  his  feet  full  upon  it-  Our  Saviour  is  seated  upon  his  ri^ht  hand,  pushed  as 
■it  ixerefrom  off  the  earth,  vihereby  lie  is  obliged  to  sit  side-ways  in  order  to  reach 
Jiis  feet  to  it  ;  and  rorind  our  Saviour's  head  is  <udy  a  small  circular  glory.  Be- 
neath, on  one  side,  next  to  our  saviour  in  heaven,  is  the  Virgin  Mary,  whom 
tlie  Pope  deifies  upon  eartli,  praying  to  her.  Next  to  the  Virgin  Mary  is  repre- 
sented St  Peter  :  and  close  by  him,  upon  a  level,  is  St  Paul  sitting  and  lean- 
ing upon  a  sword.  lu  tlie  middle  are  little  Cherubim,  and  beliind  them  a  palm-- 
bearing  company.  On  the  right  hand  is  a  smaller  group  of  palm-bearers,  seem- 
ing employed  in  carrying  messages.  Beneath,  on  the  earth,  are  represented 
warriors  on  the  one  hanti,  and  on  the  othei-  the  elders  of  their  church.  In  the 
middle  standetJi  one  bearing  a  palm,  conversing  with  another  before  whom  the 
triple  crowii  is  placed,  deeply  shaded,  and  only  u  few  rays  of  light  descead 
tapon  the  top  of  it  This  is  the  poHtical  representation  of  the  idol  of  Home, 
the  Pope,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  power,  as  given  to  its  totiaies,  and  authorized 


136 

6.  The  litHe  honi  thought  to  change  times  and  laws — 
So  the  I'opes  have  perpetually  changed  the  calender  by 
the  canonization  of  new  saints,  and  have  de{)arted  from 
the  original  simplicity  of  the  Gospel  by  the  introduction 
of  an  infinite  number  of  superstitious  laws  and  observ- 
ances; "instituting  new  modes  of  worship,  imposing 
new  articles  of  faith,  enjoining  new  rules  of  practice, 
and  reversing  at  pleasure  the  laws  both  of  God  and 
man."*  They  have  even  dared  to  strike  the  second 
commandment  out  of  the  decalogue,  because  it  so  plain- 
ly reproved  them  for  their  multifarious  idolatry.  In 
short, "  the  wisest  and  most  impartial  of  the  Roman  ca- 
tholic writers  do  not  only  acknowledge,  but  are  even  at 
pains  to  demonstrate,  that,  from  the  times  of  Louis  the 
meek,  wlio  died  in  the  year  840,  the  ancient  rules  of 
ecclesiastical  government  were  gradually  changed  in 
Europe  by  the  counsels  of  the  court  of  Rome,  and  new 
laws  substituted  in  their  placef." 

7.  The  little  horn  was  to  wear  out  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High,  who  were  to  be  given  into  his  hand  by  a  for- 
mal grant  of  the  secular  power  during  the  space  of  three 
years  and  a  half  or  V260 prophetic  days;  that  is  to  say, 
dining  the  sam.e  space  of  time,  that  the  two  apocalyptic 
ivil/iesses  were  to  prophesy  in  sackcloth,  and  the  perse- 
cutcd  Church  was  to  be  nourished  in  the  wilderness.^ — 
Accordingly,  when  the  Pope  w-as  constituted  Universal 
Bishop  and  Supreme  head  of  the  Church  by  the  grant  of 
the  tyrant  Phocas,  the  saints  of  God  were  delivered  into 
his  hand  and  placed  under  his  control.  They  were  no 
longer,  as  in  the  primitive  Church,  subject,  and  that  for 
conscience  sake  and  for  the  real  edification  of  their  souls, 
only  to  their  respective  diocesans  :  but  they  were  now 
made  the  spiritual  vassals  of  the  inan  of  siuy  and  were 
in  consequence  of  it  soon  reduced  by  him  to  a  state  of 
worse  than  Egyptian  bondage.  By  the  instrumentality 
of  the  secular  beast, ^  he  has  already,  for  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  the  predicted  period,  incessantly  persecuted 
and  worn  out,  (so  far  as  this  present  life  is  concerned) 

by  llie  council  of  Trent,  and  confirmed  by  several  Popes  of  Rome  '"     Burton's 
iilss^y  on  the  numbers  of  Daniel  and  St  .Fohp  ;  Siipplcmenl  ;   p   96,  97 
*  Sec  Mosheim's  Eccles  Mist.  Vol.  iii.  p.  :26'J — 2o4. 
I  Zouch  on  Prophecy,  p.  51.        i  Rev.  xi-  3.  sii.  6.        §  Rev.  viii.  5,  7- 


131 

those  faithful  servants  of  God,  who  protested  against  h\i 
corruptions,  and  refused  to  partake  of  his  idolatries. 
These  persecutions  indeed,  like  the  more  ancient  perse- 
cutions of  Paganism,  have  not  always  been  universal, 
nor  have  they  always  raged  with  equal  violence  ;  they 
have  been  moreover  greatly  checked  by  the  influence  of 
the  Reformation,  and  by  the  consequent  waning  of  the 
Papal  pozver  :  nevertheless  the  zvitnesses  are  still  more 
or  less  prophesying  in  sackcloth  ;  they  are  still,  through- 
out popish  countries,  in  a  degraded  and  bumbled  state ; 
and  in  this  state  they  will  continue,  in  one  part  or  other 
of  the  world,  to  the  end  of  the  42  months.^ 

8.  Lastly,  the  little  horn  xvas to  subdre  oj^  depress  three 
out  of  the  ten  kings  ;  or,as  it  appears  from  the  correspond- 
ing action  of  the  symbols,  three  of  the  first  ten  horns 
ivere  to  be  eradicated  before  it — Respecting  the  interpre- 
tation of  this  part  of  th3  prophecy,  I  am  compelled  to 
differ  both  from  Mr.  Mede,  and  from  Sir  Isaac  and  Bp. 
Newton. 

Mr.  INTede,  who  may  justly  be  styled  the  father  of 
prophf.tic  ?'w/er/?re/<af/'«o/i, supposes, that  the  three  symbol- 
ical horns  which  appeared  to  Daniel  to  be  plucked  up  by 
the  roots  before  the  little  horn-,  were  those  whose  domin- 
ions extended  into  Italy,  and  so  stood  in  the  light  of  the 
little  horn.-\  "  First,  that  of  the  Greeks,  whose  emperor 
Leo  Isaurus  for  the  quarrel  of  image  worship  he  excom- 
municated, and  made  his  subjects  of  Italy  revolt  from 

*  The  indulgences,  which  the  French  protestants  have  obtained  under  the  prC" 
sent  usurper,  are  evidently  granted  merely  upon  a  political  principle.  The  C'a- 
jJci-s  persecuted  them,  and  therefore  Buonaparte  favours  them.  It  remains 
however  to  be  seen,  what  he  will  do  when  he  shall  once  have  firmly  establish- 
ed himself.  His  late  restoration  of  popery  as  a  convenient  engine  of  state,  and 
his  total  disregard  of  every  obligation  moral  and  religious,  shew  plainly  that 
the  protestants  will  be  protected  only  so  long  as  it  suits  his  interest  In  the 
eyes  of  a  tyrant,  a  refusal  to  worship  tlie  image  which  he  has  set  up  will  pro- 
bably be  considered  as  a  secret  mark  of  disaffection,  though  it  may  not  be 
convenient  for  him  immediately  to  notice  this  want  of  compliance  on  the  part 
oithe  protestants. 

Incedunt  per  ignes 

Suppo«itos  cineri  doloso. 

^Inthis  particular  Mr.  jMede  seems  to  me  to  be  perfectly  right.  The  three 
/lODis  were  to  fall  "  /'efore  the  little  Lorn,"  or  in  liis  innaediate  presence  :  hence 
they  cannot  have  been  plucked  up  any  where  but  in  Italy-  '1  heir  dominion.*; 
however  were  not  merely  to  "  extend  into  Italy,  "  an  expression  which  implies 
thoii  the  horns  themselves  were  .-Jcated  out  if  Italy  ;  but  l^fe  sovf^ri^vii*  itself  ort" 
the  three  horns  jnust  hav©  been  fixed  in  that  CQunlry. 


1B^2 

their  allegiance.  Secondly,  that  of  the  Longobard^  (sue* 
cessors  to  tlie  Ostrooroths)  whose  kingdom  he  caused,  by 
the  aid  of  the  Franks,  to  be  wholly  ruined  and  extirpat- 
ed, tliereby  to  get  the  exarchate  of  Ravenna  (which 
since  the  revolt  from  the  Greeks  the  Longobards  were  seiz- 
ed on)  for  a  patrimony  to  St  Pe^er.  Thirdly,  the  king- 
dom of  the  Franks  itself-,  continued  in  the  empire  of  Ger- 
many ;  whose  enij)eror9,  from  the  days  of  Henry  the 
fourth,  he  excommunicated,  deposed,  and  trampled  under 
his  feet,  and  never  suffered  to  hve  in  rest,  till  he  had 
made  them  not  only  to  quit  their  interest  in  the  election 
of  Popes  and  investiture  of  Bishops,  but  that  remainder 
of  jurisdiction  also  in  I tal}',  wherewith,  together  with  the 
Roman  name,  he  had  once  infeoficd  their  predecessors. 
These  were  the  kings,  by  displanting,  or  (as  the  \'ulgar 
hath)  humbling,  of  whom  the  Pope  got  elbow  room  by 
degrees ;  and  advanced  himself  to  that  height  of  tempo- 
ral majesty  and  absolute  greatness,  which  made  him  so 
terrible  in  the  world."* 

Sir  Isaac  and  Bp.  Newton,  though  they  disagree  in  the 
catalogues  which  they  respectively  give  of  tJic  ten  king- 
doms, concur  in  proposing  a  scheme  different  from  that 
of  Mr.  Mede  so  far  as  the  three  hor?is  are  concerned. 
They  each  conjecture,  that  the  three  eradicated  powers 
•were  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna,  the  kingdom  of  the 
Lombards,  and  the  state  of  Rome.\ 

Both  these  modes  of  interpretation  appear  to  me  ob- 
jectionable in  almost  every  point  of  view. 

With  regard  to  Mr.  Mede's  scheme  it  may  be  remark- 
ed, that,  if  by  the  Greeks  and  Franks  he  intends  the  Con- 
stantlnopolitan  and  Cariovingian  empires,  neither  of 
thone  mojiarchies  ewrxcas  pbcked  up  by  the  roots  before 
the  little  horn  ;  and  if,  on  the  other  hand,  by  the  Greeks 
and  Franks  he  intends  only  the  Greek  and  Germanic 
prorinccs  in  Italy,  those,  being  mere  provinces,  ainnoty 
with  any  propriety,  be  esteemed  horns,  or  independent 
kingdoms.  So  that,  take  the  scheme  in  what  light  we 
may,  it  will  prove  equally  untenable.  Whatever  inroads 
the  Popes  might  make  upoii  the  authority  of  the  Con- 

•  Mede's  Works  B-  iv.  Epist.  24. 

X  ObsCTV.  on  Dan.  p.  74,  75,  76.— Dissert,  xiy. 


133 

sianlinopolUcm  and  German  emperors  in  the  detached 
proxinces  of  their  respective  dominions,  I  know  not  how 
it  can  be  said,  that  by  such  encroachments  two  out  of  the. 
ten  horns  were  plucked  up  by  the  roots  before  them.=* 

With  regard  to  the  scheme  of  Sir  Isaac  and  Bp.  New- 
ton, the  first  ohjec'ion  that  occurs  is  their  supposition, 
that  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna  was  oiie  of  the  ten 
horns. 

The  Exarchate  was  not,  like  each  of  the  monarchies 
founded  by  the  northern  nations,  a  horn  or  independent 
kingdo7n  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  a  mere  dependent  pro- 
mnce  of  the  Greek  empire,  governed,  like  its  other  pro- 
vinces, by  a  deputy  :  hence  it  can  no  more  be  esteemed 
a  hor?i,  than  any  of  the  other  Greek  provinces.!  The 
prophet  simply  Rssevts,  ilmt  the  Jio?nan  beast,  when  his 
empire  was  divided,  should  put  forth  te?i  horns  :  he  does 
not  give  us  the  least  reason  to  suppose,  that  there  should 
be  any  essential  difference  in  the  political  constitution  of 
the  horns.  What  one  therefore  of  the  ten  horns  was,  that 
all  ihe  others  must  have  been  :.1:  for,  unless  we  complete- 
ly violate  the  harmony  of  symbolical  language,  we  can 
never  allow,  that  some  of  the  horns  represent  sovereign 
states,  and  others  of  them  mere  provinces  of  sovereign 
stages. 

The  next  objection  is,  that,  even  allowing  the  Exarchate, 
to  be  a  horn,  neither  it  nor  the  state  of  Rome  occur  in 
the  true  list  of  the  ten  primary  kingdoms.  The  Bishop 
agrees  with  Sir  Isaac,  that  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna, 
the  kingdom  of  the  Lombards,  and  the  s'  ate  of  Rome,  are 
the   three  horns  ;  but  he  censures  him  for  his  inconsis- 

*  Mr.  Mede  reckons  up  the  ten  kingdoms,  as  follows :  "  1  The  Britons  ;  2- 
The  Saxons  in  Britain;  3  The  Franks;  4.  Tlie  Burgundians  in  France;  S. 
The  Visigoths  in  the  South  of  France  and  part  of  Spain  ;  6  The  Sueves  and 
Alans  in  Gallicia  and  Portugal  ;  7  The  Vandals  in  Africa  ;  8.  The  Alemar.es 
in  Germany  j  9  The  Ostrogoths  whom  the  Longobards  succeeded,  in  Pan- 
nonia,  and  afterwards  in  Italy  ;  10.  The  Greeks  in  the  residue  of  the  empire.*' 
In  addition  to  the  foregoing  observations  1  shall  hereafter  shew,  that  the  ilaai,- 
ern  empire  cannot  be  reckoned  otie  of  ihe  horns  of'  the  beast,  all  of  wliich  must 
be  sought  for  in  i/te  JFeat. 

t  "  The  throne  of  the  Gothic  kings,"  says  Mr.  Gibbon,  "  was  filled  by  the 
exarch  of  Kavenna,  the  represc^itatr^^e  in  peace  end  war  of  the  emperor  of  the^ 
East. 

X  The  prophet,  by  declaring  that  the  little  horn  should  be  different  from  all 
the  rest,  necessarily  leads  us  to  conclude  that  'he  ten  h«rns  should  not  be  d?ficr 
ent  from  each  other. 


13^ 

tency  in  supposing  those  powers  to  be  the  three  homst 
while  he  presents  us  nevertheless  with  such  a  catalogue 
of  the  ten  kingdoms  as  does  not  include  the  names  ot  alt 
those  three  powers.*  The  censure  is  just,  for  the  prophet 
expressly  asserts,  that  three  of  the^r^-^  horns  were  to  be 
plucked  up  before  the  little  horn  ;  yet  while  he  blames 
Sir  Isaac  for  this  manifest  flaw  in  his  interpretation,  he 
does  not  seem  conscious  that  much  the  same  censure  at- 
taches to  himself,  notwithstanding  his  attempt  to  parry  it. 
The  three  horns  are  certainly  to  be  sought  for  among  the 
ten  original  kingdoms  into  w  hich  the  empire  was  divided, 
and  among  no  other  kingdoms  whatever :  nothing  can 
be  more  definite  and  precise  upon  this  point  than  the  lan- 
guage of  Daniel.  We  ought  therefore  first  to  learn,  what 
these  ten  original  horns  were,  and  next  to  inquire  whe- 
ther three  of  them  were  ever  plucked  up  to  make  room 
for  an  eleventh  little  horn  perfectly  distinct  from  them  all ; 
not  surely  first  to  fix  upon  three  states,  which  we  con- 
ceive may  answer  to  the  character  of  the  three  horns,  and 
then  contrive  such  a  list  of  fen  /dngdoms  as  may  include 
these  three  states.  Yet  such  is  the  plan,  which  Bp. 
Newton  adopts.  Perfectly  aware  that  it  would  be  a  vain 
labour  to  seek  either  for  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna  or 
for  the  state  of  Rome  among  the  ten  primary  kingdoms, 
he  most  unwarrantably  sets  aside  the  real  list  of  those 
kingdoms,  and  substitutes  a  list  of  his  own  ;  into  which 
he  introduces  the  petty  state  of  Rome,  and  tlie  Greek 
province  of  Ravenna,  evidently  for  no  other  purpose  than 
to  give  a  colour  of  probability  to  his  predetermined  inter- 
pretation. Hence  his  catalogue  does  indeed  contain  the 
three  states,  which  he  supposes  to  be  the  three  horns 
plucked  up  before ///e //^^/<7 //or?? ;  but  it  is  certainly  not 
the  more  on  that  account  a  faithful  catalogue  of  the  ten 
original  kingdoms.  Accordingly,  the  Bishop  himself 
confesses,  (a  confession  which  alone  is  sufficient  toinvali- 

•  Sir  Isaac  gives  us  the  following  catalogue  of  the  ten  kingdoms  :  "  1.  The 
kingdom  of  tJie  Vandals  and  Alans  in  Spain  and  Africa  ;  2.  The  kingdom  of 
the  Suevians  in  Spain  ;  ?,.  Tlic  knigdom  of  tlie  Visigoths  ;  4  Tlic  kingdom 
of  the  Alans  in  Gallia  ;  5.  The  kingdom  of  the  Burgundians  ;  6.  The  kingdom 
of  the  Franks  ;  7.  The  kingdom  of  tlie  JJritons  ;  8  The  kingdom  of  the  Huns; 
9.  The  kingdom  of  the  Lombards  ;  10  Tlie  kingdom  of  Havcnna."  In  this 
catalogue  the  ntufe  of  Rome,  which  Sir  Isaac  supposes  to  be  one  of  the  thrcr 
/^rr?s,  does  not  occur. 


135 

date  his  whole  plan  of  interpretation)  that  it  is  a  cata- 
logue calcu'atedfor  the  eighth  century,  not  for  the  period 
in  zvhich  the  Roman  empirexvas  originally  divided  * 

The  result  of  the  whole  is,  that,  since  the  Greek  pro- 
vince of  Ravenna  cannot  be  esteemed  a  horn  or  indepen- 
dent kingdom  ;  and  since,  even  if  \\  could,  neither  if,  nor 
the  st"te  of  Rome,  are  to  be  found  in  the  true  list  of  the 
ten  original  kingdoms:  they  cannot  be  txvo  oi  those  three 
primary  horns  which  the  prophet  beheld  plucked  by  the 
roots  before  the  litle  horn. 

Having  now  stated  my  objections  to  the  two  preced- 
ing modes  of  interpretation,  I  shall  endeavour  to  ascer- 
tain the  three  primary  kingdoms,  which  were  destined 
to  fall  before  the  eleventh  different  and  little  kingdomof 
the  Roman  empire  For  this  purpose  it  will  be  necessa- 
ry, first  to  inquire  into  the  import  of  the  prediction  con- 
cerning their  fall,  and  secondly  to  learn  from  history  the 
names  of  the  ten  original  kingdoms  among  which  they 
are  to  be  sought. 

1.  The  overthrow  of  the  three  horns  is  described  in 
three  different  parts  of  the  ■  ision  of  the  four  beasts. 

"  I  considered  the  horns,  and,  behold,  there  came  up 
among  them  another  little  horn,  before  whom  three  of  the 
first  horns  were  plucked  up  by  the  roots." 

"  Then  I  would  know  the  truth  of  the  fourth  beast, — 
and  of  the  ten  horns  that  were  in  his  head,  and  of  the 
other  which  came  up,  and  before  whom  three  fell." 

"  The  ten  horns  out  of  this  kingdom  are  ten  kings  that 
shall  arise :  and  another  shall  rise  behind  them  ;  and  he 
shall  be  diverse  from  the  first,  and  he  shall  depress  three 
kings." 

*  "  We  would,  for  reasons  which  wiU  hereafter  appear  to  the  attentive 
reader,"  (namely,  in  order  that  liis  Lordship's  catalogue  might  be  made  to 
contain  the  three  states,  which  he  supposes  to  be  the  three  horns  plucked  up  be- 
fore the  little  hor?!,)  '*  fix  thesf  ten  kingdoms  at  a  different  era  from  any  of  the 
foregoing ;  and  let  us  see  how  they  stood  in  the  eighth  century.  The  principal 
states  and  governments  then  were — 1.  Of  the  Senate  of  Rome,  who  revolted 
from  the  Greek  emperors,  and  claimed  and  exerted  the  privilege  of  choosing 
anew  western  emperor  .  2.  Of  the  Greeks  in  Ravenna  ;  3.  Of  the  Lombards  in 
Lombardy  ;  4.  Of  the  Huns  in  Hungary  ;  5.  Of  the  Alemanes  in  Germany  ;  6. 
Of  the  Franks  in  France  ;  7-  Of  the  Burgundians  in  Burgundy  ;  8.  Of  the  Goths 
in  Spain  ;  9  Of  the  Britons;  10.  Of  tlie  Saxons  in  Britain."  (Bp.  Newton's 
Dissert.  XIV. )  Tims  does  the  Bishop  confessedly  adapt  his  catalogue  to  the 
thrte  supposed  hoi  ns,  instead  of  seeking  for  the  three  horn^  where  the  prophet 
directs  us  to  seek  them,  among  tlie  ten  first  hoxx^s^ 


136 

These  different  passages  all  describe  the  same  circum- 
stance: conseqaentlj,  whatever  is  the  import  of  the  one, 
must  likewise  be  the  import  of  both  the  others. 

With  respect  to  the  vision,  the  appearance,  which  pre- 
sented itself  to  Daniel,  seems  to  have  been  this.  While 
the  prophet  was  conteraplatmg  the  ten  horns  of  the  beast y 
Le  beheld  an  eleventh,  little  horn  gradually,  and  as  it  were 
hj  stealth,  springing  up  among  them.*  As  this  little 
horn  was  slowly  arising,  three  of  the  first  ten  horns, 
which  were  "  before  it"  or  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  so 
as  by  their  position  to  obstruct  its  growth,  were  suc- 
eessively  eradicated,  and  fell  prostrate  at  its  feet.  Every 
obstacle  l>eing  thus  removed,  the  little  horn  attained  its 
full  growth  ;  and  occupied  the  place,  which  had  been 
before  occupied  by  the  three  eradicated  horns. 

Sucii  apparently  was  the  action  of  the  symbols ;  up- 
on which  the  interpreting  angel  observes,  that  an  eleventh 
kingdom  should  arise  behind  the  first  ten  kingdoms-,  and 
should  depress  three  of  them.  Now,  since  it  is  said,  in 
Che  passage,  that  the  three  horns  were  plucked  up  be- 
fore tlie  Wile  horn  ;  in  another,  that  they  fell  before  fhe 
little  horn ;  and  in  a  third  that  the  poxoer  represented  hy 
the  Utile  horn  should  depress  the  power  represented  by 
the  three  horns  :  a  question  arises,  which  can  only  be 
determined  by  the  event :  namely,  whether  this  smaller 
pmcer  should  depress  three  of  \heji7^st  powers  immedi- 
ately or  media tely.hy  his  oxvn  proper  e.vert ions  or  by  fhe 
instrumentality  of  others  ?  History  is  ever  the  best  in- 
terpreter ot  prophecy ;  and  by  its  decisions  we  may  alwa3's 
safely  abide.  I3aniel  specially  informs  us,  that  three  oi 
the  Jirst  ten  kingdoms,  into  which  the  empire  should  he 
di\'ided,  were  to  be  plucked  up  before  the  little  horn. 
Hence  it  is  evident,  that  we  must  look  for  the  completion 
of  the  prophecy  among  ihcicn  Jirst  kingdoms,  and  among 
those  07ily.  Now  we  do  not  find,  as  it  shall  be  presently 
shewn  from  history,   that  a?iy  three  of  the  ten  original 

*  He  seems  to  have  overlooked  t/ie  little  horn  at  first,  owing  to  its  diminu- 
tive size.  Jind  to  its  sprinjjiiig  up  behind  the  other  harm  ;  and  to  have  fixed 
his  attention  entinly  upon  the  ten  korm ,-  till  it  vas  diverted  frojn  tliem  by  the 
increasing  sii:e  of  the  Utile  hgrju 


137 

kin.ajdoms*  were  ever  literally  depressed  by  the  immediate 
exertions  ol  an  eleventh  smaller  kingdom :  but  \\  c^  do 
find  tliat  precisely  three  of  them  were  eradica-ted  by  the 
instrumentality  of  each  other ^  of  the  Greeks,  and  of  the 
Franks,  before  an  eleventh  little  horn,  which  had  been 
gradually  rising  in  the  midst  of  troublesome  times,  and 
which  at  length  occupied  the  place  of  its  three  depressed 
predecessors.  Tims  does  history  at  once  interpret  the 
prophecy,  and  undeniably  point  out  to  us  the pozver  in- 
tended by  the  little  horn. 

@.  As  the  three  horns  are  to  be  sought  for  among  the 
ten  Jirst  horns,  we  must  obviously  learn  what  those  ten 
first  horns  are,  before  we  can  inquire  with  any  prospect 
of  success  for  ^^e  three  which  were  to  be  eradicated  be- 
fore the  little  horn.  The  historian  Machiai^el,  whom  I 
cannot  but  consider  as  the  best,  because  the  most  un- 
prejudiced, judge,  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Romcm 
empire  was  divided,  very  undesignedly,  and  (as  Jip. 
Chandler  remarks)  little  thinking  what  he  was  doing, 
reckons  up  the  ten  primary  kingdoms  as  follows  :  1.  The 
Ostrogoths  iiiMesia;  '2.  The  Visigoths  in  Pannonia  ;  3. 
The  Sueves  and  iMans  in  Gasgoigne  and  Spain ;  4.  The 
Vandals  in  Africa ;  5.  The  Franks  in  France ;  6.  The 
Burgundians  in  Bdrgundy ;  7  The  Heruli  and  Turingi 
in  Italy  ;  8.  The  Saxons  and  Angles  in  Britain  ;  9.  The. 
Huns  in  Hungary  ;  and  10.  The  Lombards,  at  first  upon 
the  Danube,  afterwards  in  Italy. f  The  self-same  cata- 
logue is  exhibiied  by  that  excellent  chronologer  Bp.  Lloyd, 
who  adds  the  dates  v.  hen  these  ten  kingdoms  arose  :  i. 
The  Huns  about  A.  D.  35Q  ;  2.  The  Ostrogoths,  377 ; 
S.  The  Visigoths,  S78 ;  4.  The  Franks,  407  ;  5  The 
Vandals,  407;  6  TheS.;eves  and  Alans,  407;  7.  The 
Burgundians,  407  ;  8.  The  Heruli  and  Rugii,  476 ;  9. 
T\\j  Saxons,  476 ;  10.  The  Longo bards  in  the  north  of 
Germany,  483  ;  in  Hungary,  5'26.J 

These  then,  upon  the  concurring  testimony  of  an  his- 
torian and  a  chronologer,  are  the  ten  kingdoms  into  which 

*  In  fact,  we  do  not  find  that  dny  three  kingdoms  were  subdued  by  the  /m- 
mediate  force  oithe  Papacy     The  Pope  hivudf  neither  subdued  t4je  kin^doia 
of  the  Lombards,  the  state  ot  Rome,  nor  the  Exarchate. 
+  Bp.  Newton's  Dissei*  XiV-  *  Ibid. 

VOL.  f.  18 


138 

the  Roman  empire  was  orig'iiall^'-  divided,  and  conse- 
quently the}'  are  flie  teu  first  horns  of  which  we  are  in 
quest.  Hence,  if  ever  three  Id.-gdoms  were  phicked  up 
before  a  little  kingclojn  which  arose  imperceptibly  among 
the  tdi  priynarij  kingdoms',  they  niust  be  thrte^  the  names 
of  which  occur  in  the  preceding  list  of  Machiavel  and 
Bp.  Lloyd.  Accordingly  wo  shall  find,  that  the  king- 
dom of  the  Heruli,  the  kingdom  oj  the  OstKgothSy  and 
the  kingdnn  of  the  h'-nibards^  were  successive!  v  eradicat- 
ed before  the  little  papal  horn,  which  at  length  became 
a  temporal  no  less  than  a  spiritual  power  at  the  expence 
of  these  three  depressed  primary  states. 

1.  In  ike  year  476,  Odoacer,  king  of  the  Heruli,*  put 
an  end  to  the  wesfeni  empire.,  and  caused  himself  to  be 
proclaimed  king  of  Italy.  J^y  this  conquest  he  stood 
"  before,"  or  in  the  way  of,  the  papal  horn  ;  whence  it 
was  necessary,  that  his  r^ gal  horn  should  be  plucked  up 
in  order  to  make  room  for  the  future  aggrandisement  of 
the  spiritual  kingdom  of  the  Pope.  This  was  eflected, 
in  tlie  year  493,  by  Theodoric  king  of  the  O.Arognths. 
Leading  his  hardy  troops  from  their  original  settlement  in 
Mesia  and  the  neighbourhood  of  Constantinople,  he  de- 
scended from  the  Julian  Alps,  and  displayed  his  banners 
on  the  confines  of  Italy.  Victory  crowned  his  enter- 
prise ;  from  the  Alps  to  the  extremity  of  Calabria  Theo- 
doric reigned  by  right  of  conquest;  and  he  was  accept- 
ed as  the  deliverer  of  Rome  by  the  Senate  and  the  people. 

2.  This  second  of  the  three  horns  however,  standing 
equally  in  the  v/ay  of  })apal  aggrandisement,  was  destin- 
ed, like  its  immediate  predecessor,  to  fall  Ijefore  the  Utile 

*  Disputr  s  liave  arisen  respectinj;^  the  proper  name  of  Odoacer's  subjects, 
but  they  arc  disputes  which  are  of  little  consequence  to  the  completion  of  the 
prophecy  Machiavel  stylos  his  kingdom,  :/taf  of  the  Uervli  and  Txtrivgi  ;  Bp. 
Lloyd, /A(/r  'J  the  Ikruliwnl  Jiugii ;  and  Mr  (i.bbon  asserts,  lliat  his  immedi- 
ate anil  licroditary  subjects  were  the  tribe  (.A'  the  Svyni,  while  the  Italian  king- 
dom whicli  he  founded  was  comp(<sed  of  various  clans  of  Golluc  mercenaries, 
Rmonjif  whiclj  tiie  names  o\'  the  jiauii.  the  Hcz/rri.  the  .Hani,  the  'J^vrcilirt^i,  and 
the  y?H^/a.i7,  appear  to  have  predominated.  Be  tills  as  it  may,  the  king-dom, 
whicii  lie  iliJ  found,  was  one  of  the  ten  prinniiy  kingdoms  ;  whence,  if  its  liis- 
tor\  correspond  with  tiic  jirophecy,  it  is  certainly  capable,  in  its  capacity  of  a 
primttrv  kingdom,  of  l)'jiiii;  mkonod  one  i>f  the  tJinr  honm  The  accurate  par- 
liciilurisinf.j  rf  tlie  tribes  which  composed  it  canniiL  make  it  either  n)ore  or 
less  a  primary  kingdom  All  possibility  of  dis)>utc  might  be  uvoidetl,  if,  iu 
the  ca'alogue  nf  the  ten  lingilomn,  it  were  styled,  tk:  kiiiffJ.nmof  Odoacer  in  Jtaht, 
instead  oi'the  hing,  om  of  the  Ileruii  and  Tuvin^i  in  Italy,  or  the  kingdum  if  the 
lleruli  and  Jiugii  in  Italy. 


139 
•■..( 

horn.  After  the  kingdom  of  the  Ostrogoths  liad  subsist- 
ed in  Italy  its  allotted  time,  it  was  attacked  by  Bellisa- 
rius ;  and  at  length  was  utterly  eradicated  by  Narses 
the  lieutenant  of  the  Eastern  emperor,  and  his  auxilia- 
ries the  Lombards. 

3.  Italy  now  became  a  province  of  the  ConstavMvopol- 
itan  empire^  and  was  governed  by  an  imperial  officer, 
who  bore  the  title  of  Exarch  of  Ravenna.  Scarcely 
however  v/as  the  Exarchate  established,*  when  tJie  Lom- 
bards^ who  had  lent  their  assistance  to  Narses  in  his  at- 
tack upon  the  kingdom,  of  the  Ostrogoths,  began  to  me- 
ditate the  conquest  of  Italy  for  themselves.  Narses  was 
engaged  in  the  settlement  of  that  country  under  the 
government  of  theConstantinopolitan  emperors  from  the 
year  55^  to  the  year  568 ;  and  it  was  in  the  year  567, 
that  Alboin,  king  of  the  Lombards,  undertook  the  sub- 
jugation of  it.  Descending  from  the  same  Julian  Alps 
that  his  Gothic  predecessor  Theodoric  had  done,  he  be- 
came, with  ut  a  battle  or  a  siege,  master  of  Italy  from 
the  Trentine  hills  to  the  ^ates  of  Ravenna  and  Rome. 

The  exarchate  of  Ravenna  still  feebly  subsisted,  but 
it  was  at  length  completely  subdued  by  the  Lombardic 
monarch  Aistulphus  about  the  year  759.  I'his  conquest 
however  was  only  the  prelude  to  the  utter  eradication  of 
the  third  and  lat  horn,  which  interfered  with  the  ag- 
grandisement of  the  Papacy,  and  which  was  therefore  to 
be  plucked  up  by  the  roots  before  it.  Alarmed  at  the 
growing  power  of  Aistulphus,  the  Pope  appliid  for  as- 
sistance to  Pipin  king  of  France  ;  who,  in  the  course  of 
two  successive  expeditions  into  Italy,  wrested  from  that 
prince  the  whole  district  of  the  Exarchate,  and  bestowed 
it  in  perpetual  sovereignty  upon  the  Bishop  of  Rome. 
"  After  this  double  chastisement,  tJie  Lombards  lan- 
guished about  twenty  years  in  a  state  of  languor  and  de- 
cay.    But  their  minds   were  not  yet   humbled  to  their 

*  ''The  destruction  of  a  mig'hty  king-dom  established  the  fame  of  Alboin — 
But  his  ambition  was  yet  unsatisfied  ;  and  the  conqut-ror  of  the  Gepidse  turn- 
ed his  eyes  from  the  Danube  to  the  richer  banks  of  the  Po  and  the  Tiber.  Fif- 
teeri  years  had  not  elapsed,  since  his  subjects,  the  confederates  of  Narses,  had 
visited  the  pleasant  climate  of  Italy  ;  the  mountains,  the  rivers,  the  high-ways, 
"Were  familiar  to  their  memory ;  the  report  of  tlieir  success,  peihaps  the  view  of 
their  spods,  had  kindled  in  the  rising  generation  the  flame  of  eiuulation  and 
enterprise.  Their  hopes  were  encouraged  by  the  spirit  and  eloquence  of  Al- 
boin."   Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  viii.  p.  122,  123. 


140 

coiK^itioii  ;  and,  instead  of  aflecting  the  pacific  virtues  of 
tlie  feeble,  tlipy  peevishly  harassed  the  Romans  with  a 
repetition  of  claims,  evasions,  and  inroads,  which  they 
undertook  without  reflection,  and  terminated  without 
glory."  Charlemagne  had  now  succeeded  his  father 
Pipin,  and  like  him  assumed  the  character  of  the  chi  m- 
pivn  of  lilt  Church.  At  the  request  of  the  Pope  he  for- 
ma !ly  undertook  his  cause  ;  entered  Italy  at  the  head  of 
a  large  army  ;  comjjielely  eradicated  the  horn  of  Lom- 
bardy ;  ^wd  bestowed  great  part  of  its  dominions  upon 
the  successors  of  St.  Peter."* 

Thus  were  three  of  the  first  horns  plucked  up  by  the 
roots  before  an  eleventh  little  horn,  which  silently  arose 
among  them,  till  it  had  supplanted  the  three  horns,  that 
stood  in  its  way  and  prevented  its  full  expansion.! 

*  Mr  Sharpe  briefly  observes,  that  the  tfme  horns,  eradicated  before  the  little 
)iorv,  were  '  the  three  Gothic  kingdoms,  "  or  "  the  three  distinct  national  go- 
I'ernments  of  Gothic  kivgSy  staX^a  successively  in  Rome  itself ;"  and  he  adds, 
that  the  three  kingdoms  constituted  the  short-lived  seventh  head  of  the  beast  men* 
tioned  in  the  Apocalvpse  :  that  the  last  of  them  was  wounded  to  death  by  the 
sword  of  Justinian  in  the  hand  of  Beilisarius  ;  and  that  the  -whole  peiiod 
of  their  joirt  dominion  amounted  not  to  more  than  70 years.  (See  Append. 
to  three  Tracts,  p.  43 — An  Inquiry  into  the  description  of  Babylon,  p. 
8,  — and  Append  to  Inquiry,  p  ,3,4,5.)  Jf'hat  three  Gothic  ling  dams  Mr. 
Sl)arpe  alludes  to,  I  cannot  imagine  from  his  chronological  and  circumstantial 
description  of  them  I  am  only  aware  of  the  tlit  ee  folio-wing  Gothic  kingdoms 
having  been  ever  seated  in  Italy  :  that  of  the  Ueridi  ;  that  of  th:  OstrogotI s  .- 
and  that  of  i/ic  Lotnbard^-  Of  these  Justinian  only  subverted  that  of /Ac-  Ostro' 
rot.  s  :  as  tor  that  o^  the  Lombai  ds,  it  continued  many  years  afierthe  termina- 
tion of  his  reign  ;  and,  after  overturning  the  government  of  the  Greek  Empe- 
rors in  Italy  it  was  in  its  turn  destroyed  by  Charlemi.gne.  So  again  Mr. 
Sharpe  speaks  of  rArec  Gothic  kingdoms  seated  in  Italy  pevious  to  the  reign 
of  Jiistini  m,  and  jointly  continuing  about  70  years.  Upon  adverting  to  histo- 
ry, we  sliull  find,  that  the  two  (ioll)ic  kingdoms  of  the  Neruli  and  the  Ostiogoths 
continued  something  more  than  7^  years  ;  and  that  the  last  of  them  was  sub- 
dued bv  Justinian  :  but  it  will  prove  a  vain  labour  to  look  for  a  third,  the  du- 
ration of  which  jointly  with  that  of  the  other  two  shall  amount  to  about  70 
mars  The  whole  duration  of  the  three  kingdoms  of  the  Hemli,  the  Ostrogoths, 
and  the  Lombards,  comprehends  a  space,  not  merely  of  70  years,  but  of  little 
less  than  three  centuries  •  for  the  kinglom  of  the  Hrruli  was  erected  in  the  year 
476,  and  f.^i  kingdom  of  tJie  Lombards  was  subverted  ty  Charlemagne  in  the 
year  774  As  for  these  three  kingdoms,  they  cannot  be  at  once  both  three  horns 
and  the  seventh  head  of  the  sefsume  beast  at  the  scifsawe  time  and  in  tlie  stlf- 
same  capacity  -•  both  because  such  an  opinion  is  a  palpable  contradiction,  con- 
founding together  in  a  strange  manner  the  different  members  of  the  beast  ;  and 
because  '.'98^/.«r«,  tlie  period  of  their  joint  duration,  can  scarcely  be  called  so 
very  short  a  time,  compa-  ed  with  the  duration  of  any  of  the  otlier  heads  It  is 
to  be  wished,  that  Mr.  Sharpe  had  explicitly  aaid  what  three  Gothic  kingdoms 
he  intended. 

+  Kp  Newton's  Dissert  on   Rev  xiii.   and  vii— Hist,  of  Decline  and    Fall, 

Vol.  vi.p  226— .37 Ibid    Vol    vii    p.   11—15.  214—257,   35r!— 398— Ibid. 

Vol  viii.  p  122.  126.  127,  145,  147— Ibid.  Vol.  ix.  p.  145—150,  156— 159— Bp. 
>{ewton's  Dissert.  Xiy. 


141 

It  is  curious  to  observe  the  gradual  rise  of  papal  dom- 
ination during  the  turbulent  age,  in  which  the  thi\e 
horns  were  successively  eradicated.  Under  the  reign  of 
Odoacer,  the  Bishops  of  Rome  had  acquired  so  much  in- 
fluence, that  even  the  victorious  Thendoric  found  it  pru- 
dent to  pa3^  court  to  them.  Though  he  assumed  the  su- 
premacy of  the  Church,  he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  d\g- 
i^ity  and  importance  of  the  liomcm  pontiff.  "The  peace 
or  thf^  revolt  of  Italy  might  depend  on  the  character  of  a 
wealthy  and  popular  Bishop,  who  claimed  such  ample 
dominion  both  in  heaven  and  earth."*  Accordingly  we 
iind,  that,  toward  the  close  of  the  Ostrogothic  sovereign- 
ty, the  Pope  took  a  leading  part  in  the  revolution  which 
once  more  brought  Italy  under  the  sway  of  the  emperors. 
"  The  deputies  of  the  Pope  and  clergy,  of  the  senate  and 
people,  invited  the  lieutenant  of  Justinian  to  accept  their 
voluntary  allegiance,  and  to  enter  the  city,  whose  gates 
would  be  thrown  open  for  his  reception. "f  And  after- 
wards, when  the  Ostrogothic  moiiarchi;  for  a  short  time 
recovered  itself  previous  to  its  final  subjection,  the  em- 
jieror  Justinian  was  roused  from  his  slumber  "  by  the 
Pope  Figilius  and  the  Patriciaji  Cethegus,  who  appear- 
ed before  his  throne,  and  adjured  him,  in  the  name  of 
God  and  the  people,  to  resume  the  conquest  and  deliver- 
ance of  Italy." J 

At  this  period,  as  Machiavel  very  justly  remarks,  the 
Papacy  was  greatly  assisted  in  its  acquisition  of  tempo- 
ral authority  by  the  circumstance  of  Theodoric  king  of 
ilie  Ostrogoths  making  Ravenna  his  metropolis  ;^  for, 
*'  there  being  no  other  prince  left  in  Rome,  the  Romans 
were  forced  for  protection  to  pay  greater  allegiance  to 
the  Poper 

During  the  struggles  between  the  Lombards  and  the 
imperial  lieutenants  at  Ravenna^  the  power  of  the  Popes 
continued  gradually   on   the  increase.      Avaihng  them- 

*  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  vil.  p.  37. 
t  Ibid.  p.  223  ^  Ibid  p.  378. 

§Havenna  was  theimetropolis  likewise  even  of  ?/ie  IVtstem  empire  itself  some 
yeais  previous  to  its  fall  Honorious  first  fixed  his  residence  there  in  the  year 
404,  as  a  place  of  security  against  the  inroads  of  the  noithern  nations.  (Hist, 
of  Decline  Vol.  v.  p  207.)  Thus  was  he  tvho  letted  gradually  taken  out  of  the 
fi'iaify  to  make  room  for  the  Jpostcici/  and  the  full  revelation  of  the  man  of  sin. 


14Q 

selves  of  those  turbulent  and  unsettled  times,  and  find- 
ing that  their  influence  was  sufficient  to  turn  the  scale 
whichever  way  they  pleased,  they  began,  as  Machiavel 
observes,  to  treat  and  confederate,  sometimes  with  the 
Imi^er'iaiists  and  sometimes  with  the  Lombards,  "  not  as 
subjects,  but  as  equals  and  companions." 

In  short,  throughout  a  period  of  anarchy,  when  the 
minds  of  men  were  kept  in  a  constant  ferment  by  the 
frequency  of  political  changes,  "  the  want  of  laws  among 
the  Romans  could  only  be  supplied  by  the  influence 
of  religion  ;  and  their  foreign  and  domestic  counsels 
were  moderated  by  the  authority  of  the  Bishop.  His 
alms,  his  sermons,  his  correspondence  with  the  kings 
and  prelates  of  the  West,  his  recent  services,  their  grati- 
tude, and  oath,  accustomed  the  Romans  to  consider  him 
as  the  first  magistrate  or  prince  of  the  city.  The  C  hris- 
tian  liumility  of  the  Popes  was  not  offended  by  the  name 
of  Dominus  or  Lord  ;  and  their  f.ce  and  inscription  are 
still  apparent  on  the  most  ancient  coins.  Their  tempo- 
ral dominion  is  now  confirmed  by  the  reverence  of  a 
thousand  years  ;  and  their  noblest  title  is  the  free  choice 
of  a  people  whom  they  had  redeemed  from  slavery."* 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  Papacy  immediately  before 
the  subversion  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Lombards y  the  last 
of  the  three  horns  which  stood  in  its  way,  and  which 
was  therefore  destined  to  fall  before  it.  When  this  horn 
was  completely  eradicated,  tJie  eleventh  little  horn  attain- 
ed to  its  full  'growth  in  temporalities,  by  the  acquisition 
of  the  e.varchate  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  kingdom 
of  L^ombardy-,  and  by  the  complete  subjugation  of  Home. 
It  had  already  become  a  spiritual  empire-,  when  in  the 
year  606  the  saints  were  delivered  into  its  hand. 

Here  then  we  behold  a  little  horn  springing  up  among 
and  behind  the  first  ten  horns,  and  advancing  itself  uj)- 
on  the  ruins  of  three  of  those  horns,  which  were  suc- 
cessively eradicated  before  it.  No  other  power  but  the 
Papacy  arose  under  similar  circumstances,  no  other  cor- 
responds in  every  respect  with  the  character  of  the  little 
horn  :  whence  it  is  concluded,  ihat  the  sjnnbol  of  the  lit- 

•Hist. of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix  p.  144. 


14S 

tie  horn  is  designed  to  typify  the  Papacy  and  nothuighut 
the  Papacy.  It  is  in  va.n,  that  the  Km  j  iiists  w  uld 
persuade  us,  that  the  little  horn  is  Antichrist^  and  that 
his  reign  is  still  remote.  Since  three  of  ihejirst  horns, 
into  which  the  Roman  emjire  iiraiiched  out,  were  to  (all 
before  the  little  horn  ;  if  the  prophecy  has  not  been  al' 
ready  accomplished,  it  is  now  impossible  ihat  it  erer 
should  be  accomplished.  From  the  various  political 
changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  course  of  the  last 
twelve  centuries,  the  ten  prima  y  horns  can  no  longer  be 
pointed  out;  consequently  no  three  oi  them  can  noxvhe 
plucked  up  before  any  little  horn,  which  the  Papi  ts  may 
fancy  wall  hereafter  arise.  By  attending  however  to  the 
voice  of  history  we  iind,  that  it  has  been  the  fate  of  three 
of  the  primary  horns  successively  to  quit  their  original 
settlements  fo;  the  purpose  of  fixing  themselves  in  Italy, 
so  as  to  stand  "  before"  the  Papacy :  and  we  further 
find,  that  it  has  been  the  fate  of  exactly  these  three,  and 
no  more,  to  be  completely  eradicated  '*  before"  tlie  growl- 
ing power  oithe  Bishops  of  Rome.  None,  except  these 
three,  were  ever  plucked  up  under  such  circumstances  : 
that  is  to  say,  none  except  these  three,  ever  fell  "  before" 
an  eleventh  pozver  perfectly  distinct  and  perfectly  differ- 
ent from  the  ien primary  kingdoms.  Exactly  three  how- 
ever of  the  ten  primary  kingdoms  did  fall  *'  before"  the 
Papacy  :  it  is  incumbent  therefore  upon  the  votaiies  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  to  shew,  why  we  are  not  to  conclude 
these  three  kingdoms  to  be  the  three  horns  of  the  beast 
and  the  Papacy  to  be  the  eleventh  little  horn,  before 
they  can  expect  a  protestant  to  believe  that  the  reign  of 
this  little  horn  is  still  remote. 

The  preceding  catalogue  of  the  ten  primary  kingdomsy 
which  is  given  us  bylSIachiavel  atid  Bp  l^loyd,  very^ 
properly  omits,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Greek  province  of 
Ravenna,  and  at  the  same  time  places  all  the  ten  king- 
doms In.  the  xvestern  parts  of  the  Roman  empire,  iiere 
therefore  it  may  perhaps  be  asked,  *•  Why  m\x%\  all  the 
horns  be  sought  for  in  the  West  ?  i\lthnugb  the  exar- 
chate cannot  be  esteemed  a  horn,  why  may  not  the  Con- 
st ant  inopolita7i  monarchy  f "  The  reason  is  this.  That 
empire,  after  the  downfall  of  the  I  Vest  em  empire^  still 


144 

constituted  under  the  government  of  its  emperors,  thi 
sLvth  head  of  the  beast  ;*  consequently  it  cannot  be  at 
once,  and  \n  the  self -sa}7ie  capacity,  both  a  head  and  a 
horn  of  the  self -same  beast.  In  this  particular  there  is  a 
striicing  dififK^nce  beiwtcnthe  political  character  of  the 
ancient  Roman  emperot^s,  and  that  of  the  modern  empe- 
rors of  the  JVest  v\  hose  dignity  commenced  with  C  har- 
lemagne.  The  title  of  the  ancient  emperors  was  attached 
to  their  territorial  possessions;  whereas  X\\Sii  oi  the  mod- 
ern emperors  is  entirely  distinct :  so  that  CharlemaiJne 
vni^em^^erorm  one  capacity,  and  king  of  France  \n  ano- 
ther ;  in  tlie  same  manner  .ts  the  present  head  of  the  hruse 
of  i^ustria  would  be  king  of  rhingary  and  Bohemia, 
whatever  family  m'ght  be  elected  to  the  imperial  dignity. 
On  these  grounds  the  Emperor  of  Constantinople  cannot 
be  esteemed  one  of  the  ten  horns,  without  a  manifest 
violation  of  the  harmony  of  the  prophetic  vision ;  al- 
though, inasmuch  as  he  was  the  sixth  hend,  his  domin- 
ions must  be  reckoned  as  part  of  the  Roman  empire^  the 
xvhole  of  which  is  represented  in  the  Apocalypse  under 
the  symbol  of  the  earth  :  and,  on  the  same  grounds,  all 
the  ten  horns  of  the  beast  must  be  sought  lor  in  the  ff  est ; 
where  accordingly  Ma  diiavel  and  Bp.  Lloyd  have  found 
precisely  that  number  of  original  Gothic  kiiigdoms.\ 

I  am  aware,  that  both  Sir  Isaac  Newtoji,  and  Bp. 
Newton,  are  of  opinion,  that  the  eastern  half  of  the  em^ 
pire  is  not  to  be  accounted  a  part  of  the  bod',  of  the 
fourth  beast :  but  I  much  dojbt,  whether  this  opinion 
rests  upon  any  solid  foundation  :  ior  it  neither  agrees 
with  the  Revelation  of  St  John,  which  predicts  the  for- 
tunes of  the  ejitire  Roman  empire  as  well  eastern  as 
western,  and  vvhich  describes  it  as  one  great  xvhole  by  the 
symbol  of  tlie  earth  ;  nor  does  it  even  quadra' e  with  the 
scheme  upon  which  it  is  founded.  Sir  Isaac  argues,  that 
"  the  nations  of  Chaldea  and  Assyria  are  still  the  first 
heast  ;  those  of  Media  and  Persia  are  still  the  second 
beast  ;  those  of  Macedon,  Greece,  Thrace,  Asia  Minor ^ 

•  Rev.  xvii.  10- 
I  •'  Uhinarn  hi    decern  repes  quxrcndi  sunt  ?  Non  in  Oricr.lc :  ncque  enim 
Imperium  (ii xcum  sen  Ori -iilale  uiuim  e   tiicem  cornilius   nat,    ut  apj)aiet, 
quia  h.xc  dimidia  p.rs  fuii  ca-niis  sexli  sive  CssdreiUua  (JooetwiUno  biparuti." 
Excid.  Antic,  apud  l*ol.  Syiiop.  iu  loc. 


145 

Syria,  and  Egypty^ve  still  the  third;  and  those  of  En- 
rope,  on  this  side  Greece,  arc  still  the  fourth.  Seeing 
therefore  the  body  of  the  third  beast  is  confined  to  Uie 
nations  on  this  side  the  river  Evphrates-,  and  the  body  of 
the  fourth  btast  is  confined  to  the  nations  on  this  side. 
Greece :  we  are  to  look  for  all  the  four  heads  of  the 
third  beast,  among  the  nations  on  this  side  the  river  Eu- 
phrates ;  and  for  all  the  eleven  horns  of  the  fourth  beast, 
among  the  nations  on  this  side  of  Greece.  And  there- 
fore, at  the  breaking  of  the  Greek  empire  mto  four  king- 
doms of  tlie  Greeks,  we  include  no  part  of  the  Chalde- 
ans, Medes,  and  Persians,  in  those  kingdoms,  because 
they  belonged  to  the  bodies  of  the  two  first  beasts.  Nor 
do  we  reckon  iJie  Greek  empire,  seated  at  Constantino- 
ple, among  ^Ae  Ac?r;?.v  of  the  fourth  beast,  because  it  be- 
longed to  the  body  oj  the  third.'"^ 

I  fully  agree  with  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  though  for  a  dif- 
ferent reason  which  I  liave  already  stated,t  that  the  eleven 
horns  of  the  fourth  beast  must  all  be  sought  for  among 
the  nations  on  this  side  Greece,  and  that  the  Constmitino- 
politan  empire  cannot  be  esteemed  one  of  those  horns ; 
but  his  scheme  of  excludiixg  that  empire  from  the  body 
of  the  fourth  beast  is  manifestly  inconsistent  with  itself. 
Sir  Isaac  maintains,  that  the  four  heads  of  the  third  beast 
are  to  be  looked  for  in  the  countries  on  this  side  the  Eu- 
phrates ;  namely,  in  those  of  Macedon,  Greece,  Thrace^ 
Asia  Minor,  Syria,  and  Egypt :  for  he  affirms,  that  these 
regions  ioxm  the  proper  body  of  the  third  beast,  in  the 
same  manner  as  tlinse  westward  of  Greece  form  the  pro- 
per  body  of  the  fourth  beast,  and  constitute  his  ten  horns. 
The  four  heads  of  the  third  beast  are  undoubtedly  to  be 
sought  for  in  the  regions  which  he  specifies,  but  certainly 
not  for  the  reasons  which  he  assigns  -.for  the  countries  of 
Asia  Minor,  Syria,  and  Egypt,  cannot  be  considered  as 
forming  an  exclusive  part  oJ  the  body  of  the  third  beast, 
because  they  were  originally  provinces  belonging  to  the 
second  beast.  This  will  necessarily  follow  from  Sir  Isaac's 
own  scheme.     If,    as  he  supposes,  Greece  and  its  de- 

*  Observ.  on  Daniel,  p  SI,  32, 
f  Namely,  because  the  Roman  emperor  of  Constantinople  was  the  sixth  head  of 
•.he  beast,  and  ooneequentfy  «annot  be  esteemed  one  of  A/?  horns  liKewisp^ 
VOL..  I.  '  19 


14G 

pendent  provinces  must  not  be  esteemed  a  part  of  the 
body  of  Hit  Rom  cm  beasts  because  they  originally  belong- 
ed to  ike  IMacedonian  beast  :  then,  in  order  that  the 
scheme  may  be  consistent  vvitli  itself,  Asia  Minor,  Syriay 
ami  E^i)Pt->  must  not  be  esteemed  a  part  of  iJie  body  of 
the  Mai  cdonian  beast-,  because  they  previously  belonged 
to  the  Medo-Persian  beast.  Or,  to  state  the  same  argu- 
ment in  a  somewhat  different  form  :  if  the  body  of  the 
Medo-Persian  beast  is  to  be  conflned  within  the  strict 
hmits  ({Media  and  Persia  properly  so  called,  as  vSir  Isaac 
supposes;  then,  in  a  similar  manner,  the  body  of  the  Ma- 
cedonian beast  must  be  conlined  within  the  limits  of  Ma- 
cedon  and  Greece  s  and  the  body  of  the  Roviun  beast, 
within  those  of  Italy :  in  which  case  it  will  be  a  vain  la- 
bour to  look  either  tor  the  four  hcads^'  of  the  third  beast, 
or  for  the  ten  horns  of  the  fourth  beast.  The  truth  is,  no 
less  than  two  out  of  the  four  heads  of  the  third  beast, 
namely,  the  Syrian  kingd'in  of  Seleucus  and  the  Egyptian 
kivgdo7n  of  Ptolemy,  sprung  up  within  the  limits  of  the 
Persian  empire,  after  it  had  been  subdued  by  Alexan- 
der :  consequently,  if  a  part  of  the  Persian  empire  is  to 
be  included  in  tJie  body  of  tlie  third  beast,  forming  his 
two  mo  t  powerful  heads;  there  cannot  be  assigned  any 
reason,  why  a  part  of  the  third  beast,  namely  Greece  and 
the  eastern  provi'  ces,  which  afterwards  constituted  the 
Momano-Constai  tinopolitan  einpire,  should  not  be  includ- 
ed '\ii  tlie  body  of  the  fourth  beast.  Hence  I  am  reluc- 
tantly constrained  to  assert,  that  the  scheme  of  separat- 
ing the  eastern  empire  from  the  body  of  the  fourth  beast, 
laid  down  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  adopted  by  l]p.  New- 
ton, must  necessarily  be  erroneous :  because,  if  allowed 
to  be  just,  it  will  force  us,  in  order  to  preserve  the  con- 
sistency of  prophecy,  to  separate  from  the  body  of  the 
Macedonian  beast  his  two  eastern  Iieads  of  Syria  and 
•^A'ypt  ;  inasmuch  as  both  those  countries  were  pro- 
vinces of  the  Medo-Persiau  emp  re,  before  they  became 
heads  of  the  Macedonian  empire. 

In  preference  then  to  Sir  Isaac's  scheme,  I  am  rather 

*  It  is  almoBt  superfluous  to  remind  \he  reader,  that  t/ic  four  heads  of  the 
third  beast  in  Ui  vision  ni  the  fuur  gie  t  beasts  are  the  same  as  the  four  liorut 
t>J  the  he-s;oat  in  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat. 


■     147 

inclined  to  think,  that  the  four  heasU  are  ike  four 
^reat  empires-,  considered  as  respectively  extending;  to 
their  several  utmost  limits  :  so  that  the  Medo- Persian 
empire  comprehends  not  only  Media  and  Persia,  but 
li.'.ewise  Chahiea,  Assyria-,  Asia  Minor,  Si/ria,  and 
Egypt  :  the  Mocedonian  empire,  not  ojily  Greece,  but 
likewise  tlie  former  empire  of  Persia  :  and  the  Roman 
empire,  by  a  parity  of  reasoning,  not  only  Italif  and  tiie 
West,  but  likewise  Greece,  Egypt,  and  Asia  as  far  as  the 
Euphrates.^ 

As  for  specifying  what  powers  are  now  the  ten  horns,  I 
cannot  but  consider  it  as  absurd  to  attempt  it.  History 
has  decidedly  shewn,  that  the  kingdoms,  into  which  the 
Roman  empire  was  divided,  never  continued  long  in  the 
same  state  :  nor  is  it  at  all  necessary  for  the  completion 
of  the  prophecy,  that  they  should  have  done  so.  Two 
of  the  horns  of  the  Macedonian  he-goat  were  soon  swal- 
lowed up  by  the  m">st  powerful  of  the  other  two  horns  : 
and  the  great  Latin  city,  exclusive  I  apprehend  of  those 
protestant  powers  which  have  come  out  of  it,  will  event- 
ually be  divided  into  no  more  than  three  parfs:\  Still 
however  the  Roman  beast  is  symbolically  represented  as 
having  ten  horns.t  because  such  was  the  original  num- 
ber into  which  his  empire  was  di\'ided  ;  as  four  was  the 
original  number  into  which  the  empire  of  the  he-goat 
was  divided.  "  Though  the  kingdom  of  Alexander,'' 
says  Bp.  Newton,  "was  divided  into  four  principal  parts, 
yet  only  two  of  them  have  a  place  allotted  in  Daniel's 
last  prophecy  of  the  things  noted  in  the  Scripture  of 
truth,  Egypt  and  Syria.  These  i7Vo  were  b}'  fur  the 
p^reatest  and  most  considerable :  and  these  t7Vo  at  one 
time  were  in  a  manner  the  only  remaining  kingdoms  of 
the  four  :  the  kingdom  of  Macedon  having  been  con- 
quered by  Lysim:chus  and  annexed  to  Thrace;  and 
Lysimachus  again  having  been  conquered  by  Seleucus, 

*  This  win  shew  us  the  reason  wliy  the  Roman  beast  is  represented  as  being 
compounded  of  a  lion,  a  bear,  and  a  leopard.  (Re  .  xiii.  2  )  His  empire  com- 
prehended the  greatest  part  of  the  dominions  of  the  Babuloniaii  lion,  the  Medo- 
Peraian  bear,  dXid  the  Macedonian  leopard ;  in  addition  to  which  he  had  ten 
horns  or  kmg(lfi7ns  in  his  pecuUar  sovereignty  in    the  West 

+  See  Uev.  xvi.  19,  Concerning  this  earthquake  more  will  be  said  hc-eafter. 
^  See  Uev.  xvii.  16. 


148 

and  fJw  kins^donns  of  Macedon  and   Thrnce  annexed  to 
Siiriay*     Such  being  the  fate   of  two  out  of  the  four 
honis  of  the  he-griat,  I  know  not  why  some  expositors 
should  apparently  think  themselves  bound  to  labour  to 
discover  ten  horns  for  the  Roman  beast  at  any  other  pe- 
riod except  that  when  his  empire  was  originallij  divided.! 
Machiavel,   as  we  have  seen    merely  as  a  political  histo- 
rian, and  without  the  least  intention  of  supporting  a  fa- 
vourite system,    informs  us,    that  the  empire  was  broken 
by  the  northern  nations  into  precisely  fen  primnry  hing- 
doms.     This  circumst'ince  almie  therefore  is  sufTicient  for 
the  completion   of  the  prophecy,  th.it  the  ten  horns  of 
the  fourth  beast  are  ten  /v;/^.?  that  shall  arise  out  of  his 
kingdom  ;t  just  as  the  division  of  Alexander's  cm}iire  m- 
Xofvr  kingdoms  was  alone  sufficient  for  the  completion 
•of  the  prophecy,  that/b^/r  kingdvis  should  stand  up  out 
of  his  nation.^     The  special  badge  of  the  he-goat  is  his 
fonr  horns ^  and  the  special  badge  of  the  Roman  beast  is 
his  ten  hums ;  although  both  these  numbers  afterwards 
varied.     Hence  we  may  just  as  reasonably  expect,   that 
the  Macedonian  beast   should   atways  have   four    horns 
during  the  whole  period  of  his  existence  after  their  rise, 
because  four  horns  are  said  to  have  sprung  up  out  of 
him  when  his  great  horn  was  broken ;  as  that  the  Ro- 
man beast  should  always  have  ten  horns  during  the  whole 
period  of  his  existence  after  their  rise,  because  when  his 
empire  was  divided  exactly  ten  kings  were  to  ari^e  out 
of  it.     The  two  symbols  are,  in  fact,  each  formed  from 
a  view  of  the  primary  division  of  the  Macedonian  and 
Roman  empires  ;  nor  was  it  designed,  nor  indeed  was  it 
possible,    that  they  should  be  exhibited  as  perpetually 
varying   with   the   ever   varying  revolutions   of  nations. 
On  these  grounds  I   think  it  of  ver}^   little  consequence 
to  the  completion  of  the  prophecy  to  have  discovered, 
that   there  were  ten  kingdoms  in  the  year  1240  at   the 
time  of  the  diet  of  Ratisl:)on  ;    ten  hkewise  at  tlie  Refor- 

*  Dissert,  xvi. 

I  Sir  Tr.aac  Xcwton  very  jusUy  rcmaiks,  that,  "  whatever  was  their  number 
aft*  TW  urtis,  thiy  are  still  callcd't/ie  fr:i  kirga  from  their  first  number."  Ob- 
cerv.  on  Daniel,  C.  vi  p  78. 

jDan.vii.  21.  §  Dan.  viii.  22. 


149 

fnation;  and  ien^ho  in  the  year  1706.*  The  ten  horns 
of  the  Roman  beast  are  certainly  the  ten  primary  king- 
doms enumerated  by  Machiavcl  ;  and,  since  three  of  the 
first  horns  were  to  be  })liicked  up  before  the  little  horn-> 
we  must  seek  for  those  three  horns  among  the  ten  pri- 
mary kingdoms  :  how  the  empire  was  af tcrivards  ^\\\A^^ 
is  a  matter  of  no  great  moment  ;  its  subsequent  pohtical 
revolutions  affect  not  in  the  slightest  degree  the  accurac}' 
of  the  prophecy. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Concerning  the  "vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat-,  and 
the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat. 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S  dream  of  the  image, 
and  Daniel's  vision  of  the  four  beasts  and  the  little  horti 
of  the  fourth  beast,  contain  predictions  relative  to  the 
four  great  empires  and  the  domineering  tyrcmny  of  the 
Papacy.  These  matters,  so  important  to  the  Church, 
having  been  clearly  set  forth,  the  Holy  Spirit,  now  pur- 
posing to  describe  the  exploits  of  another  great  enemy  to 
Christianity ;  recalls,  in  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he- 
goaf.,  the  attention  of  Daniel  to  the  second und  third  em- 
pires, whose  prophetic  history  had  been  already  detailed, 
for  the  purpose  of  introducing  another  little  horn,  which 
was  to  come  out  of  07ic  of  the  principal  horns  of  the 
Macedonian  beast,  as  the  former  little  horn  sprung  up 
among  the  ten  horns  of  the  Roman  beast. 

In  Daniel's  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat,  the  ram 
symbolizes  the  saine poxver  as  the  ^e«r  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  vision  ;  and  the  he-goat,  the  sa?7ie pozter  rs  the 
leopard.  The  ram  therefore,  stand  ng  before  the  river, 
is  the  Medo  r'ersian  empire  ;  and  his  txco  horns  are  the 
tyco  kingdoms  of  Media  and  Persia  :  the   higher   one, 

•  See  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert.  \iv. 


150 

which  came  up  last,  being  Persia,  the  head  of  tlie  em- 
j)ire;  and  tfie  loxvero7ic,  which  came  up  first  being  Medidi 
united  witli,  though  subjected  to,  Persia.  The  ram  ex- 
tended his  conquests  ivestzvanU  nortlizvard,  and  south- 
ward :  icestzvard,  as  far  as  the  extreme  limits  of  Asia; 
northrvard,  over  Armenia  and  Cappadocia  ;  and  soiith- 
ica  d,  over  Egypt,  and  as  far  as  the  Persian  gulph.  East- 
ward he  made  comparatively  but  little  progress,  being 
stopped  by  the  vast  deserts  of  Tartar}^  and  tlie  mighty 
empire  of  Hindostan. 

In  the  plenitude  of  his  power  however,  and  at  the 
very  time  when  no  other  beast  could  stand  before  him, 
he  was  attacked  by  an  unexpected  enemy,  the  he-goat^ 
or  the  Macedonian  empire.  Moving  with  unexampled 
rapidity  from  the  West,  the  founder  of  this  mighty  sove- 
reignty soon  completely  a\'erthrew  the  ram-,  and  broke 
his  two  horns.  After  this  daring  exploit,  the  he-goat 
*'  waxed  very  great,"  extending  his  arms  even  into  Hm- 
dostan,  as  well  as  subjugating  Egypt  and  all  the  other 
dominions  of  the  ram.  But,  notwithstanding  this  sudden 
and  astonishing  acquisition  of  power,  his  great  horn  was 
destined  to  be  broken,  even  in  the  very  h-'ight  of  his 
strength.  Accordingly,  the  imperial  dynasty  ol  tlie  great 
horn  lasted  no  more  than  fifteen  years  after  the  death  of 
Alexander  ;  within  which  short  space  of  time  his  suc- 
cessors, Philip  Arideus,  Alexander  Egus,  and  Plercules, 
were  all  murdered.  After  them  the  empire  was  divided 
into  four  kingdoms,  typified  by  the  four  horns  of  the 
goat,  and  the  four  heads  of  the  leopard  mentvned  in  the 
preceding  vision.  Cassander  h(  Id  Macedon  and  G recce  ; 
Lysimachus  had  TJirace  ami  Bithynia  ;  Ptolemy  made 
himself  master  of  Egypt  ;  and  Seleucus  obtained  Syria 
and  the  Ea<t.  Thus  exactly  was  fulfilled  the  prophecy, 
that  Jour  kingdoms  should  arise  out  of  Alexander's  em- 
pire, go\erned  by  princes  of  his  own  nation,  though  nei- 
ther of  his  own  family,  nor  with  power  equal  to  that 
which  he  hud  possessed. 

Hitherto  all  commentators  are  agreed ;  but  there  has 
been  *he  same  discrepancy  of  opinion  respecting  the  little 
hoi  n  oj  the  he-goat,  as  the  little  horn  ofthejounh  beast 
whose  prophetic  history  we  last  considered.     J3p.  Newton 


151 

observes,  that  the  generality  of  expositors,  both  ancient 
and  modern,  Jewish  and  Christian,  have  referred  the  ex- 
ploits of  this  second  little  horn  to  Antiochiis  Epiplianes  ;* 
but  this  opinion  has  been  so  amply  refuted,  both  by  him- 
self and  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  that  it  would  be  superfluous 
for  me  to  do  more  than  barely  mention  that  it  has  exist- 
ed. I  am  inclined  to  think  however,  that  these  two  emi- 
nent waiters  have  been  more  successful  in  combating 
the  formerly  received  interpretation,  than  in  establishing 
their  own.  They  both  contend,  that  the  httle  horn,  is 
the  Roman  empire ;  and  that  it  became  the  little  horn  of 
the  he-goat  hy  ?>ubd.umg  Macedon  and  Greece:  that  this 
supposition  is  strengthened  by  the  progress  of  the  Roman 
conquest  from  Macedon  ;  which,  like  those  of  the  little 
horn,  extended  towards  the  south,  the  east,  and  the  pleas- 
ant land :  and  that,  lastly,  it  is  decidedly  established  by 
the  circumstance  of  tlie  little  horn  being  represented  as 
standing  up  against  the  Prince  of  princes,  as  ta/di/g  away 
the  daily  sacrifice,  and  as  planting  the  ahomniation  of 
desolation  in  the  sanctuary,  which  our  Lord  himself  refers 
to  the  conquest  oj  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans. 

I  readily  allows  that  these  points  of  resemblance  are 
very  striking  ;  nevertheless  it  will  be  found  upon  exami- 
nation, that  there  are  insuperable  objections,  principally 
of  a  chronological  nature,  to  this  exposition  of  the  pro- 
phecy. 

1.  The  first  objection,  that  may  be  urged  against  it,  is 
the  improbability,  that  the  same  power,  which  in  the  former 
vision  was  represented  under  the  symbol  of  ^  great  and 
terr  ble  beast,  should  now  be  described  under  that  of  on- 
ly a  little  horn.  In  prophetic  imagery  there  is  to  the 
full  as  exact  a  discrimination  of  ideas  as  in  ordinar}^  lan- 
guage ;  otherwise,  as  I  have  already  sufficiently  proved, 
there  could  be  no  deliniteness  and  precision  in  any  of  the 
symbolical  predictions.  Accordingly  v.e  shall  find,  thai. 
an  universal  empi'-e  is  never  symbolized  hy  a  horn,-\  but 

*  See  Dp.  Newton's  Dissert,  xv.  and  Pol.  Synop.  in  loc. 
+  It  may  perhaps  be  thought,  that  the  great  horn  of  the  he-goat  is  an  excep- 
lion  to  this  rule,  inasmuch  as  it  represents,  not  a  kingdom  springing  out  of  the 
JIaC'  doiiian  empire,  but  the  imperial  (bmcisty  of  Alexander,  which  presided  over 
the -rr/jo/e  empire.  This  objection  however  will  vanish,  when  we  consider, 
tliat,  if  rt  benst  be  described  with  oply  "nchorn,  that  horn  must  neccssarilybeiden 


16'^ 

always  by  a  beast ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  a  king- 
dom, springing  out  ol  such  an  empire,  whin  it  comes  to 
be  divided,  is  ne^  er  symbolized  by  a  beast,  but  always 
by  a  horn.  On  these  grounds,  I  can  scarcely  think  it 
possible,  that  the  Roman  empire  should  be  represented, 
in  one  vision,  as  afoiirtk  dstiuct  beast ;  and,  in  another, 
as  only  a  little  hnn  of  the  hegnat,  which  typifie.^  the 
same  pmitr  as  the  leolmrd,  or  Hard  beast,  of  the  former 
vision.  1  know,  that  Sir  Isaac  and  Bp.  Newton  argue, 
that,  when  the  Romans  conquered  Macedon,  they  became 
in  that  capacity  a  liltle  horn  of  the  third  or  Macedonian 
beast ;  while,  in  the  mean  time,  so  long  as  we  consider 
them  coniined  to  Italy  and  the  West,  they  are  to  be  ac- 
counted a  distinct  fourth  beast.  But,  if  this  mode  of  in- 
terpretation be  allowable,  the  confusion,  which  it  mvst 
introduce,  will  be  endless :  for,  upon  the  same  principle, 
as  soon  as  the  Greeks  have  conquered  a  single  Persian 
province,  we  must  begin,  in  a  similar  manner,  to  reckon 
them  a  horn  of  the  second,  or  Persian  beast :  whence  it 
will  necessarily  follow,  that  the  two  Greek  kingdoms  of 
Syria  and  Egypt  being  originally  provinces  of  Persia, 
must  for  that  reason  be  accounted  horns  of  the  same  se- 
cond beast ;  not,  as  they  are  rei)resented  by  the  j.rophet, 
horns  oitiie  third,  ov  Macedonian  beast. 

2.  Another  objection  against  it  is,  that  it  renders  Dan- 
iel liable  to  the  charge  of  unvarying  repetition.  In  the 
dream  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  history  of  tlie  four  em- 
ptres  is  simply  detailed,  without  the  introduction,  if  I 
may  use  the  expression,  of  any  episodical  matter.  In 
the  vision  of  the  fovr  beasts,  the  history  of  the  same  four 
empires  is  repeated,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  the 
exploits  of  the  little  horn  of  the  fourth  beast.  In  the  vi- 
sion of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat,  the  history  of  the  second 
and  third  empires  is  again  repeated,  for  the  similar  pur- 
pose of  noticing  in  its  proper  place  the  tyranny  of  the 

tified  wiih  the  beaut  itself;  because,  as  tho  circumstance  of  there  beinpmontli.in 
MIL  honi  shews  iltat  the  empire  is  ii.  a  divitlf cl  state,  so  the  circumsiatice  of 
there  bciiip;  no  more  than  our  hom  sljews  that  the  emjjire  is  in  an  undivided 
Slate  When  rt  ^frt«  thereiiire  has  mote  horn.s  than  o;m-,  those  hwus  typify 
kingtlovts  ;  but,  when  a  Uust  has  no  more  than  out-  liorn,  it  is  eyidt  nt,  that  that 
Aoni  cannot  sij^nify  «  kinirdom  bicause  In  imf>ivv  is  yet  undixided  :  it  remains 
conseqiunlly,  th;  t  Me  si.  gU-  ho  n  must  be  identified  witli  the  heaif,  an4  signi- 
fy- the  d.nasli/  btj  ivhiih  he  is  govtnud. 


153 

third  beast's  little  horn.  And,  in  the  last  of  DanieVs  'vi- 
sions,  a  detciiied  account  is  given  of  the  wars  betzveen  the 
Greek  kings  of  Syria  and  Egypt,  and  of  tJie  Roman  co?i- 
quest,  in  the  East,  in  order  that  we  ma}?  be  conducted 
in  strict  chronological  succession  to  the  super-eminent 
wickediiess  of  the  king,  who  xvas  to  exalt  himself  above 
every  god.  From  this  statement  then  it  is  evident,  that, 
il  the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat  or  third  beast  be  the 
Romaji  empire,  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  is 
a  mere  repetition  of  the  greater  part  of  the  vision  of  the 
four  beasts;  the  only  additional  circumstance  that  is 
mentioned  being  the  sacking  of  Jerusalem,  which  itself 
is  repeated  in  the  subsequent  vision,  if  we  adoj.t  the 
opinion,  that  the  abomination  or  transgression  of  desola- 
tion, predicted  by  Daniel  m  each  of  these  visions,  signifies 
i7i  both  cases  the  Roman  profanation  oftheJezvishtemple. 

3.  The  last  and  most  serious  objection  however  against 
the  interpretation  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  the  -Bishop  is, 
that  it  cannot  be  reconciled  zvith  Daniel's  chronological 
numbers ■  The  prophet,  as  I  have  just  observed,  menticms 
the  abomination  or  tra?isgression  of  desolation  in  tzvo 
successive  visions  ;  that  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat,  and 
that  of  the  things  "  noted  in  the  Scripture  of  truth  ;"'* 
and  he  afterwards  speaks  of  it  yet  a  third  time  in  connec- 
tion with  certain  chronological  numbers.!  -Now  our  Lord 
declares,  that  the  abomination  of  desolation,  spo!:en  of  by 
Daniel,  relates  to  the  sackifig  of  Jerusalon  :  and  the 
authority  of  such  an  expositor  of  prophecy  who  shall 
presume  to  question  ?  The  state  of  the  case  then  is,  as 
follows  :  the  phrase  of  abomination  or  transgression  of 
desolation  occurs  three  times  in  the  book  of  Daniel :  did 
our  Lord  mean  to  intimate,  that,  zvherever  it  occured 
in  this  lx)0k,  it  ahvays  related  to  the  sacking  of  Jerusa- 
lem ;  or  that  it  was  only  to  be  referred  to  that  event  in 
one  or  in  txvo  instances  out  of  the  three  ?  This  question 
must  be  resolved  by  a  careful  comparison  of  these  seve- 
ral prophecies  of  Daniel  with  each  other. 

When  Daniel  speaks  of  arms,  like  those  of  a  man,  (an 
apt  symbol  of  a  powerful  and  xvarlike  state,)  standing  up 

•  Dan.  viii.  13.  and  xj.  31.  ;•  IXtti.  x4i.  U,  12. 

VOL.  r.  OQ 


154 

after  the  days  of  the  northern  king  of  Sifria,  polluting 
the  sanctuary,   taking  away  the  daily  sacrifice-,  and  setting 
up  the  abomination  that  maketh  desolate  :*    there  cannot 
be  a  doubt,  but  that  by  those  nervous  and  mighty  arms 
the  Roman  empire  is  symboHzed  ;  both  because  the  east- 
ern  conquests  of  that  repubhc  followed  the  preceding 
events  in  regular   succession  of  time,  and  because  the 
subsequent  events  foretold  in  the  prophecy  followed  the 
eastern  conquests  of  Rome  with  the  same  chronological 
regularity.      Hence   we   may  safely  conclude,   that  the 
abomination  of  desolation,  there  mentioned,  is  the  abomina- 
tion of  desolation  which  our  Lord  applied  to  the  Roynans.^ 
Hitherto  the  subject  is  sulliciently  clear  :  but  we  must 
now  endeavour  to  determine,  whether  the  transgression 
of  desolation,  connected  with  the  little  horn  of  the  third 
beast  or  the  he-gnat,  be  the  same  as  the   abomination  of 
desolation,  set  \J^  by  the  warlike  arms  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem. 

When  Daniel  mentions  the  abomination  of  desolation 
the  third  and  last  tiim-,  he  merely  attaches  to  it  certain 
numbers,  evidently  speaking  of  it  as  a  thing  which  he  had 
already  noticed  in  a  preceding  part  of  his  prophecies. 
Such  being  the  case,  this  last  mentioned  abomination  of 
desolation  must  be  the  same  as  either  the  abomination  of 
desolation,  connected  with  the  little  ham  of  the  he-goat  ; 
the  abomination  of  desolation,  set  up  by  th.c  arms  oi  the 
Roman  empire  ;  or,  lastly,  as  both  these  abominations  of 
desolation,  considered  as  one  and  the  same.  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  and  the  Bishop  do  conceit  e  them  to  be  one  and 
the  same :  for  they  maintain,  that  they  both  equally  relate 
to  the  sacking  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans,  and  their  ido- 
latrous worship  of  their  standards  within  the  "cery  pre- 
cincts of  the  temple. 

If  then  they  be  the  same,  the  last  mentioned  aliomina- 
lion  oj  desolation  must  be  the  same  likewise  :  in  other 
words,  all  the  three  abominations  of  desolation,  predicted 
by  Daniel,  must  be  equally  referred  to  the  sacking  of 
Jerusalem  by  the  Romans  ;   for  we  have  already  seen, 

•  Dan.  xi.  31. 
+  The  same  Roman  abovilnation  of  desolation  is  described,   along  with  the 
destruction  o)F  Jerusalem,  in  yiinicis  prophecy  of  the  70  im:ks.    See  Dan.  i?;. 
2^27. 


155 

tjiat  the  last  mentioned  abomination  must  be  the  same  as 
either  tlie  one^  or  the  others  or  both^  of  the  two  former 
abominations.  But,  if  all  the  three  abominations  of  deso- 
lation are  to  be  considered  as  relating  to  one  and  the  same 
event,  namely,  the  sacking  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Jiomans  ; 
then  the  chronological  numbers,  attached  to  the  last  men- 
tioned abomination^  will  be  found  peifectly  to  harmonize 
with  the  era  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  :  for,  if  they  do 
•not  harmonize  with  that  era,  the  abomination  connected 
with  them  cannot  possibly  relate  to  that  era  :  and,  if  the 
last  mentioned  abomination,  connected  with  those  num- 
bers, do  not  relate  to  that  era,  then  neither  can  one  out 
of  the  two  former  abominations  relate  to  that  era  ;  inas- 
much, as  the  last  mentioned  abomination  must  be  the  same 
as  either  the  one,  or  the  other,  or  both,  of  the  two  former 
abominations  of  desolation. 

These  matters  being  premised,  we  will  next  consider 
how  far  the  numbers,  attached  to  the  last  inentioned  abomi- 
nation of  desolation,  will  harmonize  with  the  era  of  the 
siege  of  Jerusalem. 

We  are  informed  then  by  Daniel,  that,  at  the  end  of 
a  time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time,  or  1260  years,  the  res- 
toration of  the  Jews  will  commence ;  and  that  all  the 
matters  comprehended  within  the  period  of  the  wonders 
will  be  finished  :  that  "  from  the  time  that  the  daily 
mcrifice  shall  be  taken  away,  and  the  abomination  that 
maketh  desolate  set  np,  there  shall  be  1290  years''  to 
some  event  or  another,  which  however  he  does  not  spe- 
cify :  and  that  *'  blessed  is  he,  that  waiteth,  and  cometh 
to  the  1335 years''  after  the  time  when  the  abomination  of 
desolation slmW  be  setup.* 

Such  are  the  numbers,  which  the  prophet  has  connect- 
ed with  the  last  mentioned  abomination  of  desolation  ; 
numbers,  which  by  no  efforts  of  calculation  can  be  made 
to  harmonize  with  the  era  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem ; 
The  capital  of  Palestine  was  taken  by  the  Romans,  and 
one  of  the  abominations  of  desolation  spoken  of  by  Daniel 
was  set  up  by  them  in  the  holy  place,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  70.t  The  Jews  however  were  certainly  not  begin- 
ning to  be  restored  to  their  own  country,  neither  were 

*  Dan.  sU.  r,  11,  12.  +  Chronol.  of  Univ.  liist.  p.  06'^* 


156 

all  the  matters  which  are  comprehended  within  tfie period 

of  the  wo>;ders  linished,  in  the  year  1330,  or  X'l^O years 
after  the  sacking  ol  Jerusalem  :  nor  is  it  easy  to  say 
what  particular  event,  to  which  the  prophet  might  possi- 
bly allude,  happened  iyi  the  year  1360,  or  1990  years 
alter  ilie  same  epoch  :  nor  yet  shall  we  be  able,  without 
the  exertion  of  extraordinary  ingenuity,  to  point  out  the 
peculiar  blessedness  of  living  in  the  year  1405,  or  1335 
yanrs  atter  the  Romans  had  set  up  the  abomination  of  deso- 
lation in  the  temple  and  had  taken  away  the  daily  sacrijice.^ 
Thus  it  is  abundantly  manifest,  that  the  abomination 
(J  desolation  la:t  inent/oned  by  Daniel,  cannot  possibly 
be  the  same  as  the  abomination  of  desolation  set  up  by  the 
Ho  '.ans-,  and  alluded  to  by  our  Lord:  that  is  to  say,  it 
cannot  be  the  same  as  the  abomination  of  desolation,  set 
vp  by  certain  symbolical  arms\,  wliich  were  to  invade  the 
tast,  after  the  days  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.f  But,  if 
it  be  not  the  same  as  the  abomination  of  desolation  set  up 
by  the  symbolical  arms  of  Rome,  it  must  be  the  same  as 
Ihe  abomination  of  desolation  connected  with  the  little  horn 
of  the  he-i^oat :  for  it  is  scarcely  probable,  that  Daniel 
should  speak  of  some  third  abomination  oj  desolation,  en- 
tirely distinct  from  iJie  two  former  ones  ;  and  yet  should 
give  us  no  sort  of  intimation  by  whom  this  supposed  dis- 
tinct third  abomination  should  be  set  up.  If  then  the 
last  mentioned  abomination  of  desolation  be  the  same  as 
ihe  abomination  of  desolation  connected  with  the  little  horn 
of  the  he-goat,  (and  there  is  no  other  mentioned  in  the 
whole  book  of  Daniel,  excepting  this,  M'ith  which  it  can 
be  identified)  it  will  necessarily   follow,   that  the  little 

*  The  computation  will  answei'  no  better  even  if  it  be  made  from  tlie  year 
lo6,  when  .lerusalem  was  finally  destroyed  by  Adrian.  This  event  however 
certainly  cannot  be  ulluded  to  by  our  Lord  ;  both  because  he  declares  that  the 
aboimmition  nf  desolation  spoken  of  by  Daniel  should  stand  in  the  holy  place  be- 
fore that  generation  had  passed  away,  and  because  he  warns  his  disciples  to 
lice  from  Jerusalem  when  they  beheld  it  compassed  with  armies.  Jeiusalem 
accordinply  was  sacken  before  tiiat  j,^eneralion  did  pass  away  ;  and  the  Chvis- 
tians,  profitint^  by  the  prediction  of  their  master,  saved  their  I'ves  by  flight. 
Thfse  circumst:.nce3  decidedly  prove,  that  our  Lord's  prophecy  relates  to  the 
days  <'f  Titus      See  Matt.  xxiv.  15 — .':0,  34.  and  Luke  xxi.  ;0 — .4,  3J. 

f  Up.  Newton  very  justly  applies  the  three  verses  immedia:thi  preceding  the 
menUon  oi  !he  sifmOoiicul  Jioiiuiii  ar7ns  to  the  hisloiv  r,f  :n  iochus  Kpiph.ir.es  : 
consequently  f//f  uboininai ion,  set  up  by  these  arms,  must  of  course  lie  poatei'ior 
to  the  days  of  tliat  tyrant.  (Sec  Dissert,  xvii.)  "  Ai]d  fl/rcr  hxm  (Antiochus) 
^nns  shall  &tand  up."    Dsm.  xi.  21. 


157 

horns  abomination  of  desolation  must  be  something  en- 
tirely distinct  from  the  abomination  of  desolation  set  up  by 
the  symbolical  arms  :  consequently,  since  the  abomination 
of  the  little  horn  is  not  the  same  as  the  abomination  set 
lip  by  the  arms,  the  little  horn  itself  must  be  some  power 
totally  different  from  the  power  symbolized  by  the  arms : 
but  the  arms  are  allowed  by  every  commentator  to  sym- 
bolize the  Romansy  and  no  one  ever  yet  doubted  that  the 
abomination  whicli  thefj  set  up  is  the  very  abomination 
alluded  to  by  our  Lord  :  therefore,  finally,  since  the  little 
horn  is  7iot  the  same  as  the  symbolical  arms,  it  certainly 
cannot  be  the  same  as  the  Roman  empire  in  the  East. 

On  these  grounds,  which  to  myself  at  least  appear 
satisfactory,  I  am  obliged  to  dissent  in  tofo  from  the 
interpretation  proposed  by  Sir  Isaac  and  Bishop  New- 
ton. The  eastern  conquests  of  the  Romans  are  very 
fully  predicted  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  DanieVs  prophe- 
cies ;*  but  they  cannot,  for  the  preceding  chronological 
reasons,  be  at  all  alluded  to  in  the  twelfth  chapter  and  in 
the  history  of  the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat. 

Before  I  dismiss  this  part  of  my  subject,  I  cannot  re- 
frain from  observing,  that  the  force  of  Daniel's  chrono- 
logical numbers,  which  I  have  so  largely  insisted  upon, 
has  in  a  manner  compelled  Bp.  Newton,  notwithstand- 
ing his  previous  interpretation  of  the  vision  of  the  ram 
and  the  he-goat,  to  notice,  among  various  other  conjec- 
tures, what  I  am  persuaded  is  the  true  exposition  of  the 
abomination  of  desolation  connected  with  the  little  horny 
as  contradistinguished  from  the  Roman  abomination  of 
desolation.  "  The  setting  up,"'  says  he,  "  of  tlie  abomi- 
nation cf  desolation  appears  to  be  a  general  phrase,  and 
comprehensive  of  various  events.  It  is  applied  by  the 
writer  of  the  first  book  of  Maccabees  to  the  profanation 
of  the  temple  by  Antiochvs-,  and  his  setting  up  the  i?Kage 
ef  Jupiter  Olympius  upon  the  altar  of  God.j  It  is  ap- 
plied by  our  Saviour  J  to  the  destruction  of  the  city  and 

.  Ver.  30,  31.  +  1  Mac.  i.  54. 

\  It  is  more  than  merely  applied  -•  our  Lord  cxpresshi  pronounces,  that  the  ap- 
proa<-hing  profanation  of  the  temple  by  the  liomans  was  the  evei.it  intauJed  by  some 
one  of  the  abominations  of  desolation  mentioned  by  the  prophet  Daniel.  The 
abomination  to  which  our  Lord  alluded,  is,  as  \ve  have  seen,  that  predicted  in 
Dan.  xi.  3L 


158 

iemple  by  the  Romans,  under  the  conduct  ot  Titus,  in  the 
re.gi]  of  Vespasian.*  It  may  for  the  same  reason  be  ap- 
plied to  t!.e  Roman  Emperor  Adrian  s  building  a  tem^da 
to  Jupiter  Capitolinus ,in  thesame place  ivhere  the  tem" 
pie  of  God  had  stood  ;  and  to  tlie  misery  of  the  Jews, 
and  tlie  desolation  of  Judea,  that  followed.  It  may  -aith 
eq>'aljustce  be  applied  to  the  Mohammedans  inr  ding 
a)id desolating  Christ endoiUy  andconverting  the  churches 
into  mosques  :  and  this  latter  event  seemeth  to  ha  e  ueeti 
particularly  intended  in  this  passage.^  If  this  interpre- 
tation be  true,  the  religion  of  Mohammed  xviU  ^'revail  in 
the  East  the  space  of  llQO  years  :  and  then,  a  great  and 
glorious  rexolutio7i2vill follow  ;  perhaps  the  restoration 
oj' the  Jews,  perhaps  thedestructiono'  Antichrist :  but  an- 
other still  greater  a)id  more  glorious  xvill  succeed ;  and 
"what  can  this  be  soprobably  as  ihef  nil  conversion  of  the 
gentiles  totheChurchof  Christ ,andthc beginningof  the 
Tnillcnnium  or  reign  of  the  saints  upon  earth  '^  tor,  bles- 
sed is  he,  that  xcaiteth  andcometh  tu  the  \S35  days'^X 

Mr.  Kett,  in  his  exposition  of  the  vision  ol  the  ram  and 
ihehe-goat,su])YiOsesthelittlehornofthehe-goatorAIace- 
donian  empire  pi'imavWy  to  mean  the  Mohainmedan  A  post  a- 
cy  of  tlie  East,iiud  ultimately  the  Gallic  Infidelity  of  the 
IP  est.  Tliis  opinion  however  he  maintains,  without  wish- 
ing to  invalidate  the  Ibrmer  applications  of  the  prophecy 
both  to  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  and  to  the  Romans.  In 
short,  unless  I  have  entirely  mistaken  his  meaning,  the 
little  horn  of  the  he-goat  was  designed  by  the  prophet  to 
ty  pify  no  less  than  four  distinct  powers  ;  Antiochus  Epi- 
phanes, the  Ronan  empire  in  the  East,  the  Mohammedati 
superstition,  and  the  infidel  republic  of  France.^  Had 
JVIr.  Kctt  confined  the  application  of  this  s,  mbol  to  the 
false  religion  of  Mohammed,  I  could  have  given  my  heart}'' 
assent  to  his  scheme  :  but  unfortunately  he  has  mar- 
red his  whole  exposition,  by  involving  the  pn^piaccy  re- 
specting the  little  horn  of  the  he-goator  third  beast  in  the 
same  j)erplexing  confusion  oi primary  and  secondary  and 
ultimate  accomplishments,   as  Jie   had  pre\'iously  done 

*  Matt.  xxiv.  15.  +  Dan.  xii.  11. 

%  Dissert,  xvii. 

$  Hist  the  Inter.  Vol.  1.  p.  346— 3o9,  oQp. 


159 

tliat  respecting  the  little  horn  of  the  fourth  beast.  So  Lax 
a  mode  of  interpretation  as  this  ought  ever  to  be  v/armly 
protested  against,  because  it  utterly  destroys  all  definite- 
iiess  and  precision  in  the  sacred  oracles.     If  the  same 
prophecy  maybe  construed  to  relate  to  so  many  totally 
different  periods  and  events^  we  must  bid  an  everlasting 
farewell  to  all  certainty  of  exjjosition.     So  far  as  any 
knowledge  is  concerned  that  loe  can  derive  from  a  pro- 
phecy of  such  a  nature,  it  m.ust,  so  long  as  this  world 
endures,  remain  to  us  a  sealed  book.     Sir  Isaac  Newton 
and  the  bishop  have  amply  refuted  the  opinion,  that  the 
little  horn  of  the  he-goat  is  Antiochiis  Epiphanes :  and, 
how  far  their  application  of  it  to  the  lioman  empire  be 
tenable,  the  reader  must  judge  for  himself  from   what 
has  been  said  upon  that  subject.     As  for  Mr.  Kett's  con- 
jecture, that  it  relates  ultimately  to  the  infidel  poxver  of 
France,  it  will  be  sufficieiit  to  observe  respecting  it,  that 
a  horn,  which  was  to  spring  up  in  the  East,  can  never 
be  d-signed  to  typify  a  power,  which  has  arisen  in  the. 
TVest.     In  the  right  interpretation  of  prophecy  it  is  not 
enough  to  discover  mere  partial  resemblances,  and  thence 
to  infer  that  such  a  symbol  belongs  to  such  an  event :  be- 
fore we  venture  to  decide,  we  ought  to  point  ont  a  per- 
fect similitude  between  the  type  and  its  antitype,  a  simi- 
litude of  such  a  nature  as  utterly  to  exclude  all  events 
which  will  not  tally  in  every  respect  with  the  symbolical 
history  under  consideration.     Thus,  in  the  present  in- 
stance, Antiochus  Epiphanes  has  some  features  which 
very  much  resemble  those  ot  the  little  horn  ;  but  the  pe- 
riod of  his  persecution  cannrt  be  accommodated  eilher 
to  the  2300  days  mentioned  in  the  vision  of  the  ram  and 
Uie  he-goat  or  to  the  three  prophetic  periods  of  1260, 
1290,  and  1335,   days,  specified  towards  the  conclusion 
of  Daniel's  last  vision,  even  if  those  days,  contrary  to  the 
whole  method  of  prophecy,  be  computed  as  natural  ones : 
therefore  the  little  horn  cannot  be  Atitiochus  Epiphanes. 
So  again :  the  Romans  have  many  features  in  common 
with  the  little  horn,  insomuch  that  the  grand  character- 
istic of  both  is  designated  by  tl.e  very  same  phrase  of 
setting  up  the  abomination  of  desolation  ;■  yet  the  era  of 
the  sacking  of  Jerusalem  can  in  no  wise  be  reconciled 


160 

with  the  periods  oflQGOy  1290,  and  l33oy  years  :  there* 
fore  the  little  horn  cannot  be  thelioman  en:pire  *  Lastly, 
the  impioKS XV retches,  who  conxieried  France  into  an  athe- 
istical democracy)  have  doubtless,  like  the  little  horn, 
waxed  great  against  the  host  of  lieaven,  have  magnified 
themselves  even  against  the  prince  of  the  host,  and  have 
cast  down  the  truth  to  the  ground  ;  nevertheless,  those 
hardened  miscreants,  Voltaire  and  his  associates,  did  not 
arise  in  the  East,  but  in  thelVesty  and  the  period  of  the 
French  Revolution  can  as  little  be  accommodated  to  the 
prophetic  numbers  as  either  of  the  two  foregoing  periods; 
therefore  French  Infidelity  cannot  be  the  little  horn. 

I  shall  now  endeavour  to  ascertain,  what  thai  pozver 
is,  which  alone  is  designated  by  this  symbol. 

Daniel  informs  us,  in  his  account  ol  the  vision  of  the 
ram  and  the  he-goaty-X\i?i\  he  heard  a  certain  saint  inquir- 
ing, "  For  how  long  a  time  shall  the  vision  last,  the  daily 
sacrifice  be  taken  away,  and  the  transgression  of  deso- 
lation continue,  to  give  both  the  sanctuary  and  the  host  to 
be  trodden  under  foot  ?"  The  answer  made  to  this  ques- 
tion was,  *'Unto  txvo  thousand  ana  three  hundred  da  is  ;* 
or,  as  the  Seventy  read,  '■^  two  thousand  four  hundred 
days  ;"  or  as  certain  copies  mentioned  by  Jerome  read, 
*'  tzvo  thousand  two  hundred  days  :  then  shall  the  sanc- 
tuary be  cleansed."  lip.  Newton  doubts,  whether  ihes^ 
prophetic  days  are  to  be  calculated  from  'he  establisment 
of  the  Persian  empire^  from  the  invasion  of  Asia  by  Alex- 
ander, or  from  the  beginning  oj  the  history  of  the  little 
horn.  Whatever  U'  ubt  theie  may  be  upon  this  point, 
and  whatever  diiHci.ity  there  may  be  in  ascertaining 
which  of  the  three  readings  is  the  ti  ue  one,  1  cannot  but 
think  it  sulliciently  evident,  both  tlial  the  \  260  days  -dre 
a  certain  part  of  the  '2300  days,  and  that  these  iwo ,  eriods 
exactly  terminate  together  in  he  self  same  year  We 
are  expressly  told,  thai  the  vision  of  the  mm  and f he  //c* 
goat,  whenever  it  begins,  leaches  to  the  timcuj  the  end:] 

*  I  have  already  assigned  q'Ac/-  reasons,  besides  this  diroiologkal  one,  why 
it  is  scarcely  prMbable,  thai  ./ 1-  ,ie-goac's  little  horn  should  have  been  ocsigned 
to  symbolizi-  the  U.ituim 

+  •*  Understand,  O  son  of  maii  for  the  vision  shall  reach  even  unu.  the  time  t^ 
the  end — it  shall  reach  evea  \f)  the  appointed  (inv  of  the  end.''     D*n.  viu.  17. 19. 


161 

and  we  are  no  less  expressly  informed,  that/o  the  end  of  the 
peHod  ofihexvonders-i  there  shall  be  three  times  and  a  half 
or  \%<60  days  ;*  hence  it  necessarily  follows, that,  since  ike 
period  of  ^ioCX)  days,  and  the  period  of  V2Q0  da-ys,  botii 
equally  re^ch  to  the  time  of  the  etid-,ox  to  theend  of  the  pe- 
riod of  the  wonders,  they  both  exactly  terminate  together. 
Thus  it  appears,  that  the  period  of  I'^CyO  days  is  in  fact  the 
latter  part  of  the  greater periodoi  '^oOOdays.  This  opin- 
ion perfect!}^  harmonizes  with  what  we  are  repeatedly  told, 
both  by  Daniel  and  St.  John,  respecting  tlie  termiuafion  of 
the  2I-300  and  he  l^GOdays.  We  are  informed,  for  instance, 
that  the  sanctuar}^  which  had  been  polluted  by  the  abomi- 
nation of  desolation  connected  with  the  little  horn  of  the 
he  goat,  shall  be  cleansed  at  the  end  of  the  ^300,  tJie 
^200,  or  the  ^2400  days,]  whichever  of  these  three  be  the 
proper  reading  :%  that  the  saints  are  to  be  delivered  into 
the  hand  of  the  little  horn  of  the  fourth  beast,  which  has 
been  shewn  to  be  the  Papacy,  until  a  time,  times,  and 
the  dividing  of  time,  or  1260  days ;  consequently  that 
they  are  to  be  freed  from  his  tyranny  at  the  end  of  that 
period  .-(S  that  the  Jexvs  shall  begin  to  be  restored  e if  the 
end  of  the  same  time,  times,  and  a  half,  or  1S60  days  :\\ 
that  the  king,  who  is  to  magnijy  himself  above  every  o-od, 
shall  come  to  his  end  contemporaneously  with  the  res- 
toration of  the  Jews ;  and  consequently  at  the  end  of  the 
same  1260  days  :M  that  the  court  of  the  temple,  and  the 
holy  city,  shall  be  trodden  under  foot  of  the  gentiles  dur- 
ing the  same  space  of  ^'^ prophetic  months,  or  1260  days; 
and  consequently  that  they  shall  cease  to  be  trodden  un- 
der foot  at  the  end  of  that  period  :*^'  that  the  ten-horned 
beast  shall  practise  prosperously  in  his  revived  state,  dar- 
ing the  same  space  ojhi'lmonthsy  or  IQQO  days  ;  and  coji- 

*"  Until  how  long  shsWhethe  end  of  t.he  ivonders^—lt  shall  be  until  a  time 
and  times  and  a  half;  and,  when  he  sliall  have  finished  to  scatier  the  power  of 
the  holy  people,  all  these  things  shall  be  finished.  And  I  Jieard,  but  I  under- 
stood not :  then  said  I,  O  my  Lord,  what  is  the  end  uf  thae  thin^^s  ?  And  he 
said.  Go  thy  way,  Daniel,  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and  sealed  till  the  thne 
<'Jthe  end."     Daniel  xii.  6—9. 

^  I  sliall  hereafter  shew,  that  the  sanc.tuanj,  which  was  to  be  cleansed  at  the 
end  of  this  prophetic  period,  was  the  spiritual  sanciucv-y  of  the  Christian  Church 
not  the  literal  sanctuary  of  the  Jexvish  temple.  (See  liev.   xi.  1,  2.)    'Miis  spiriinal 
:;anctHary  will  he  cleansed  by  the  ovej-throw  of  the  tivo  little  horns  of  the  third 
^ndjourth  6easts. 

+  Dan.  viii.  14.  §  Dan.  vil.  25.  |)  Danu  xii.  7.  If  Dan.  xi,.45.  jaIA.  **'I?ev.  si.  ? 
VOL.  I:  QJ 


166 

spquentl}'  shall  cease  to  practise  prosperously  at  the  end 
of  that  period  :*  that  the  witnesses  shall  prophesy  in 
sackcloth  during  the  same  1260  days  ;  and  consequently 
shall  cease  to  prophesy  in  sackcloth  at  the  end  of  that 
period  :t  and  lastly,  that  the  symbolical  xco?nan,  or  the 
spiritual  church,  shall  be  driven  into  the  wilderness  dur- 
ing the  same  space  of  IQ60  daysy  or  three  prophetic  years 
and  a  half  ;  and  consequently  that  she  shall  be  delivered 
from  her  thraldom  at  the  end  of  that  period.  J 

We  are  likewise  taught,  that  the  end  of  these  two  con- 
termmating  periods  of  2300  and  1260  days  will  be  mark- 
ed by  a  wonderful  display  of  the  power  of  God.  At  the 
€7id  of  the  9o00  days,  the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat  will 
be  broken  without  hand  :^  at  the  endoiihe  1260  days, 
the  judgment  will  sit,  and  the  dominion  oi  the  papal  horn 
or  the  little  horn  of  the  fourth  beasts  will  be  utterly  de- 
stroyed by  the  Son  of  man  :||  at  the  end  of  the  same  1260 
days,  the  king,  xcho  magnified  himself  above  every  god, 
will  undertake  the  expedition  which  will  terminate  in 
his  destruction ;  and  at  that  very  time  the  restoration  of 
the  Jexvs  will  commence  :1[  at  the  end  of  the  sam,e  1260 
days,  the  ten-horned  beast,  which  was  to  practise  pros- 
perously in  his  ixvived  state  42  prophetic  months,  and 
along  with  him  his  false  prophet,  willjbe  ultimately,  that 
is,  at  the  end  of  those  42  months,  defeated  in  a  great  bat- 
tle with  the  personal  Word  of  God  ;**  and  lastly,  the 
man  of  sin  w'lW finally,  and  therefore  at  the  end  of  the 
same  1260  days,  he  consumed  with  the  spirit  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord,  and  destroyed  with  the  brightness  of 
his  coming-tt 

From  an  attentive  consideration  of  all  these  different 

•  Rev.  xiii.  5.  +  Rev.  xi.  3. 

^  Rev.  xli.  6,  14.  Throughout  the  whole  of  this  statement,  the  reader  will 
of  course  understand  me  to  mean,  not  Uiat  the  ianctuary  will  he  perfectly  c\c:ins- 
cd,  or  that  the  beast  and  the  khiff  and  the  honu  will  be  perfectly  overthrown  ; 
but  only  that  Uiose  great  events  will  then  begin  to  take  place,  that  fjod's  con- 
troversy with  the  nations  will  then  covimencc.  Matters  of  such  moment  may 
degin,  but  cannot  be  accojyipUshed,  in  a  sinplc  day.  Accordingly  wc  have  rea- 
son to  believe  from  Daniel,  that  Uie  whole  k-nglh  of  God's  controversy  will  be 
no  less  than  30  i/eara. 

$  Dan  viii.  U,  25.  |)  Dan.  vii.  25,  ?6. 

1i  Dan.  xi.  40.  xii.  1,7.  ••  Kcv.  xix.  19,  20. 

•f  +  2  Thess.  ii.  8  The  re.idcr  will  here  again  understand  mc  to  mean,  that 
these  events  will  bcpn  \o  take  place  at  t)ie  cud  of  the  tvo  contcrminating  pcj 
4-iod9 


t63 

.dassaf^es,  and  from  the  plain  declaration  of  the  angel  both 
in  the'vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goaf,  and  in  the  last 
chapter  of  Daniel's  prophecies,  it  must,  I  think,  undeni- 
ably follow,  that  the  ^300  days,  and  the  1260  days,  ter- 
minate together :  that,  in  the  course  of  the  memorable 
period  wli  ch  commences  at  the  termination  of  these 
days,  the  papal  hor7i,  the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat,  the 
ten  horned  beast  or  revived  Roman  empire,  the  king  who 
magnified  himself  above  every  god,  and  the  man  of  sin, 
(whatever  powers  they  may  severally  prefigure)  will  all 
J3e  overthrown,  in  some  manner  or  another,  natural,  or 
supernatural,  by  the  victorious  Word  of  God  :  and  that 
in  the  course  of  the  same  memorable  period,  the  abomina- 
tion of  desolation  connected  xvith  thehe-goat's  little  korn, 
will  be  removed ;  the  sanctuary  of  the  spiritual  temple  be 
cleansed  ;  and  the  Jexvs  be  restored  to  their  own  land. 

It  has  been  shewn,  that  the  period,  whence  the  L^GO 
days  ought  apparently  at  least  to  be  computed,  is  the 
year  606 ;  because  in  that  year  the  saints  were  given  mto 
the  hand  of  the  papal  lit'le  horn.  Having  tlierefore 
ascertained  this  period,  as  far  as  matters  of  this  nature 
can  be  ascertained,  we  shall  now  be  able  both  to  point 
out  the  power  symbolized  by  the  lit  tie  homo f  the  he-goat, 
and  to  determine  whether  6200,  2300,  or  2400  days,  be 
the  proper  reading  of  that  greater  number,  of  which  the 
1260  days  constitute  the  last  part. 

Since  the  angel  informs  Daniel,  that  all  the  wonders 
«hall  be  finished  at  the  end  of  10.60  days  ;  and  afterwards 
computes  two  other  periods,  namely  1290  and  1335  days, 
(the  one  period  reaching  3o  days,  and  the  other  75  days, 
beyond  the  1260  days,)  from  the  setting  up  of  the  abomi- 
nation of  desolation:  it  ismamiest,  thai  this  abomination 
which  I  have  shewn  to  be  the  abomination  connected  zvith 
the  he-goafs  little  horn,  was  setup  at  tho  beginning  of 
the  1260  days  ;  for,  since  all  the  wonders  were  to  be 
finished  at  the  end  of  the  1260  days,  the  pollution  of  the 
^sanctuary  by  the  abomination  connected  ivHh  the  he-goaf' $ 
little  horn  was  likewise  to  be  finished  at  that  period,  and 
therefore  its  cleansing  was  to  begin  at  that  same  period  ; 
and,  since  Daniel  dates  1290  and  1335  d'f.ys  from  the 
rtbominaiion  of  desolation,  (the  first  of  these  numbers 


reaching  30,  and  the  second  75  days,  beyond  the  I960 
days,  when  all  //ze  zvonders  were  to  be  finished,  and  there- 
fore among  the  other  wonders  the  pollution  of  the  sanc- 
iuary^  it  is  plain,  that,  between  the  setting  up  of  the 
abomination  and  the  incipient  cleansing  of  iJie  sanctua- 
ry, there  were  to  be  precisely  1260  days  ;  in  other  words, 
the  date  of  the  setting  up  of  the  abomination,  and  the  date 
oithe  1360  daysy  is  the  same. 

This  being  the  case,  it  seems  almost  necessarily  to  fol- 
low, that  the  tyranny  of  the  little  horn  df  the  Roman 
beast  v^\^  continue  the  very  same  length  of  time  as  the 
tyranny  of  the  desolating  transgression  connected  with 
the  little  horn  of  the  Macedonian  beast ;  for  we  are  spe- 
cially informed,  that //^e  ^«/?2/5  should  be  delivered  into 
the  hand  of  t lie  papal  little  horn  during  the  space  oi  three 
times  and  a  half  or  1260  prophetic  days  :  and,  since  the 
tyranny  of  each  is  apparently  to  finish  at  the  end  of  the 
same  1260  days,  the  tyranny  of  each  must  in  that  case 
hegiJi  at  the  commencement  of  the  same  1260  days. 
Hence,  in  the  very  year  that  the  already  existing  papal 
little  horn  was  to  commence  its  tyrannical  career  of  1260 
days,  the  desolating  transgression  connected  with  the 
little  horn  of  the  he-goat,  which  was  shortly  to  give  both 
the  sanctuary  and  the  host  to  be  trodden  under  foot,  was 
iirst  to  be  set  up.  Bp.  Newton  accordingly  very  justly 
observes  from  these  premises,  which  certainly  seem  to  be 
undeniable,  that,  rvhatever  power  be  meant  by  the  last 
mentioned abotnlnationof  desolatio7i,  that  power  will  pre- 
vail for  the  space  of  \9.Q0 years  ;  let  it  be  Moha7nmedismr 
or  let  it  be  any  other  power.^ 

The  1260  days  thenof  thedesolaling'  trans gressioji  con- 
nected with  thehe-goat's  little  horn  arc  precisely  thesame 
period  as  the  1260  days  during  which  the  saints  were  to 
be  given  into  the  hand  of  the  fourth  beasfs  little  horn : 
Consequently  they  are  the  same  period  also  as  the  42 
ononihs,  during  which  the  ten-horned  beast  was  to  flou- 
rish in  his  revived  state.     Thus  it  appears,  that  the  beast 

*  The  abomination  of  lU-jiolation  "  may  with  equal  justice  be  applied  to  tlrn. 
.llohanimciiaiis  invading  and  desolating  C'/iristenilom,  and  convertingthe  churches 
into  mosques  :  and  this  hitter  event  seemetli  to  have  been  particularly  intend- 
ed in  this  passage.  (Dan.  xii.  11.)  //  this  interpretation  be  true,  the  religion  of 
J[o/iaiiimed  ti///  fivcvail  in  the  Ban  ihc  space  of  1260  ij«ars."    Dissert.  X VU. 


165 

•Was  to  revive  at  the  very  time  when  the  saints  were  giveft 
into  the  hand  of  his  little  horn.  Whence  we  must  al- 
most necessarily  conclude,  that  the  revival  of  the  beost  is 
so  closely  connected  with  the  giving  of  the  saints  into 
the  hand  of  the  little  horn,  that  in  some  sense  or  another 
he  revived  by  committing  the  sin  of  thus  giving  the  saints 
into  the  hand  of  his  little  horn.  Here  therefore  it  will 
be  proper  to  consider  the  meaning  of  this  revival. 

'*  A  beasts  as  it  is  most  truly  remarked  by  Bp.  New- 
ton, and  as  I  have  very  fully  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter, 
*'  A  beast,  in  the  prophetic  style,  is  a  tyrannical  idola- 
trous empire :  the  kingdom  of  God  and  of  Christ  is  never 
represented  under  the  image  of  a  beast."  This  being 
the  case,  an  empire  is  said  to  continue  in  existence  as  a 
beast,  so  long  as  it  is  a  tyrannicalli)  idolatrous  empire : 
when  it  puts  away  its  idolatry  and  tyramiy,  and  turns  to 
the  God  of  heaven,  the  beast-,  or  those  qualities  whereby 
the  empire  ivas  a  beast,  ceases  to  exist,  though  tlie  em- 
pire itself  may  still  remain  as  a  body  politic  of  faithful 
worshippers :  and  when  it  resumes  its  tyranny  and  idol- 
atry, though  they  may  not  perhaps  bear  precisely  the 
same  names  as  its  old  tyranny  and  idolatry,  it  then  revives, 
it  then  once  more  recommences  its  existence  in  its  original 
.character  of  a  beast.  To  this  description  the  character 
of  the  ten-horned  GV  Roman  beast  exactly  answers.  That 
empire  was  originally  a  beast  by  its  profession  of  pagan- 
ism :  it  ceased  to  be  a  beast  by  its  embracing  Christianity 
under  Constantino :  and  it  once  more  became  a  beast  by 
its  setting  up  a  catholic  spiritual  tyrant,  and  by  its  persecut- 
ing, at  his  instigation,  all  who  refused  to  own  his  supre- 
macy, and  to  embi-ace  his  neiv  idolatry.  On  these  grounds, 
St,  John  informs  us,  that  the  ten-horned  or  Roman  beast 
*<  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is."  It  was,  while  in  its  ori- 
ginal pagan  state  :  it  is  not,  while  in  its  Christian  state 
under  Constantino  :  it  is,  while  supporting  papal  tyranny 
and  idolatry.  In  this  last  of  its  three  states,  St.  John 
beheld  it  rise  from  the  sea  of  Gothic  invasion :  and  in 
this  last  state  it  is  to  practise  prosperously,  as  he  carefully 
informs  us,  42  months,  or  1260  days.  The  same  dura- 
tion is  assigned  to  the  tyrannical  reign  of  its  own  little 
Iwrn^  or  the  Papacy  ;  and  for  this  plain  reason  ;  the  em- 


16G 

pire  revived,  or  once  more  became  a  hearty  hy  giving  up 
the  saints  into  the  htand  oiits  little  horn^:  and  this  it  as- 
suredly did,  not  by  encreasing  the  territorial  possessions 
of  the  horn  (for  partial  temporal  dominion  docs  not  confer 
the  powrer  of  general  persecution,)  but  by  conferring  up- 
on him  spiritual  supremacy.  Precisely  at  the  time  then: 
when  the  papal  Jiorn  Vv'as  declared  to  be  universal  bishop 
and  supreme  head  of  the  Church,  the  saints  were  given 
up  into  his  hand.  He  then  first  acquired  the  power  of 
general  persecution.  Though  he  might  not  imm^^diately 
begin  to  exercise  that  power  by  wearing  out  the  saints  of 
the  Most  Highy  it  was  then  undoubtedly  first  conferred 
upon  him. 

The  true  key  then  to  fixing  the  date  of  the  1260  yeai^s 
is  that  furnished  us  by  the  })rophet  himself  We  have 
neitiier  to  concern  ourselves  with  the  rise  of  the  paiml 
horn  abstractedly,  nor  yet  with  its  attaining  to  the  summit 
of  its  temporal  power  :  we  have  simply  to  inquire  v/hen 
the  saints  were  first  given  up  into  his  hand,  and  when  the 
old  pagan  beast  revived  by  setting  up  a  catholic  spiritual 
idolatrous  tyrant  in  the  Church. 

In  the  West,  the  year  604  beheld  the  death  of  Grego- 
ry the  Great,  Bishop  of  Rome.  The  pontificate  of  this 
good  man,  for  I  cannot  but  consider  him  as  a  good  man, 
tinctured  as  his  piety  was  with  the  gro\\ing  superstition 
of  the  age,*  was  remarkable  for  his  protestation  against 
universal  episcopacy  by  whomsoever  assumed,  and  for 
his  censure  of  the  idolatrous  veneration  of  images  then 
creeping  fast  into  the  Church.  Great  as  the  power  of 
the  Roman  archiepiscopal  see  then  was,  the  sentiments 
of  Gregory  on  the  important  question  of  catholic  supre- 
macy are  worthy  of  our  particular  attention,  inasmuch  as 
they  differ  so  very  essentially  from  those  of  his  successors. 

*  See  the  testimony  born  to  liis  virtues  even  by  Afr.  Gibbon,  thoui^b  he  feeb- 
ly attempts  to  riilicule  his  piety  on  .iccount  of  the  superstition  with  wliich  it 
■was  undoubtedly  aUoyed.  i^Hist-  of  Dcchne  and  Fall,  Vol.  viii.  p.  1G8,  169.) 
It  may  not  be  improper  here  to  observe,  tliat  much  real  piity  may  subsist, 
both  along  with  the  ■wiU--ieorshifi  nf  suficrslition,  provided  it  grow  not  to  such  a. 
height  as  utterly  to  clioka  the  good  seed  of  the  word  ;  and  along  with /At  ec- 
centric reveries  of  enthusiasm,  provided  they  do  not  exchange  their  harmlessly 
ridiculous  cast  of  countenance  for  tJic  Satyr's  mask  of  avowed  licentiousness 
and  open  profaneness.  But  the  co-existence  of  religion  an4  injitlelity  1%  impos- 
sible }  a  religious  infidcl  is  a  contradiction  in  term^. 


167 

«  I  speak  it  confidently,"  says  he,  "  that,  whosoever  call- 
'eth  himself  universal  bishops  or  desireth  to  be  so  called, 
in  the  pride  of  his  heart  he  doth  forerun  Antichrists^ 
Accordingly,  when  the  Bishop  of  Constantinople  accept- 
ed this  presumptuous  title,  which  in  his  case  was  a  mere 
title,  never  acted  upon,  the  observation  made  by  Gregory 
respecting  it  was,  *'  By  this  pride  of  his  what  thing  else 
is  signified,  but  that  the  time  of  Antichrist  is  now  at 
hand  ?"t  Respecting  the  introduction  of  images  into 
churches y  which  proved  at  length  the  fruitful  source  of 
popish  demonolatry,  Gregor37's  conduct  shews  indeed, 
that  his  judgment  in  that  particular  was  erroneous  ;  bat 
effectually  demonstrates  nevertheless,  that  he  expressly 
reprobated  the  idolatrous  "veneration  of  saints  and  angels, 
Serenus  of  Marseilles,  finding  that  some  of  the  people 
had  begun  to  adore  the  images  which  were  originally 
placed  in  the  churches  merely  as  memorials,  very  wisely 
broke  them  in  pieces:  but  this  laudable  action  of  his 
gave  so  much  offence  to  the  superstitious  part  of  his  con- 
gregation, that  many  of  them  withdrew  from  his  com- 
munion. Gregory,  hearing  of  the  unhappy  dissension, 
wrote  to  Serenus,  advising  him  to  conciliate  the  affections 
of  the  people  by  permitting  them  to  retain  their  images, 
which  might  (he  observed)  be  considered  as  a  sort  of  in- 
structive books  for  the  illiterate  ;  but,  at  the  same  time, 
along  with  this  permission  to  caution  them  most  serious- 
ly against  paying  the  least  adoration  to  them.  Events 
have  shewn,  that  the  Bishop  of  Marseilles  judged  more 
wisely  than  Gregory :  but  it  is  evident,  that  image-wor- 
ship had  not  in  his  time  been  formally  established  by  the 
authority  of  the  Roman  pontiff. 

Gregory  was  succeeded  by  Sabinianus,  whose  short 

*  Ergo  fidenter  dico,  quod  quisquis  se  universalem  sacerdotem  vocat,  vel  vo- 
cari  desiderat,  in  elatione  sua  Antichristum  pr^e  currit.  (Lib.  vi.  Epist.  30.  cit- 
ed by  Bp.  Newton.)  The  accuracy  of  this  declaration  of  Gregory  is  not  un- 
worthy of  our  notice.  He  does  not  say,  that  the  person,  who  assumes  the  ti- 
tle of  Universal  Bishop,  is  Antichrint  himself :  but  only  that  he  is  the  precursor  of 
Antichrist.  Gregory  then  conjectured,  and  he  conjectured  rightly,  that  the 
assumption  of  universal  episcopacy  was  the  leading  badge  of  the  eomtrLencemtnt 
of  the  tittle  horn's  tyranny  ;  but,  noi  attending  to  the  prediction  that  this  tyran- 
ny should  continue  126U  years,  he  fancied  tliatthe  i-eign  of  Antichrist  was  close 
at  hand.  Hence  he  both  wrote,  preached,  and  (we  may  add)  lived,  under  the 
fii'm  persuasion  that  the  end  of  the  world  was  fast  approaching. 

f  Ex  hac  ejussuperbia  quid  aliud,  nisi  propinqua  jam  esse  Antichrist!  tem- 
pera, designatur  ?  Lib,  iv.  Epist.  54.  cited  by  Bp.  NeM'ton. 


iG8 

pontificate  was  remarkable  only  for  rapine  and  extortion, 
for  a  systematic  grinding  of  the  faces  of  the  })Oor,  and  for 
mean  abuse  of  the  memory  of  his  liberal  predecessor. 
But,  though  the  individual  Sabinianus  was  a  wicked  man, 
tJie  saints  were  not  as  yet  formally  delivered  into  the 
hand  of  the  little  horn,  nor  was  idolatry  as  yet  opejdy 
establislied  in  the  Church:  consequently  ^/f^-  I'iQO  daiijs 
had  not  then  commenced,  nor  had  the  Roman  beast  reviv- 
ed by  publicly  relapsing  into  theabominations  of  paganism. 
Upon  the  death  of  Sabinianus,  Boniface  the  third  as- 
cended the  papal  throne,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year 
606 :  and  one  of  his  first  acts,  an  act  which  took  place 
in  this  very  year  606,  was  to  procure  from  the  tyrannical 
usurper  Phocas  a  grant  of  the  title  oi  Universal  Bishop 
and  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church;  the  identical  title, 
whicli  Gregory  only  a  iew  years  before,  and  that  in  the 
lifetime  of  Boniface  himself,  had  stigmatized  as  a  badge 
of  the  precursor  of  Antichrist.^' 

*  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert. — Milner's  Eccles.  Hist. — Bowyer's  I^ives  of  the 
Popes.  —The  account,  which  Cardinal  Baronius  gives  of  this  grant,  is  inter- 
esting, because  it  tallies  so  exactly  with  tlie  prophecy.  In  the  spirit  of  a  true 
Papist  he  maintains,  that  dejure  the  Pope  was  always  the  universal  bishop,  and 
that  Phocas  did  not  so  much  confer  upon  him  what  he  did  not  possess  al- 
ready, as  sanction  by  his  imperial  authority  the  undoubted  right  of  the  Pope, 
thus  constituting  him  universal  bisliop  de  facto  as  well  as  de  jure.  Now  what  is 
this,  but,  in  the  language  of  the  prophet,  giving  tlie  saints  into  his  hand  ;  that  is 
to  say,  decreeing  him  by  imperial  authority  to  be  a  spiritual  sovereign  over  all 
Christians,  or  (as  they  are  constantly  termed  in  the  New  Testament)  saints  ? 
"  Anno  Christi  606  to,  indictione  nona,  decimo  quinto  calendas  Martias,  ex  di- 
acono  Pontifiex  Romanus  creatus  est  Bonifacius  ejus  nominis  tertius — Quo 
tempore  intercesserunt  quxdam  odiorum  fomenta  inter  eumdem  Phocam  im- 
peratorem  atque  Cyriacum  patriarcham  Constantinopolitanum — Ilinc  igitur  in 
Cyriacum  Phocas  exacerbatus  in  ejus  odium  imperiali  edicto  sancivit,  nomen 
Universalis  decere  Romanam  tantummodo  ecclesiam,  tanquam  quae  caput  es- 
set  omnium  ecclesiarum  ;  solique  convenire  Romano  Pontifici,  nonautem  epis- 
copo  Constantinopolitano  qua  sibi  illud  usupare  praesumeret.  Quod  quidem 
liunc  Bonifacium  Papam  tertium  ab  imperatore  Phoca  obtinuisse,  cum  Anas- 
tasius  bibliothecarius,  turn  Paulus  Diaconus  (De  gest.  IjOngobard  L  4.)  tra- 
dunt — Sed,  quod  ad  Phocae  edictum  attinet,  baud  eo  quidem  ipse  (quodgarri- 
initnovatores)  hoc  tribuit  privilegium  ecclesix  Romansc,  utin  catholica  prima- 
tum  ageret ;  hunc  enim  jam  ipsam  babuisse,  semperque  exercuisse,  ab  ipso 
sui  principio,  non  solum  super  omnes  alios  patriarchas  orientales,  sed  et  multo 
magis  super  omnium  novissimum  Constantinopolitanum,  quam  plurimis  est 
superius  locis  latissimd  demonstratum  :  nee  in  eo  fuit  aliquando  cum  episcopis 
Constantinopolitanis  controversia,  quippe  qui  numquam  eumdem  primatum  in 
dubium  revocarunt;  sed  in  eo  tantum,  quod  ipsi  nuper  titulum  sibi  il'.cumemci 
itsurp&ssent  (quod  Romanis  Pontificibus  cum  ab  aliis,  turn  ab  ipsis  a--cumini- 
cis  synodis,  jure  tributum  vidimus),  et  reclamantibus  licet  iisdem  Romanis 
Pontificibus,  conservfissent  liactenus  favore  Mauritii  imperatoris.  Uanc  igitur 
causam  sententia  sua  Phocas  decidens,  eam  adjudicavit  Romano  Pontifici,  ut 
Mpse  solus,  non  etiamConst^mtinopoUtanii?,  dicerctur  (EcKHicmcwi-."  Duron. 
Annal.  E^les.  A.  D.  0^. 


m 

From  this  I/ear  then  it  seems  most  natural  to  date  ihe 
1%Q0 days:  for,  whewthe  Roinan  Bishop  wafi  appointed 
Supreme  Head  of  the  Churchy  and  when  all  the  churches 

Some,  I  believe,  have  doubted  whether  such  a  grant  was  ever  made  by  Pho- 
cas ;  but,  as  it  appears  to  me,  without  much  reason.  We  know  how  severely 
the  title  of  Universal  Bishop  was  reprobated  by  Pope  Gregory  at  the  end  of  the 
sixth,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventh,  century:  we  "know  likewise,  that 
tiie  title  was  borne  not  long  afterwards  by  the  Roman  Pontiff,  and  that  it  was 
formally  confirmed  to  him  by  the  secondcoancilof  Nice  in  the  year  787.  Hence 
we  are  certain,  that  it  cannot  have  been  assumed  very  late  in  the  seventh  cen- 
tury. Now  Baronius  tells  as,  that  it  was  assumed  in  tlie  year  605,  giving  for 
Jus  authorities  Anastasius  and  Paulus  Diaconns  ;  tlie  former  of  whom  flourish- 
ed in  the  ninth,  and  the  latter  in  the  eighth,  century  ;  and  I  can  see  no  reason 
why  we  should  refuse  to  credit  an  assertion,  which  places  the  assumption  of 
the  title  about  the  very  time  when  we  must  unavoidably  suppose  it  to  have  been 
assumed.  In  short,  if  the  account  be  nothing  more  than  a  forgery,  it  is  both 
one  of  the  most  unnecessary  and  one  of  the  most  ill-contrived  forgeries  that 
ever  was  executed;  unnecessary.becausethe  Pope  had  been  solemnly  declared 
Universal  Bishop  by  tlie  second  council  of  Nice  in  the  year  787  ;  ill-contrived, 
because  the  wily  defenders  of  the  Papacy  must  have  departed  very  far  from 
their  wonted  subtlety  to  deduce  falsely  the  grant  in  question  from  such  an  in- 
famous  monster  as  Phocas.  Had  it  never  been  made  by  any  emperor,  and  had 
they  been  disposed  tofor^e  it  for  the  purpose  of  aggrandizing  the  Papacy,  they 
would  surely  have  pitched  upon  a  more  reputable  patron  than  Phocas  ;  and 
•ivould  have  ascribed  it  (as  they  did  to  Constantine,  the  original  grant  of  St. 
Peter's  patrimony)  not  to  a  murderous  usurper,  but  to  some  emperor,  whose 
character  stood  high  in  the  christian  world.  On  these  grounds,  I  give  credit 
to  the  assertions  of  Paulus  Diaconus  and  Anastasius,  neither  of  whom  lived 
very  lone:  after  the  time  when  the  grant  is  said  to  have  been  made  ;  and  pro- 
bably on  the  same  grounds,  •'  the  most  learned  writers,  and  those  who  are 
most  remarkable  for  their  knowledge  of  antiquity,"  as  it  is  observed  by  Mo  - 
sheim,  "  are  generally  agreed,"  that  the  title  of  Universal  Bishop  was  formally 
conferredby  Phocas  upon  Boniface.     Eccles.  Hist  Vol.  U.  p.  169. 

The  general  agreement  of  various  writers  on  this  point,  and  the  grounds 
which  the  Romanists  take,  are  well  stated  by  Dr.  Brett  from  Bp.  Carlton's  book 
of  jurisdiction,  regal,  episcopal,  and  papal,  cap.  vi  p.  82,  83.  «  Phocas," 
says  he,  "  iixed  Boniface,  the  third  Pope  of  that  name,  in  that  universal  pas- 
torship,  which  the  Roman  see  claims  and  exercises  over  theothersees  of  Chris- 
tendom at  this  day  ;  and  this,  as  Baronius  and  Estlus,  so  these  follov/mg  l.is- 
torians  assert  —I  wiU  begin  with  Paulus  Diaconus,  who  saith,  P'locas  staluit 
■sedan  eocUsix  Romance  ut  caput  et  omnium  ecclesiamm.  Abbas  Usburgensis 
says  the  same  ;  to  wit,  that  Phocas  ordained,  tflat  the  see  of  the  Eoman  apostolical 
church  should  be  the  head  of  all  churches.  Platina  says,  that  Boniface  HI.  agrees 
With  them  herein,  though  he  declares  it  in  different  words  ;  Bonifacius  ohtinuit 
a  P^°^^f  ^i  ^edes  beati  apostoH,  quae  est  caput  omnium  eccksiarutn,  ita  diccretur 
et  haberetur  ab  omnibus.  Blondus  saith,  Phoeas  aniistitem  Rtmanum  principem 
episcQporum  ormiinm  constituit.  And  Nauclerus  saith,  Phocas  ad  universur.i  orbem, 
dimissa  sanctions,  constituit,  ut  Ro^name  eccksia,  Romanoque  Pontifici,  omnes  ur- 
bes  ecclesi<e  obedirent.  And  now  our  Romanists  believe,  as  others  have  declared 
before  them,  that  the  Roman  chair  had  this  primacy  by  divine  right,  antece- 
dent to  Phocas's  decree,  by  wLich  he  only  engaged  to  make  it  law  in  the  em- 
pire." (Independent  power  of  the  Church  not  Romish,  p  26S,  2c9.  270.) 
This  opinion,  which  (as  I  have  already  observed)  exactly  accords  with  the  pre 
.diction,  that  the  Rmnan  beast  should  deliver  the  saints  or  Christians  into  the 
t^ndot  his  little  horn,  is  thus  s  ated  by  Estius  the  schoolman.  J\ec  aliud  a 
Phocu  tmperatore  impetravit  Bonifacius  tertins,  quant  -ut  cathedra  Roi.-.ana:  pri- 
malum,  gut  et  jure  diwto  competebat,  imperiali  poiestate  tneretur  contra  prxsump- 
uonem  Juptscopi  Const^ntinopohtani,  qui  se  palam   in  suis  Uteris     UniversaleiiJ 

VOL.  I.  QQ 


170 

were  declared  to  be  subject  to  him  In  spirit  ual?;,  the  sainis^ 
were  undoubtedly  delivered  into  his  hand.  Hitherto 
they  had  not  been  necessarily  or  universally  subject  to 
him;  henceforth  his  merciless  t3Tanny  armed  the  secular 
power  against  them,  and  pursued  them  vi^th  implacable 
animosity  to  the  very  ends  of  the  earth.  I  mean  not  in- 
de(  d  to  say,  that  he  immediatelij  began  to  exercise  this 
unchristian  authority  ;  but  now  it  certainl}''  was,  tliat  the 
saiji's  were  delivered  into  his  hand,  and  placed  under  his 
control. 

In  order,  as  it  were,  more  decidedly  to  shew  that  at 
this  eventful  era  f/ic  IQ60  da^is  commenced,  and  llie  Ro- 
man  beast  revived,  scarcely  had  a  year  elapsed  from  the 
establishment  of  this  sacerdotal  empire,  when  the  very 
idolatry,  which  had  so  lately  been  opposed  by  the  zeal 
of  Screnus  and  censured  by  the  piety  of  Gregory,  was 
publicly  authorized  by  the  sovereign  pontiff.  The  an- 
cient Pantheon,  formerly  the  general  sink  of  all  the  abo- 
min.alions  of  paganism,  was  now  restored,  though  under  a 
diir^rent  name,  to  its  original  destination.*  The  medi- 
atory demons  of  corrupted  Christianity  occupied  the  va- 
cant places  of  the  mediatory  demons  of  the  gentiles ; 
and,  instead  of  Jupiter  and  Ins  kindred  deities,  the  virgin- 
mother  of  Christ  and  all  his  martyred  saints  received  the 
blind  adoration  of  the  revived  iev-hnnied  heast.\  The 
holij  citi)  was  now  trodden  under  foot  by  a  new  race  of 

Episcopura  scrihebat.  (Comment,  in  senlen-  I.,  iv.  $  9.  Tom.  iv.  Pars  Post. 
cited  by  13,-ett,  p.  -264.)  Protestants  have  frequently  urjrfcl  to  Papists  tlie  dis- 
j^raceful  manner  in  which  this  ji^rant  was  mide  ;  but  they  never,  on  that  ac- 
count, ventured  to  excliange  their  patron  Plioras  for  one  that  would  have  done 
them  more  credit  Thus,  when  lUyricus  maintained  against  BcUar  mine,  that 
Jintichrist  was  liorn,  when  Pliocas,  in  the  year  606,  granted  to  tlie  lloman  Pon- 
tiff, th.!!  he  should  he  calkd  t!>e  head  of  the  v.-hole  church  ;  ihe  Cardinal  readily 
allowed  the  truth  of  the  piemises,  but  denied  the  validityof  the  conclusion.  See 
J!r:ghtman    cohl.  Uellarm.  de  Antichris.  Cap.  3  Pol.  297. 

*  '  Annus  Christi  607cceptus  est  .ab  indictione  10  ma  Quo  Ronifacius — 
ex  presbytero  ordinatus  est,  ejus  nominis  cjuanus,  Pontifex  Itomanus  die  18  va 
Sept. —  .\  Phoca  Augusto  inipetravil  Puntluon,— Jovi  vindici  ronserratum, 
quod  adliuc  inlarAum  renianseiat  a  demoli<'nti!Mis  dxmonum  sedes  Uomaiiis 
Christianis  ;  illudcpie  cx])urpatum  ah  aniitlua:  sordibus  idololatri.T,  in  honorem 
Dei-genetncis  .Ma'ia;  it  omnivmi  sanctorum  niartyrum  consecravit.  Narrat 
liic  Anaslasius  .  quorum  ttiam  mi-niinit  H  da"  Haron  Anual    Kc^les.  a.  d.607, 

■J-  Dr  Macleane,  in  the  chronological  table  aflixed  to  Moshi  im's  Ecclesias- 
tical History,  duscnbr s  ihis  evi  iit  in  the  following  wortls  ,  •'  Mere  (in  the  I'an- 
theon)  Cybdc  was  succeeded  by  the  Virgii  Mai  y,  and  tlu  Pagan  deities  by 
(Jhrijtian  martyrs.  Idolatry  still  subsisted ;  but  the  objects  of  it  w«re  changed  " 


171 

■gentiles,  differing  from  their  pagan  predecessoi's  in  imme 
rather  than  in  nature;  and  the  wit..e'ses  hcgdji  io  pro- 
phesy in  sackcloth  during  the  long  period  of  V260  ycarsy 
the  same  period  in  short  as  that  during  which  t/temrutl 
were  given  into  the  hand  of  t/w  liVle  horn.^ 

Not  but  that  ^//!e  Apostacy,  as  I  have  already  observed, 
had  long  since  individimlhj  commejiced.     The  forhiddhiP' 
to  viarry,  the  abstaining  from  meats,  the  excessive  vene- 
ration of  supposed  mediatory  saints  and  angels,  began  to 
creep  into  the  Church  even  in  the  fourth  cciitnry :  but 
no  date  can  be  adixed  to  individual  criminalitv.t     In  the 
strictly  chronological  prophecies  of  Daniel  and  St.  John, 
periods  of  years  are  always  computed  from  some  s^^ecihc 
and  definite  action  either  of  a  community  or  of  the  head 
of  a  community  ;   not  from  Xh^  unauthorized  deeds  of 
individuals,  the  commission  of  the  first  of  which  deeds 
can  only  be  known  with  absolute  certainty  by  God  him- 
self.     Hence  we  find,  that  in  the   iinchronological  pro- 
phecy of  St.  Paul:]:  someof  the  leading  features  of  ^/;^  Apos- 
tacy  are  marked  out  in  general  terms,  the  prophecy  itself 
affecting  every   individwd  to  whom  the  description  a{> 
plies  :  while,  in  the  chronohgical  prophecies  of  Daniel 
and  St.  John  relative  to  tlie  same  Apostacy,   since  the  di- 
vine wisdom  thought  proper  to  specify  a  certain  term  of 
years   for  the  tyrannical  reign  of  the  man  of  sin,  it  was 
necessary  to   date  those  years  not  from  general  acts   of 
zmlividiial  criminality,  but  from  some  oveit  and  conspi- 
cuous act  of  i/ie  head  of  a  community,  of  the  man  of  sin 
himself.     This  act  is  determined  to  be  the  deli-venug  of 
the  saints  of  God  into  the  hand  of  ike  little  liornl  the 
commencement  of  the  treading  of  tlie  holy  city  or   tne. 
Cliurch  underfoot  by  the  new  gent.lc  mevihers  of  the  re- 
vived beast,  and  the  beginning  of  the  faithful  witnesses  to 
prophesy  in  sackcloth.     Now  it  will   be  difficult  to  pitch 
upon  any  era  for  the  date  of  this  sulnciently  conspicuous 
act  except  the  year  606:  for  in  this  and  in  the  following 
year,  the  saints  were  formally  given  into  the  hand  of  the 

*  Rev.  xi.  2,  3, 

^    t  Uui^ns  tills  pei-iod,    the  liomun  beast  rnay  be  considered  as  craduallv  ris^ 
lA^  owt  01  the  sea,  and  as  coming  to  life  again. 

t  I  Tim,  iv,  1;  2,  3,  7,  8- 


m 

Hide  horn  ;  and  the  Jpostac^  of  individuah  became  the 
embodied  and  established  Apostacy  of  a  spiritual  catholic 
onpire  over  which  the  man  of  sin  presided. 

When  a  spiritual  universal  tyrant  then  was  set  up  in 
the  Churchy  and  when  idolatri)  was  (immediately  upon 
his  being  thus  set  up)  openly  authorized  and  established 
by  him  ;  the  afflicted  woman,  the  true  Church,  seems  to 
have  fled  into  tJie  wilderness  from  the  pollution  of  the 
holy  citi)  by  the  new  gentilism  of  Poper)^  and  the  wit- 
nesses appear  to  have  begun  to  prophesy  in  sackcloth. 
Not  tliat  an  incessant  persecution  was  to  be  carried  on 
against  them  throughout  the  whole  term  of  the  1260 
years  :  but  that  they  should  continue  so  long  to  prophe- 
sy in  sackcloth,  or,  in  O'her  words,  to  profess  the  funda- 
mental truths  of  the  Gospel  in  a  depressed  and  afflicted 
state.  Accordingly,  as  Bp.  Newton  well  observes,  and 
afterwards  satisfactorily  proves,  "  there  have  constantly 
been  such  witnesses  from  the  seventh  century"  (the  cen- 
tury in  which  the  Aposlacy,  considered  as  the  open  act  of 
a  cotinnunity  under  its  proper  head,  commenced,)  "  down 
to  the  Reformation,  during  the  most  flourishing  period  of 
Popery." 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  tyrannical  reign  of  the  fourth 
bcasfs  little  horn y  and  consequently  the  prophetic  period 
of  1260  days,  are  most  probably  to  be  dated  from  the 
year  6O6,  and  will  therefore,  upon  such  a  supposition, 
terminate  in //ze^d-flr  18G6.  Let  us  next  turn  towards 
the  East,  and  see  whether  we  cannot  discover,  in  this 
same  year  QOG,  any  marks  of  the  rise  of  that  transgres- 
sion of  desolation,  which  is  so  closely  connected  with  the 
little  horn  of  the  he-goat,  and  which  is  to  continue  dur- 
ing the  same  period  of  l^GO  days. 

Iniho  }La?,X,  theyear  6O6  beheld  the  crafty  imposter 
HfJiam.-i/ed  ictire  to  the  cave  of  Hera  to  consult  the 
spirit  of  fraud  and  enthusiasm,  and  to  fabricate  that  false 
religion,  which  soon  alter  darkened  the  whole  oriental 
world."*     Having  fully  digested  his  plan  in  the   solitude 

*  The  coincidence  of  The  rise  of  Mohammtdism^  and  the  commenccmeut  of 
Poptry,  p)ufj,rli/  so  called,  is  tlms  stated  by  Mr.  Wliitaker.  •'  Daniel  stales  thr 
r:se  of  JSlohammed  as  to  take  place  when  the  trimsi^rcssors  .ire  come  to  llie  full. 
St.  Paul  says,  that,  tlte  dthuion  of  iln-man  of  sm  shall  be  sent  as  a  punisliment, 
because  men  believed  not  the  U-utli,  but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteousneflfi ;  where 


173 

of  the  desert,  he  began  at  first  only  privately  to  preach 
his  heterogeneous  system  of  theology  about  the  year  608 
or  609.  Mecca  was  the  theatre  of  his  first  labours ;  and 
his  earliest  converts  were  his  wife,  his  servant,  his  pupil, 
and  his  friend.  At  length,  by  the  persuasion  of  Abube- 
ker,  ten  of  the  most  respectable  citizens  of  Mecca  were 
introduced  to  the  private  lessons  of  the  Islam  ;  the  r- 0- 
phet  persevered  ten  years  in  the  now  more  public  exc;  -3 
of  his  mission  ;  and  the  religion,  which  has  since  over- 
spread so  large  a  portion  of  the  globe,  advanced  with  a 
slow  and  painful  progress  Vt^ithin  the  walls  of  his  native 
town.* 

Here  then  we  behold  the  desolating  abomination  con- 
nected with  the  he-goafs  little  horn  springing  up  at  the 
very  time  when  we  were  taught  by  prophecy  to  ex- 
pect that  it  would  spring  up,  namely  at  the  hegimiing  of 
the  1260  days.  Small  as  it  was  at  first,  it  soon  waxed 
exceeding  great ;  and,  in  a  very  short  space  of  time  suc- 
ceeded in  completely  polluting  the  spiritual  sanctuary  of 
the  eastern  church.  The  exact  resemblance  between 
this  desolating  transgression  and  the  religion  of  JMoham- 
medy  in  all  other  respects  as  well  as  in  their  chronologi- 
cal correspondence  with  each  other,  shall  presently  be 
shewn  :  I  shall  first  however  try  to  ascertain  the  period, 
from  which  the  22100,  2300,  or  2400,  r/flj/j-,  mentioned  in 
the  prophecy  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  are  to  be  dated  ; 
and,  if  that  can  be  in  a  measure  ascertained,  the  proper 
reading  of  the  number  will  be  ascertained  likewise. 

Although  it  certainly  is  a  matter  of  doubt  from  what 
precise  era  this  period  ought  to  be  dated,  and  although 
(as  Bp.  Newton  justly  observes)  the  event  alone  can 
positi'vely  determine  the  point,  it  seems  to  me  most  natu- 

surely  the  same  period  (that  in  which  the  sins  of  the  people  call  for  judgment) 
is  characterized  for  the  rise  of  these  tivo  po-vers-  Now  St.  John  ascribes  to^achoi" 
them  the  same  duration,  and  speaks  of  the  ti Die  of  their  end  as  the  same,  and  con- 
sequently in  his  account  they  must  i>egin  at  the  same  time  ;  in  exact  correspon- 
dence with  each  of  the  separate  declarations  of  the  two  former  writers.  Sucli 
coincidences  in  prophecy,  of  which  the  holy  penmen  themselves  do  not  seem 
aware,  pre ve,  like  the  same  in  history,  that  the  writers  drew  originally  from 
ene  source,  with  this  only  difference,  that  in  the  former  case  their  information 
must  have  more  than  a  human  origin,  even  the  operation  of  that  self-same 
spirit,  who  divideth  to  every  man  severally  as  he  will."  General  View  of 
Proph.  p.  95,  96,  97. 

•  Prideaux's  Life  of  Mohammed  p.  16— 49— Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall.  Vol] 
9.p.  282— 2S5, 


tal  to  compute  it  from  some  time  or  another  during  the 
staled  existence  of  the  Persian  empire.  The  prophet 
TOpresenisl/ie  ()i'0-/toriied 3Iedo-Persian  raiiii  not  as  m- 
ins^fioiii  Hie  seOyhnt  as  standing  by  his  river  :  in  other 
words,  ho  does  not  speak  of  the  origin  of  the  united  mon- 
archy, v\  hich  is  a  fixed  determinate  period  ;  but  of  some 
period,  which  he  does  not  specify,  in  the  course  of  its 
regular  and  settled  government.*  Now  the  Medo- Per- 
sian ram  ro  e  out  of  the  political  sea  of  nations  in  the 
year  A.  C  .  5SQy  when  the  two  kingdojns  of  Media  and 
Persia^  thv  tna  hor7is of  the  raj?i,  were  united  under  the 
single  government  of  Cyrus  ;  wlxence  that  year  is  termed 
thejirst  year  of  Cyrus  :t  but  he  continued  standing  up- 
on ilw  bank  of  his  symbolical  river,  till  the  lie-goat 
"  smote  him,  and  brake  his  two  horns,  and  cast  him 
down  to  the  ground,  and  stamped  upon  him."  This 
happened,  in  the  year  A.  C.  3.S0,  when  the  unfortunate 
Darius,  after  the  last  decisive  battle  of  Gaugamela,  was 
basely  murdered  by  Bessus,  and  the  Persian  empire 
thus  com})Ictely  extinguished.  The  ram  therefore  con- 
tinued standing  from  the  year  A.  C.  536  to  the  year  A. 
C.  330  :  but  he  continued  standing  undisturbed  only  till 
the  year  A.  C'.  334,  when  ^//c  Macedonian  he-goat  began 
to  smite  him  by  invading  his  territories,  and  by  gaining 
his  first  victory  over  him  at  the  River  Granicus.J  If 
then  we  ought  to  seek  the  date  of  the  vision  during  the 
standing  of  the  ravh  or  the  settled  existence  of  the  Per- 
sian empire,  it  will  be  found  somewhere  between  the 

•  Tlie  ram,  or,*as  he  is  termed  in  the  former  vision,  the  bear,  is  said,  in  the 
proplittic  lan.e;uiif,'e,  to  ar/sc  out  of //;e  sea  ;  to  denote  the  rise  of  the  Persian 
empire  amidst  wars  and  tumults  :  but,  when  Daniel  beheld  him  in  hit  present 
■viaioii,  he  was  standing  by  the  river  ,-  to  denote,  that  the  Persian  empire  had  al. 
ready  ctrisen,  and  was  then  standing  m  a  tranqud,  regular,  and  firmly  establish- 
ed, slate.  (See  the  prcce.ing  renhn  ks  upon  ihe  iiut  aijnibots  of  the  sea,  and  a 
river,  m  the  2d  chapter  rft  e  present  work. J  To  vise  oxU  cf  the  sea,  and  to  s- and 
vpoii  the  bank-  of  a  river,  certainly  denote,  according  to  tlie  analoijy  and  pre- 
cision of  symbolical  languajv^,  two  i<ery  differe^it  st.tes  o{  an  empire,  the  one 
poaterio-  to  the  otlier.  The  river  Ulai,  near  the  palace  Shushan,  is  here  used 
as  H  symbol  of  the  J\r.iiaii  tnonarchij,  in  the  same  maiuier  as  the  apoca/uptic  Eu' 
phmtcs  represents  the  Turkish  empie      Kev.  ix.  14.  and  xvi.  12. 

f  Anno  A.  C  .'•.i6,  Cyrus,  Cambysc  poire  in  Fe  sia  et  Cyaxare  Socero  in  Me- 
dia vita  functis,  Orientis  monarchia  potitus  est:  aquaet  a^X"'  iUius  annos 
septem.  in  8"  T«idEi»?  ipsius  dinumerat  Xcnophon  ;  et  primuni  illius  annum, 
ex  i,isis  Medgruni  et  Persarum  arcliivis,  sacra  deducitScriplura.  LJ,^ser.  An»al. 
p.  146 

\  Vsser.  Annal  p.  283,  286,  312, 321,  323,  324. 


175 

year  A.  C.  5.S6,  when  ilie  ram  began  to  stand,   and  the 
year  A.  C,  330,  v/hen  /z^  wrt,-^  completely  overthrmvn.^^ 

Now,  if  I  be  right  in  dating  ///^  IQ60  ^/^^i"  from  ^/^^ 
^^(7r  606,  the  year  in  which  the  Mohammeaan  abomina- 
tion of  desolation  commenced,  the  year  in  which  the  Ro- 
man beast  revived,  the  year  in  wliicli  the  saints  were  giv^- 
en  into  the  hand  oi  the  papal  Utile  horn;  the  1260  days 
will  expire  in  the  year  1866.  These  1260  days,  as  we 
have  already  seen,  synchronize  with  the  last  I960  days 
of  the  moo,  2300, 'or  2400,  days,  whichever  of  these 
numbers  be  the  proper  reading ;  because,  as  we  are  ex- 
pressly informed  by  the  two  interpreting  angels,  the  2200, 
52300,  or  2400,  days,  and  the  1260  d^ys,  both  equally 
bring  us  down  to  ^/ze  time  of  the  end,  and  consequently 
terminate  together.  This  being  the  case,  we  have  only 
to  compute  backward  2200,  2300,  and  2400,  years  from 
the  year  of  onr  Lord  1866;  and,  according  to  the  epochs 
to  which  they  respectively  lead  us,  we  shall  be  able  to  de- 
cide with  some  degree  of  probability  which  of  those  three 
numbers  is  the  true  reading,  and  consequently  from  what 
era  we  are  to  date  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  tJie  he-^-oat. 

If  then  we  compute  backward  2200  years  fron?  the 
year  of  onr  Lord  1866,  we  shall  arrive  at  the  year  A.  C. 
334 :  if  2300  years  from  the  same  period,  at  the  year  A. 
C.  434:  and  if  lastly  Q^OO  years,  at  the  year  A.  C.  534^ 
All  these  three  dates,  namely  the  years  A.  C.  334,  434, 
and  534,  fall  within  the  period,  during  which  the  ram 
continued  standing  npon  the  bank  of  his  river ;  for  he 
stood  there,  as  we  have  seen,  ixomtlie  first  year  of  Cyrns, 
or  the  year^  A.  C.  5S6,  to  the  imirder  of  Darius,  in  the 
year  A.  C.  330,  when  the  Persian  monarchy  was  dissolv- 
ed :  we  must  be  guided  therefore  by  circumstances  in 
making  our  choice  among  them.  The  year  A.  C.  5^:^, 
to  which  we  are  led  by  adopting  the  reading  oj  the  Sev- 

The  Persian  monarchy  is  not  reckoned  to  have  ended  till  the  deatli  of  Da- 
rius ;  so  long  theref^jre  the  ram  -may  be  considered  as  stcuuli?!^- ,-  for  althouo-h 
the  he-goat  began  to  "  smite"  him  in  the  year  A.  C.  334,  he  had  not  fin'allv  "  cast 
Jam  do\TO  to  the  ground"  till  the  year  A.  C.  330.  Hence  Abp  Usher  observes 
tromJustm.  that  Darius  was  seized  by  Eessus  in  Thara  or  Dara,  a  town  of 
the  Parthians.  as  if  it  had  happened  by  a  kind  of  fatality,  ^h^X  the  empire  of 
the  lersnins  should  end  in  the  land  of  those,  who  were  destined  hereafter  to  be 

tlieir  successors. Fato  quodam  factum  hoc  fuisse,  ut  in   terra  eorum,  qui 

puccessun  impeno  erant,  Persamm  re^nujnfri-etv.r.    Usser.  Anr.al  p.  321. 


176 

eniy  or  2400  daijSy  is  the  third  year  of  Cyrns ;  a  year, 
in  which  nothing  very  remarkable  happened,  and  from 
which  therefore  we  can  scarcely  suppose  the  vision  to  be 
dated.*  The  year  A.  C.  434,  to  which  we  are  led  by 
adopting  the  reading  of  the  Hebrew  or  2300  daysy  is 
equally  devoid  of  any  striking  incident  that  peculiarly  af- 
fected the  empire  of  the  ram  ;  from  this  year  therefore 
we  can  with  as  little  reason  suppose  the  vision  to  be  dat- 
ed as  from  the  former  year.  But  the  year  A.  C.  334,  to 
which  we  are  led  by  adopting  the  readivg  inentioned  by 
Jerome  or  2900  days-,  is  big  with  events  most  materially 
important  to  the  Persian  monarchy :  for,  in  this  very 
year,  the  Macedonian  lie-goat  "  came  from  the  West  on 
the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  and  touched  not  the  ground ;" 
in  this  very  year,  he  first  "  ran  unto  the  ram  in  the  fury 
of  his  power,"  and  smote  him  upon  the  banks  of  the  ri- 
ver Gianicus:t  hence  I  cannot  refrain  from  thinking  it 
most  probable,  that  the  year  A.C.  334,  in  which  the  he- 
goat  began  to  attack  the  ram  as  he  was  standing  in  the 
hitherto  undisputed  possession  of  his  authority,  is  the 
real  date  of  the  vision  ;  and  consequently  that  the  num- 
her  2200  is  the  true  reading.  J 

*  It  was  in  this  ye.ir  that  Daniel  saw  the  vision  with  which  his  book  con- 
cludes ;  but  it  seems  harsh,  merely  on  that  account,  to  date  from  it  the  present 
vision,  which  he  saw  in  the  third  year  of  Belshazzar,  or  in  tlie  year  A.  C  553. 
Had  he  seen  them  both  in  the  third  year  of  Cyrus,  1  should  have  thought  the 
y«ar  A.  C  534  a  probable  date. 

•)■  Alexander,  says  Dean  Prideaux,  "  flew  with  victory  swifter  than  others 
can  travel,  often  with  his  horse  pursuing  his  enemies  upon  the  spur  whole 
days  and  nights,  and  sometimes  making  long  marches  for  several  days  one  af- 
ter the  other,  as  once  he  did  in  pursuit  of  Darius  of  near  forty  miles  a  day  for 
eleven  days  together.  So  that  by  the  speed  of  his  marches  he  came  upon  his 
enemy  before  they  were  aware  of  him,  and  conquered  tliem  before  they  could 
be  in  a  posture  to  resist  him.  Which  exactly  agreeth  with  the  description 
given  of  him  in  ihe  propliecies  of  Daniel  some  ages  before,  he  being  in  them 
set  forth  under  the  similitude  of  a  panther  or  a  leopard  "xith  four  -wings  ,•  for 
he  was  impetuous  and  fierce  in  his  warlike  expeditions,  as  a  panther  after  its 
prey  ;  and  came  on  upon  his  eneniies  with  tliat  speed,  as  if  he  flew  with  a 
double  pair  ol  wings.  And  to  this  purpose  he  is  in  another  place  of  those  pro- 
phecies  compared  to  a  he-goiu  coming  from  the  W'est  with  that  swiftness  upon 
the  king  of  Media  and  Persia,  that  he  seemed  as  if  his  feet  did  not  touch  the 
ground  And  his  actions,  as  well  in  this  comparison  as  in  the  former,  luUy 
verified  the  prophecy."  (Cited  by  Up.  Newton)  So  astonishingly  rapid  in- 
deed was  the  progress  of  Alexander,  tliat,  between  the  years  A.  C.  3  >4  and 
530,  he  began  and  completed  the  conquest  of  the  whole  Persian  empire. 

%  It  is  rather  a  curious  circumstance,  that  this  veri/  year,  to  whicli  I  have 
heen  led  by  cakitlation,  is  one  cf  tlie  three  years,  which  Bp  Newton  conjecturtd 
to  alKord  p.ubahle  dates  for  tiie  coiamencement  of  the  period  of  2300,  22UO,  or 
240U,  ytiirs     See  Dissert,  xv. 


177 

The  sum  of  what  has  been  said  respecting  the  date  of 
the   ll-^Oyeai^s  amounts  then  to  this.      Since  tlie deso- 
lating transgression  of  Mohammedism  is  to  flourish  13v)0 
years,  since  the  srints  are  to  be  delivered  into  the  hand 
oi  the  tiapal  little  horn  for  the  space  of  I'^GO years,  since 
the  Roman  beast  is  to  practise  prosperously  in  his  tpvived 
state  during  the  same   space  of  4*3   prophetic  months, 
and  since  the  two  horns  and  the  beast  are  all  to  j)ensh 
together  at  the  time  of  the  end,  wh'ch  commences  at  the 
termination  of  the   i'i60  years  ;  it  seems  necessarily  to 
follow  that  the  date  of  those  years  can  only  be  an  era 
marked  by   the  following  triple  coincidence  -.—-the  rise 
of  the  desolating  transgression  of  Mohammedism : — the 
commencement  of  the  papal  littlehorn  s  spiritual  univer- 
sal empire  ; — and  the  revival  of  the  Roman  beast  by  con- 
ferring upon  his  little  horn  that  spiritual  universal  e7n- 
pire,  or,  in  the  language  of  prophecy,  by  giving  the  saints 
into  his  hand.  If  therefore  we  pitch  u])on  any  era  not  mark- 
ed   by  this  triple  coincidence,  we  shall  have  reason  to 
suspect  that  it  cannot  be  the  true  date  of  the  1260  years  ; 
because,  since  the  1260  years  oi Mohammedism^  the  l^^oO 
years  of  the  papal  horn,  and  the  IQ60  years  oi  the  revived 
Roman  beast,  all  apparently  terminate  together  at  the 
time  of  the  end,  they  must  in  that  case  all  necessarily  be- 
gin together. 

This  however  is  not  the  only  test  which  the  prophet 
has  given  us  to  ascertain  the  true  date  of  the  IQGO years. 
He  has  checked  (if  I  may  use  the  expression)  this  peri- 
od by  another  larger  period,  which  comprehends  it,  and 
which  terminates  along  with  it.  This  larger  period  is 
stated  by  three  different  readings  to  be  2Q00,  Q3Q0,  or 
Q400  years. 

Thus  it  appears,  that,  after  we  have  discovered  an  era 
for  the  date  of  the  1Q60  years  marked  by  the  triple  coin- 
cidence of^//e  rise  of  Mohammedism,  the  giving  up  of 
the  saints  into  the  hand  of  'he  paml  little  horn,  and  the 
revival  of  the  Roman  beast  by  thus  giving  up  the  saints : 
we  must  next  examine,  whether  a  computation  deduced 
from  this  era  will  make  the  larger  period  of  QQOO,  Q300, 
or  2400,  years,  and  the  smaller  period  of  IQCO  years, 
rightly  correspond  together.  This  must  be  done  by  first 
voi,.  r.  '      23 


1/8 

computing  forwards  1*2^0  ^er/r*  from  th*?  date  which  wc 
have  pitched   nj)on,   and  afterwards  by  computing   back- 
wards (2200,  23f>0,  and  2400.  i/ea)^s  from  the  'Ma  to  which 
the   first  com])Utatioa  b?*ouglit  us  down:  for,  si  (ice  this 
era  is  equally  the  supposed  termination  of  bo<h  the  pe- 
riods, it  is  evident,  that,  if  we  compute  backwards  from 
it  the  number  of  yeas  wf.ich  compose  the  larger  period, 
we  sliall  arrive  at  the  beginning  of  that  period.     Three 
difTerciit  numbers  of  years  however  are  assigned  by  three 
diiTeient  readings  to  the  larger  period.      If  ttien  the  se- 
cond computation  backwards  from  the  era,  to  which  the 
fust  computation  forwards  brought  us   down,  bring   us, 
through  tlie  medium  of  any  one  of  the  three  numbers 
mentioned  by  the  three  different  readings,  to  an  era  from 
which  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat  may  be  rea- 
sonably dated ;  we  shall  ha\  e  attained  to  a  very  high  de- 
gree of  probability,  both  that  that  reading  is  the  true  one, 
and  that  we  have  pitched  upon  the  right  date  of  the  1260 
years,  because  the  two  periods,  larger  and  smaller,  are 
found  upon  trial  exactly  to  check  each  other.     But  if, 
on  the  contrary,  the  second  computation  backwards  from 
the  era,  to  which  the  lirst  computation  forwards  brought 
us  down,  does  not  bring  us,  through  the  medium  of  any 
one  of  the  three  numbers  mentioned  by  the  three  difler- 
ent  readings,  to  an  era  from  which  the  vision  of  the  ram 
and  the  lie-goat  may  be  reasonably  dated  ;  we  may  then 
be  morally  certain,  that  we  have  7iot  pitched  upon  the  right 
date  of  the  1260  j/e^r^, because  the  two  periods,  larger  and 
smaller,  are  not  found  upon  trial  to  check  each  other. 

Now  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe,  that  the  year 
of  our  Lord  606  is  the  only  era  which  answers  to  both 
these  tests.  It  was  in  this  year  that  the  Mohamtnedan 
abomination  of  desolation  was  set  up  ;  and  it  was  in  this 
year  that  the  Roman  beast  revived  by  giving  the  sainfs 
into  the  hand  of  the  little  papal  horn.  IVIoreo\er,  if  we 
hrst  compute  forwards  from  this  era  hlGOycarSy  mc  shall 
arrive  at  the  year  1866,  the  supposed  tcrimnation  both 
of  the  larger  and  the  smaller  period  ;  and,  if  we  next 
compute  "backwards  ^MOO  years  from  the  year  1866  in 
order  to  arrive  at  the  commencement  of  the  larger  peri- 
gd,  the  computation  will  bring  us  to  the  year  A.  C.  33  i-, 


179 

whi'^h  is  one  of  the  most  probable  dates  that  could  have 
been  assigned  even  «  priori  to  the  larger  period,  for  it 
xvas  in  this  very  year  that  the  he-goat  began  to  smite  the 
ram  as  he  was  standmg  upon  the  bank  of  h^s  ri'ver. 

The  propriety  of  fixing  upon  the  year  606  as  the  date 
of  the  l^^  years  will  be  yet  further  manifest,  if  it  be 
shewn  that,  to  all  appearance  at  least,  no  other  era  what- 
soever can  answer  to  the  teRts  furnished  by  the  prophet. 
Mr.  Mede  supposes,  that  the  12f)0  yeors  ought  to  be 
dated  from  the  year  455  or  456,  when  the  power  of 
ilome  was  completely  broken  by  the  Vandals  though  the 
name  of  Emperor  was  yet  continued.*  Independent 
however  of  this  opinion's  having  been  confuted  by  t.  e 
cvent,t  the  erroneousness  of  it  might  easily  have  been 
detected  even  when  it  was  lirst  advanced.  The  year 
456  was  neither  marked  by  the  rise  of  any  powt^r  which 
answers  to  the  description  of  the  desolating  transgression 
connected  with  the  he-goat's  little  honiy  nor  by  any  for- 
mal giving  up  of  ilw  saints  into  the  hand  of  the  papal 
horn  :  nor  ye\,  when  it  is  checked  by  the  L.rger  period 
according  to  any  one  of  its  three  readings  ;  wid  it  bring 
us  to  an  era  from  which  the  vision  of  the  ram  and  the  he- 
goat  can  be  reasonably  dated.  Bp.  Newton  seems  to 
hesitate  between  the  year  1^21,  when  tlie  Pope  and  the 
Romans  finally  broke  their  connection  with  the  Eastern 
Emperor  ;  the  year  755,  when  /he  Pope  obtained  the 
ExarchaleoJ  Ravenna  i  the  year  11 U  vvhen  he  acquired, 
hy  the  assistance  of  Charlemagne,  the  greatest  part  of 
the  kingdom  of  Lombardy  ;  and  the  year  787,  when  the 
worship  of  images  was  fully  established,  and  the  supre- 
macy of  tJie  Pope  acknowledged  by  the  second  council 
of  Nice  :  of  these  different  dates  however  he  is  inclined 
to  prefer  the  Iu'st.:j:     Now,  upon   examination,  not  one 

-  *  At  least  lie  seems  to  hesitate  between  ihix  year,  and  the  year  365  and  410. 
He  was  induced  to  look  to  so  early  a  period  from  an  idea  tliat,  as  soon  as  Ae 
that  letted  was  taken  out  of  the  way,  the  nan  of  sin  should  immediate  y  bt  re« 
vealed  St.  Paul  however  does  not  specify  any  precise  time.  He  onlv  inli- 
JTiutes.  in  general  terms,  tliat  that  Wicked  One  should  not  make  his  appearance 
till  after  the  removal  of  him  that  letted.  See  Apostacy  of  latter  times  Part  L 
Chap  13,  14. 

t  If  f//e  1J60  i/cars  be  dated  from  «/iejfGr  456,  they  will  expire  in  the  year 
j.ri6  I'hat  year  however  has  certainly  not  been  "  the  time  of  the  end"  Hoth 
fh  e  tittle  horns  avc  Still  in  existence,  and  the  Jews  are  yet  scattered  over  tlie  face 
of  the  earth.  a.  Bp.  >;ewton's  Dissert,  xxvi.  3, 


180 

of  them  will  be  found  to  answer  to  the  tests  furnished  by 
the  prophet.  In  none  of  these  years,  except  the  last, 
were  tih"  saints  gi^'en  into  the  hand  of  the  pnpal  horn  ; 
and,  as  for  the  acknowledgment  made  by  the  council  of 
Nice,  it  was  only  a  repetition  of  the  grant  already  made 
hy  t/icsrvth  head  of  the  heast :  in  none  of  them  did  aiiTf 
abomiimtion  of  desolation  connecied  ivith  the  little  horn  of 
the  he-goat  arise  :  and  none  of  them  will  bear  to  be 
checked  by  the  larger  number  according  to  any  one  of 
its  tiree  readings.  There  is  yet  another  date  fixed  upon 
by  Mr.  Mann,  which  prima  facie  was  more  probable 
than  any  of  the  preceding  ones.  About  the  year  533 
or5o4,*  the  Emperor  Justinian  declared  the  Pope  to  be 
the  head  of  all  the  churches  :  whence  it  seemed  not  un- 
likely, that  the  1260  years  ought  to  be  dated  from  that 
era-t  This  opinion  liowever,  like  that  of  Mr.  Mede, 
has  both  been  confuted  by  the  event,t  and  might  have 

*  Mr.  Sharpe  asserts,  that  this  h:ippenecl  in  the  year  540.  (Append,  to 
three  Tracts  on  the  Hebrew  pronunciation  p.  30.)  Exactly  the  same  objec- 
tions apply  to  this  year  as  to  eitlier  of  tlie  others. 

f  See  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert  on  Rev.  xiii. 

%  If  we  compute  tlie  1^60  ijears  from  the  year  533  or  534  we  shall  arrive  at  the 
year  1793  or  1794,  when  neither  the  series  of  events  (Dan  xi.  40 — 45.  Rev.  svi. 
17 — 21.  xviii.  xix.)  which  terminate  in  the  destruction  of  Paper;/  and  JMohatn- 
incuisin  had  commenced,  and  when  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  was  still  future. 
The  remarkable  events,  which  lately  took  place  in  the  year  1798,  led  many  to 
suppose,  that  j''t)/ier^  was  then  overthrown,  and  consequently  that  the  IZdO 
days  must  be  expired.  Hence  Dr.  Valpy  and  Mr  King  named  the  year  o38  as 
the  era  from  which  that  period  ought  to  be  dated.  Much  the  same  opinion 
was  entertained  by  the  Archdeacon  of  Northumberland  and  Archdeacon  Daube- 
ny.  I  need  not  therefore  be  asiiamed  to  mention,  tliat  I  also  had  once  adopted 
a  simihir  opinion.  Our  error  arose  from  not  sufficiently  attending  to  the  gene- 
ral tenor  of  prophecy.  The  expiration  of  the  \260years  is  to  usher  in,  not  on- 
ly the  (loivnfat)  of  Popery,  but  likewise  the  subversion  of  JMohamnieclism,  the  over- 
throiu  <f  the  hfidel  tyrant,  and  the  comnitntement  of  the  restoration  of  the  Jevs. 
These  events  moreover,  or  at  least  the  greater  part  of  them,  are  to  take  place 
in  Palestine,  not  in  Europe.  Hence  it  is  manifest,  that  the  1 J60  years  have  not 
yet  expired.  1  cannot  refrain  from  transcribing  the  judicious  remarks  of  Dr. 
Zouch  upon  this  subject.  "  Though  the  reduction  of  Rome  in  1798,  and  the 
consequent  subversion  of  the  papal  power  in  that  city,  have  been  declared  to  be 
events  which  determine  the  final  accomplishment  of  the  prophecies  relative 
to  the  fall  of  Antichrist,  it  shoul  I  be  remembered  that  similar  events  have 
occurred  in  former  times.  Rome  has  been  frequently  taken  and  plundered  by  a 
foreign  enemy;  and  perhaps  the  late  conquest  ofit  wasattended  witli  less  atro- 
cious acts  of  rapine  and  horror,  than  those  whicli  history  records,  as  the  dread- 
ful concomitants  of  its  former  subjugations  1  he  historian  tiius  describes  the 
enormities  committed  at  Rome,  when  il  was  laid  waste  in  1  >  J7.  Quanta  fue- 
rit  mtHium  Gcrmanorun)  ac  llispanorvm  alrocitas  et  violtntia  Itoms,  verbis  txpli- 
cart  vix  potest.  JVam  prttCcr  hormu/as  Uitiienas,  direptionts,  libidines,  devasta- 
tio'iet,  contttntcliie  ac  tudibrii  getius  nullum  in  i'ontifcem  Cir  dinalesqui  reliquum- 
gue  turbtimpr.ctcrmissiimfuit."  ^^ Preface  to  Zouch  on  Projihecy  )  When  Dr. 
Zouch  wrote,  Cardinal  Ohiaromonte  had  been  elected  I'opc  in  the  year  1800| 


281 

been  confuted  before  the  event.  Mr.  Mann's  assertion 
I  do  not  contradict,  but  I  doubt  whether  he  has  not 
<*reatly  mistaken  the  nature  of  'Justinian's  grant.  Pho- 
cas  declared  ihe  Po'')e  to  be  at  once  head  of  all  the 
churches-,  which  is  a  title  of  dignity,  and  sole  imiversal 
Inshopy  which  is  a  title  of  authority :  whereas  Justinian 
conferred  upon  him  only  the  first  of  these  titles,  styling 
at  the  very  same  time  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople 
head  of  all  other  churches.^  A  comparison  is  accord- 
ingly drawn  very  judiciously  by  Brightraan  between  the 
grant  of  Justinian  and  the  grant  of  Phocas  ;  in  which  he 
states,  that  the  former  only  gave  the  Pope  precedence 
over  all  other  bishops,  and  did  not,  like  the  latter,  ^'.rc/z^- 
sivelj/,  constitute  him  Universal  Bishop.-\  Upon  examin- 
ing the  passage  in  the  Nwellce  to  which  he  refers,  I 
find  him  perfectly  accurate.  The  Emperor  is  simply 
laying  down  the  precedency  of  the  different  patriarchs 
and  prelates  throughout  his  dominions.  Of  these,  the 
patriarchs  come  first  ;  next,  the  archbiehops  ;  and  last, 
the  bishops  ;  and,  of  the  patriarchs,  the  first  place  is  as- 
signed to  Rome  ;  and  the  second,  to  Constantinople.!!; 
Thus  it  appears,  that  the  supposed  grant  of  universal  epis- 
copacy  dwindles  into  a  mere  question  of  empty  preceden- 
cy. Indeed  had  Gregory  himself  borne  the  title  of  Uni- 
versal  Bishop,  or  had  it  been  generally  borne  by  his  pre- 
decessors, he  could  not,  in  common  decency,  have  cen- 

but  had  not  yet  been  enthroned  at  Rome  ;  we  have  since  beheld  Popery  for- 
mally re-established  in  France,  and  a  compact  entered  into  between  the  pre- 
sent usurper  of  the  throne  of  the  Bourbons  and  the  sovereign  pontiff. 

*  "  Omnium  aliarum  caput."  This  plainly  shews,  that  in  the  mind  of 
.Justinian  both  the  titles  wort  mere  titles  Hcau  of  all  ihe  churches,  and 
Head  of  all  the  other  churches,  remind  one  of  Primate  of  all  England,  and  Pri- 
mate of  England.  Tiie  two  first  as  little  confer  universal  tpiscopacy  in  the 
Rpman  empire,  as  the  two  last  do  in  our  own  country.  Nay,  even  the  title  of 
Ecumenical  seems  to  have  been  borne  both  by  the  patriarch  of  Constantino- 
ple and  by  the  other  eastern  patriarchs  ;  and  consequently,  when  borne  by 
more  than  one,  was  a  mere  title.  Phocas  was  the  first,  who  gave  it  exclusively 
to  the  Pope,  and  forbad  all  other  prelates  to  assume  it. 

+  "  Anno  606  to.  —  hie  (Phocas)  Bonifacio  UI  concessit,  ut  Romanis  Uni- 
Tersalis  Episcopus  haberetur;  non  solum  ut  online  ac  honore  reliquos  antece- 
Aeret,  uti  decrevit  .Tustinianus  primatum  sacrarum  synodorum  definiens,  sed 
cuitotus  orbis  sua  dijecesis  foret  "     Apoc.  Apoc.  Fol.  iU5. 

f'Sancimus,  secundum  eariim  (scil  sacrarum  synodorum)  dcfinitiones, 
sanctissimum  senioris  Uomse  Papam  primum  esse  omnium  sacerdotum  :  bea- 
tissimum  autem  avcliiepiscopum  Constantinopolcos  nova:  liomse  secundum 
habere  locum  post  sanct.im  apostolicam  senioris  Romx  sedem  ;  aliis  autem 
om.nibus  sedibus  prarponawr."  Justin.  Novell.  Tit.  14.  Constitut  cxxxi.  Cap.  2. 


sured  his  Byzantine  brother  as  the  precursor  of  Anti- 
Christ  for  assuining  it.  In  addition  to  this  reason,  the 
prophetic,  tests  alTord  the  same  insurmountable  objection 
to  the  date  proposed  by  Mr.  Mann  as  they  have  ah'eady 
alTorded  to  those  projwsed  by  Mr  Mede  and  i3p.  Newton. 
^oclesolrt'/ig  tf'an- gressinn  cornected  with  the  little  horn 
of  the  he-,qort  arose  in  the  years  533  and  5.34  ;  nor  will 
either  of  those  years  bear  in  be  checked  by  any  of  tlic 
numbers  which  the  diferent  readings  assign  to  the  larg- 
er period.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that,  although 
.Bp.  Newton  acknowledges  that  "  the  religion  of  Moham- 
med will  prevail  in  tl:e  East  for  as  long  a  period  "f  time 
as  the  tijrami'.j  of  the  littlr  horn  in  the  West,"  and  al- 
thouQ[h  he  is  struck  with  the  wonderful  ooincidence  of 
'•  Mohammed's  having  first  contri\ed  his  imposture  in  the 
year  606,  the  very  same  year  wherein  the  t}  rant  Phocas 
made  a  grant  of  the  supremacy  to  the  Pope ;"  yet  he 
is  unwilling  to  date  the  IQGO  years  from  that  era,  merely 
because  the  Pojh  did  not  attain  to  the  height  of  his  tem- 
poral dominion  till  the  eighth  century.^  The  saints  how- 
ever were  given  into  his  hand,  not  surely  by  the  grant 
of  titc  Erarchaie  and  the  kingdom  of  Lombardvy  wliich  in 
itself  cojiveys  not  an  atom  of  catholic  spiritual  power  in 
the  Church-,  but  by  constituting  him  sf/preme  in  ecclesi- 
astical matters,  by  making  him  a  JBishi>p  of  all  other 
Bishops  :  and  the  prophet  expressly  informs  us,  that  tiie 
1260  years  are  to  be  dated  from  the  era,  when  the  saints 
were  thus  given  into  his  hand.f 

•  Dissert,  xvii.  "  A  time  times  and  a  half  are  three  prophetic  yean  am! m 
half  ;  and  t/iree  prophetic  years  and  a  half  are  1260  prophetic  days  :  and  1  j60 
prophetic  davn  are  12(50  years  The  same  lime  therefore  is  prefixed  for  the  deso- 
lation and  oppression  of  the  eastern  church,  as  for  tl)e  tjranny  of  the  little  horn 
in  the  -.pcsfcvt  church  ;  and  it  is  wonderfully  remarkable,  tliat  the  doctrine  of 
IMoliammed  was  fi'  st  forgfed  at  Mecca,  and  the  supremacy  of  tlie  Pope  was 
established  by  virtue  of  a  pranl  from  the  wicked  tyrant  Phocas,  in  the  very 
same  year  of  Christ  606  "  Ibid. 

+  Mr  IVicheno  has  proposed  a  scheme  difTcrinp  both  from  mine,  and  from 
those  of  all  the  preceding  authors — He  supposes,  that  tite  1'260 years  are  to  be 
computed  from  the  year  y^9,  when  the  code  of  .lustinian,  which  he  styles  tlu: 
stro  If  hold  of  clerical  tyranny,  was  first  publishetl.  'I'hey  terminated  conse- 
quently in  the  yi  ar  I'B*.),  when  the  French  re^-oiurion  took  place. — To  the  1  ?60 
7/rar*  thus  commcncinp  he  adds  >^0  w(jr*,  in  order  to  complete  Daniel's  1'290 
war*  This  second  operation  brings  us  down  to  the  yrai  1819  ;  at  which 
period  he  conceives  that  tlie  nntirfn-istian  po-wem  (apainst  whom  the  judgments 
of  CJod  began  to  g-o  forth  at  the  close  nf  tAe  12<'0  years  in  the  year  \Tif9)  will 
be  finally  broken,  and  that  the  reuoration  of  the  Javs  will  comracncc. — f  roB? 


185 

The  result  of  tlie  whole  is,  that,  since  the  year  606  is 
the  only  era  which   perfectly  answers  to  the  prophetic 

the yem'  'iSldfVihe.n  the  sanctuary  will  be  completely  cleansed  by  the  over- 
throw of  the  Papacy,  which  he  assumes  to  be  the  desolating  irunnpesfsion 
mentioned  in  Dan  viii.  13.  and  xii  11.  he  next  computt-s  backwards  2oQ(}  yars, 
in  ordf^r  to  arrive  at  the  beginning  of  the  vision  of  the  ram  aid  the  he-g-oat. 
This  tliird  operation  bring-s  us  to  tht  year  A  C  431  ;  at  which  pe.  iod  Xerxes 
set  out  to  invade  Greece,  for  Mr.  Biclieno  suppose*  that  the  wars  of  tiiat  prince 
are  foretold  hi  Dan.  viii  4,  20 — Lastly  to  //le  \290  years,  terminating  in  /Ae 
year  I8l9,  he  adds  45  vears,  in  order  to  complete  Daniel's  1335  years.  This 
final  operation  brings  us  down  to  the  year  1864;  'w\ie\\  tht  restoration  of  the 
Jeivs  (to  wliich  he  assigns  the  space  of  4'  years)  will  be  completed,  and  when 
the  distant  heathen  nations  will  be  converted  to  Christianity.  (Signs  of  the 
times  Fart  1   p.  5 — 61.) 

1  feel  some  degree  of  unwillingness  to  urge  any  objections  against  this 
scheme  of  Mr  Bichcno  ;  because  so  very  short  a  space  of  time,  about  13  years 
only,  will  either   practically  demonstrate    it  to  be  right  <'at  least  so  far  as  the 
restoration  of  the  Jerjs  is  concerned.)  or  effectually  preclude  the   necessity   of 
any  verbal  confutation.     W'ith  my  present  views  of  the   subject,   it  certainly 
appears  to  me  erroneous  in  every  point ;  and  it  is  my  firm   beli'  f  that  the   ra- 
pidly approaching  year  1819  will  prove  it  to  be  so. — Ifrs'  objtct  to  the  era,  from 
which  r/<e  1260  j/e(i/«  are  computed.     The  yusiinian  code,   says    Mr.  Bicheno, 
granted  vast  powers  ami  privileges  to  the  clergy,  aiid  perfected  the  union   betiveen 
things  civil  and  ecclesiastical.     All  this  may  be  very  true  ;  out  tiow  can  a  grant 
of  privileges  to  the  clergy  in  gener  I,  holh  in  the  east  and  in  the  -west,  be   a  de- 
livering of  the  saints  into  the  hand  of  the  papal  horn  in  particular,  whose  juris- 
diction Kas  co7ifned  to  the  patriarch.. te  of  the    fVest  ?    Mr    Bicheno   replies,   Tf 
Justinian  did   not  declare    the    Pope  he.id  of  all  the  chwches  in  the  year  529,  he 
certainly  did  as  early  as  the  year  534      Now,  even  supposing  that  Justinian  had 
conferred  the  power  of  Univ-rsal  Episcopacy  upon    the  Pope,    which   he   cer- 
tainly did  not,  for  he   granted   him   nothing  more  than  an  empty  precedence 
over  all  other  patriarchs,  what  has    this  to    do  with    the  date  which  Mr.  Bi- 
cheno has  chosen  ?  If  the  \Z6Q  years  be  computed  from  the  year  534,  they  carry 
us  beyond  the  year  1789  ;  and  an  error  oi'fve  years  as  effectually  invalidates  a 
numerical  calculation  as  an   error  of  fve  centuries  .•  if Ihey  be  not  computed 
from  the  year  534,  but  from  the  year  529,  they  will  no  doubt  bring   us  exactly 
to  the  year  1789 ;  but  in  that  case,  what  can  an  event  which  happened  in  the  year 
534  have  to  do  with  a  date  which  is  declared  to   be  the  year  5-9  ? — I   next   ob- 
ject to   the   supposed  termination   of  the   1260  years.     Though  1  think  Mr. 
nicheno perfectly  riglit  in  supposing  that  the  judgments  of  God  will  IxginXo 
go  forth  against  his  enemies  at  the  end  of  the  r-60  years,   and  that  30  years 
will  elapse  before  those   enemies  are  Ji:ialLy  destroyed  :  I  believe   him  to  be 
quite  mistaken  in  assigning  ^Ae  termination  of  those  "^0  years  as  the  proper  date  of 
the  cunimencemcnt  of  the  restoration  of  the  Jeias     Daniel  plainly  teaches  us  tliat 
tfie  JcKs  will   begin   to   be  restored,  not  at  ?/ie  e?;./ of  fAe  30  years,  hut  &i  thf 
beginnivg  of  them  ;  that  is  to  say,  not  at  the  end  of  :he  1290  years,   but  at  the 
tiiid    oi' the  three   times   and   a   half  OT  the  1260  years.     (Dan.  xii.   6,  T-)     Ac- 
cordingly, after  having  described  the   expedition  and   overtJirow  of  the   king, 
-who  magnifed  himself  above  every  god  as  taking  place  at  the  time  of  the  end  or  at 
the  tennination  of  the  1260  years,  he  adds,  that  at  that  same  time  the  nation  of 
the  Jeivs  should  be  delivered.     (Dan,  xi  4(J — 45.  xii.   1.)     Wiiat  probably   led 
Mr.  Bicheno  into  his  mistake  was  his   referring   the   expression  at  that  time 
(xii.    1.)   to   the   overthrow  of  the  king   (x'l. '15.)   instepd  of  referring  it  (as  he 
oughtto  have  done)    to  the  beginring  of  the  king's   expedition  or  the   cov^mence- 
ment  of  the  time  of  the  end.  {y\  40.)     'I'hat  the  latter  reference  is   'he   proper 
one,  is  manitest  both  from  the  subsequent  declaration  ot  Daniel  (xii.  6,  ''.)  am? 
from  tlie  unvarying  tenor  of  all  tlie  prophecies   wliich  speak  ;>f  the  restoiatior 
efthe  Je^s.    They  unanimously  represent  them  as  bcii>g  <  ;  j.   :-ed  in  their  own 
Ismd,  and  even  besiege<i   in  their  own   capital  city,  by  the  antlrhristian  cor. 


184 

•v> 

tests,  there  ia  at  least  a  very  high  degree  of  probabiUty 
that  it  is  the  true  date  of  the  commencement  of  the  1260 

feJtraaj :  hence  it  is  plain,  that  their  restoration  must  have  commenced,  not  c»n- 
temporantously  with  tlie  overthrow  of  that  confederacy,  but  some  time  previous 
to  its  o.e.tli-o'v  ;  otherwise'  how  can  the  various  matters,  which  are  predict- 
ed respeciinjj  them,  receive  tiieir  accomplishment  ?  Hoiv  long  indeed  before 
this  o\'cri.hrow  their  rpstoration  will  coiumence,  the  unclironologicai  prophets 
nowhere  tell  us  .  but  Daniel,  as  we  have  seen,  amply  makes  up  their  defi- 
ciency by  informing'  us,  tliat  they  will  begin  to  be  delivered  at  the  time  of  the 
end  or  at  the  close  oftiie  \260t/ea''t,  when  alt  the  nredictions  relative  to  the  won- 
derful events  comprehended  within  the  th-ee  times  and  a  half  shall  have  been 
fulfilled.  "  On  these  grDunds  we  may  safely,  I  think,  conclude,  that  the  1260 
j-eari  did  not  expire  in  the  i/rar  17 ii9  because  the  Jew,?  did  not  then  beghi  to 
be  restored  :  and,  even  if  their  restoration  should  commence  in  elie  year  1819, 
as  Mr.  Bichcno  expects,  such  an  event  would  be  no  demonstration  of  the  rest 
of  his  system  :  on  the  contrary,  it  would  confute  it,  because  it  would  prove 
that  the  1.6U  years,  in.stead  of  expiring  in  the  year  1789,  expired  in  the  year 
1819. — I  third'y  object  ti;  his  comj-uting  the  1290  j/ears  and  tlie  l2o^  ytr.js  from 
the  year  529,  on  the  gi'oiind  that  the  abomination  of  desolation,  mentioned  in 
Dan  viii  13  and  xii.  1 1,  is  the  Papacj.  That  these  two  periods  are  to  be  dated 
from  the  same  era  as  t/'w  V260 yeur^,  cannot,  T  think,  be  reasonably  doubted;  in 
this  point  therefore  Mr.  Bxheno  and  I  perfectly  agree-  We  both  likewise 
agree,  that  all  'he  three  periods  are  to  be  claied  from  the  setting  up  of  the  aboinina- 
tion  of  desolation  ■  for  neither  can  this  position  be  reasonably  doubted.  We 
lastly  agree,  that  one  and  the  same  abomination  of  desolatiori  is  spoken  of  both 
iji  Dan.  viii  13  and  in  Dan  xii,  11;  and  that  this  abomination  c&nnot  be  re- 
ferred to  the  pollution  of  he  literal  temple  by  the  Itomans  as  predicted  (accord- 
ing to  our  Lord's  own  exposition)  in  D:tn  xi  3 1,  because  the  numbers  con- 
nected with  it  render  such  a  reference  impossible  Thus  far  we  are  perfectly 
agreed  ;  but  here  we  begin  to  differ.  Mr.  Bichcno  maintains,  that  the  deso- 
lating transq-ression,  connected  with  the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat  and  with  the 
ntimbers  1290  and  13  o,  is  the  Papacy,  which  he  contends  was  set  up  by  the 
code  of  Justinian  in  the  year  5i;9  ;  1,  on  the  contrary,  most  explicitly  deny  that 
this  desolating  transgression  is  the  J'apacy.  Let  rAp  little  horn  of  the  he-goat  be 
Antioehus  Ep  pkanes,  the  Hovian  empire,  OT  any  other  po'Mer  :  it  certainly  can- 
not be  the  Papacy,  because  the  Papacy  never  was  a  horn  of  the  he-goat,  or  Ma- 
cedonian empire.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  the  desolating  transgression  connect- 
ed with  the  Macedoiticai  little  horn,  which  was  to  take  away  the  daily  sacrifice 
and  to  give  both  the  sanctuary  and  tiie  host  to  be  trodden  under  foot,  cannot 
be  the  Papacy,  and,  if  it  be  not  tlie  Papac^i,  we  have  no  right  to  date  tlie  1J60 
yea>  s  t}ie  i29i)  years  VintX  the  ISo.i  years  from  the  vffl'' 529,  unless  it  can  be 
shewn  tiiat  some  desolating  transgression,  which  afterwards  became  a  horn  of 
tlie  he-goat  and  which  fully  answers  to  the  prophetic  description  of  it,  arose  in 
tfie  year  529.  This  however  Mr.  Bicheno  will  find  it  no  very  easy  matter  to 
do  ;  tlierefoi  e  the  three  periods  cannot  be  dated  from  the  year  529.  Here  I 
might  stop  ;  for,  if  Mr.  Bicheno's  foundation  give  way,  his  superstructure 
falls  to  the  ground  of  course  :  yet  1  cannot  refrain  from  noticing  tlie  strange 
era  which  he  has  pitclied  upon  as  the  proper  date  of  the  larger  number  "300, 
and  consequently  of  the  visi  .n  of  the  ravi  and  the  he-goat.  A  computation  de- 
duced, not  from  the  end  of  the  l-'60  \ears  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  but  from  the 
end  oftlw  Vl'^Q years  (that  is  to  say,  from  whathe  supposes  to  be  the  end  of  the 
1290  years),  brings  him  to  the  year  A.  C  481,  in  which  Xerxes  set  out  to  invade 
Greece  ;  and  this  famous  expedition  he  affirms  to  be  specially  predicted  under 
\}Ac\mti.^CTy  i)i  tJie  pushiiig  of  the  ratn.  Never  surely  was  history  more  inju- 
diciously brou;;ht  forward  as  the  interpreter  of  prophecy.  Daniel  tolls  us,  that 
the  pushing  oj  the  ram  was  so  irresistible,  that  no  beast  could  stand  before 
him,  and  that  none  could  deliver  out  of  his  hand,  but  tliat  he  <lid  acconling 
lo  his  will,  and  became  great.  Hci  oJolus  assures  us,  that  the  huge  unwieldy 
armament  of  Xerxes  was  totally  discomfited  by  the  Greeks,  and  that  tlie  king 


185 

days*'     In  this  year,  the  saints  were  given  into  the  hand 

oif  he  papal  horn  :  in  this  year  ^/^e  Mohammedan  trans- 
gression of  desolation.,  which  shortly  after  its  rise  became 
b}  the  conquest  of  Syrian  horn  of  the  he-goaty  was  set 
up  :t  and  a  computation,  deduced  from  this  year,  brings 
us  precisely  to  the  very  year  in  which  Alexander  invad- 
ed Asia,  one  of  the  most  proper  daies  that  could  have 
been  assi,2:nedeven  a  priori  to  the  vision  of  the  ram  and 
the  he-goat.  Positive  certainty  indeed  in  such  matters 
is  the  high  privilege  of  God  alone  :  yet  a  triple  coinci- 
dence is  not,  I  think,  tobesHghted.  According  to  what 
is  called  the  doctrine  of  chances,  the  improbability  of  an 
accidental  triple  coincidence  bears  a  much  higher  ratio 
to  the  improbability  of  only  an  accidental  double  coinci- 
dence, than  the  numijer  three  does  to  the  number  iwoX 

himself  was  compelled  to  flee  with  disg^raceful  precipitancy  into  Asia.  In  fact, 

the  pushing  of  the  rnvi  related  almost  exclusively  to  iIlc  -victories  of  Cyrns, 
which  were  achieved  lon^  before  Xerxes  came  to  the  throne. 

My  general  conclusion  is  this  ;  that  Mr  IJicheno's  sciieme,  though  not  defi- 
cient in  ingenuity,  rests  u]-)on  no  solid  foundation.  A  very  few  years  however, 
as  I  have  already  observed,  will  irrefragably  decide  the  question  between  us. 

*  Mr.  Fleming' fixes  the  rise  of  Popery  propoly  sn  cnlled,  that  is  to  say,  the 
commencement  of /Ae  5/)/r//H«/  empire  of  th.  I'ope.  Vo  "  that  memorable  year 
606,  when  Phocas  did  in  a  manner  devolve  the  government  of  the  West  upon 
Boniface  the  third,  by  giving  him  the  title  of  .sii/^/v/jif  and  universal  Bishop  ;'' 
yet  he  afterwards,  with  an  inconsistency  similar  to  that  of  Bp  Newton,  dates 
Me  1260  J/etirj  from  f/;e?/frtr  758,  when  he  supposes  the  Papacy  to  have  been 
established.  Uis  own  expression,  ''  by  steps  he  hath  been  raisetl  up,  and  by 
steps  must  he  be  pulled  down,"  might  have  shown  him,  that  the  tyrannical 
reign  of  the  papal  horn  ought  to  be  dated,  not  surely  from  the  era  of  its  meri- 
dian splendor,  but  from  tlie  very  first  year  that  it  commenced,  from  the  time 
when  the  saints  were /rs?  given  into  the  hand  of  ?As  /j9?'?2.  We  date  the  age 
of  a  man  from  the  day  of  Ids  birth,  not  from  the  period  of  Ids  adolescence  : 
why  tlien  must  a  different  mode  be  adopted  in  computing  J/ie  duration  of  a 
spiritual  catholic  empire?  Besides  this  objection  to  dating  the  1260  years  from 
the  year  75S,  that  era  is  equally  unable  to  bear  the  tests  proposed  by  the  pro- 
phet as  every  other  era  which  has  been  pitched  upon,  one  only  excepted,  the 
year  606,  which  has  been  found  exactly  to  answer  to  those  ttsts,  and  which  I 
have  therefore  concluded  to  be  the  true  date  of  ;/je  12&0 years.  Mr.  Galloway 
adopts  the  first  conjecture  of  Air.  Fleming,  rejecting  very  judiciously,  his  sub- 
sequent inconsistency.     (Comment,  p.  88,  129.) 

t  The  extreme  accuracy  of  the  prophet  is  highly  worthy  of  our  notice. 
He  does  not  direct  us  to  date  the  1260  ytars  from  the  rise  of  the  he-goat' s  little 
horn,  but  from  the  incipient  pollution  rf  the  spiritual  sanctuary  and  the  setting  iip 
of  that  desolating  transgression  whidi  aferivurils  hcc&me  a  horn  of  the  he-goat. 
(nan.  xii.  11.)  Had  we  been  directed  to  date  them  from  the  rise  of  Moham- 
meaism  as  a  horn  of  the  hc-goat,  we  must  have  dated  themsome  years  later  than 
the  year  606. 

+  What  I  mean  is  this,  if  the  gravity  of  my  subject  will  permit  me  to  use 
such  a  mode  of  exemplification.  A  dou'jle  coincidence  I  compare  to  thrcxving 
tKO  aces  ivith  tiuo  dice ■;  a  triple  coincidence,  to  throivliig  thi^e  aces  tvttkihne 
dice  Now  it  is  well  known,  that  the  chance  against  throwing  the  latter  )%  to 
the  chance  against  throwing  the  former,  much  more  than  three  to  t-xo. 

VOL.  I.  24 


186 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  compare  the  character  of  the 
he-goat's  little  horn  with  the  character  of  Mohammedismy 
in  order  that  their  identity  may  be  proved  as  well  by 
circums^uitial  as  by  chronological  correspondence. 

I.  "  l''or  how  long  a  time  shall  the  vision  last,  the  dai- 
ly sacrifice  be  taken  away,  and  the  transgression  of  des- 
olation continue,  to  gi'e  both  the  sanctuary  and  the  host 
to  be  trodden  under  foot?" 

1.  We  have  seen,  that  the  power'  symholized.  bi)  the  lit- 
tle horn  of  the  he-goat,  Avhatever  power  it  may  be,  is  to 
flourish  \Q()0  years,  computing  from  its  rise  in  the  cha- 
racter of  a  desolating  transgression  ;  and  therefore  that 
the  prosperous  duration  of  this  power  is  to  be  exactly 
contemporary  with  the  tyrannical  reign  of  the  papal  lit- 
tle horn.  We  have  likewise  seen  reason  to  believe,  that 
that  tyrannical  reign  commenced  in  the  year  6o6,  when 
the  saints  were  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  Bishop  of 
Rome  ;  and  consequently  that  we  must  look  for  the  rise 
of  the  power  symbolized  by  the  he-goafs  little  horn  in 
that  same  year.  Accordingly,  upcm  turning  our  eyes  to 
tlie  East,  we  found  that  Mohammedism  arose  in  that 
very  year ;  and  we  know,  that  no  other  power  did  then 
arise,  which  either  afterwards  became  a  little  horn  of  the 
he-goat,  or  which  at  all  corresponds  with  its  prophetic 
character  :  whence  we  concluded  from  this  chronologi- 
cal coincidence,  that  that  horn  was  designed  to  symlx)- 
lize  Mohammedism.  Such  being  the  case,  our  first  in- 
quiry must  be,  in  what  ^e\\?>vMohavnnedis)ii  qa\i\  be  sym- 
bolized by  a  horn. 

I  have  already  slicwn,  that  the  language  of  symbols 
allows  the  same  hieroglyphic  to  bear  both  a  temporal 
and  a  spiritual  signification.  Thus  we  find,  that  a  moun- 
tain is  used  to  ty[)iiy  both  the  temporal  hiiigdomof  Baby- 
lon, and  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ  :*  thus  like- 
wise a  beast  indifferently  represents  a  secular  and  an  ec- 
clesiastical empire :  and  thus,  arguing  from  analogy,  a 
horn  denotes  either  a  temporal  or  a  spiritual Idngdom. 

Now  we  have  seen,  that  the  little  horn  of  the  Roman 
beast  typifies  the  spiritual  kingdom  oj  the  Papacy,  which, 
small  as  it  was  at  first,  in  process  of  time  became  a  great 

*  Jerem.  li.  25.  Dan.  ii.  35. 


137 

'empire  symbolized  in  the  Apocalypse  by  a  tivo-liorned 
beast.  Such  being  the  case,  even  if  we  had  not  been 
assisted  by  chronological  computation  in  our  inquiries, 
we  should  naturally  have  been  led,  merely  by  the  ana- 
logy of  symbolical  language,  to  conclude,  that  the  little 
horn  of  the  Macedonian  beast  typified  a  spiritual  kingdom 
likewise  :  for  it  seems  by  no  means  agreeable  to  the  strict 
accuracy  of  that  language  to  suppose,  that  the  Roman  lit- 
tle horn  means  a  kingdom  of  one  kind,  and  that  the  Mace- 
dowan  little  hoj^n  means  a  kingdom  quite  of  another  kind.^' 

So  again,  with  regard  to  local  situation  :  since  the  little 
hor?i  of  the  Roman  beast  is  to  be  sought  for  in  the  West,  we 
may  naturally,  not  to  say  necessarily,  conclude,  that  the 
little  horn  of  the  Macedonian  beast  is  to  be  sought  for  in 
the  East. 

Thus  we  find,  that  chronological  computation,  symbo- 
lical analogy,  and  local  situation, all  lead  us  to  suppose  that 
the  religion  of  MoJiammed  is  typified  by  the  little  horn  of 
the  Macedonian  beast.     We  must  next  consult  history. 

Accordingly,  as  history,  when  viewed  in  connection 
with  prophecy,  has  shewn  us,  that  the  little  horn  of  ike 
Roman  beast  means  the  spirituaU  not  the  temporal^ 
Jiiiigdom  of  the  Pope  ;  so  history  will  likewise  shew  us,, 
when  viewed  in  connection  with  prophecy,  that  the  little 
horn  of  the  Macedonian  beast  means  the  spirit aal,  not  the 
temporal,  kingdom  of  iMohammed. 

The  desolating  transgression,  which  Daniel  identifies 
with  the  he-goat's  little  horn,  was  to  rise  in  the  year 
()06,  at  the  commencement  of  the  12G0  years,  during 
which  it  was  to  flourish,  and  during  which  the  Roman 
little  horn  was  to  reign  over  the  saints.  No  power  did 
then  arise  in  the  East  except  the  religion  of  Mohatumed  ; 
and  the  religion  of  Mohammed  arose  in  that  very  year. 
As  for  i\\c  secular  authority  of  that  impostor,  either  with- 
out or  within  the  limits  of  the  he-goafs  late  empire,  it 
did  not  comm.ence  till  several  years  afterwards.  Hence 
we  may  conclude,  agreeably  to  the  analogy  of  sj^mbolical 
language,  that  the  horn  denotes  not  the  temporal  domin- 

*  This  affords  another  argument  to  shew,  that  the  little  horn  of  the  he-goat 
cannot  be  the  Roman  empire  or  the  fourth  great  beast,  hs  Sir  Isaacand  15  p.  New- 
ton suppose. 


188 

ioUf  but  (he  religion  of  Mohammed.  This  conclusion,  I 
allow,  does  not  quite  necessarily'^  follow  lrr>m  ^^he  p'emi- 
ses  :  but  mark  the  sequel.  The  power  symbolized  by 
the  horny  after  it  had  arisen  in  th:  year  o06,  was  to  con- 
tinue VlQO  years.  Consequently,  as  this  date,  and  this 
period  of  years,  exclude  Antiochus  Epiphanes  and  the 
Romans  from  having  any  connection  with  the  horn  ;  so 
do  they  equally  exclude  the  temporal  kingdom  erected 
by  Mohammed.  That  king  iom,  instead  of  being  set  up 
in  the  year  606,  which  the  prophecy  requires,  d'd  not 
commence,  according  to  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  till  the  year 
637:  and,  alter  it  had  commenced,  it  lasted  no  more 
than  300  years  :  or,  if  we  date  its  rise  somewhat  ear'ier 
in  the  lile-time  of  Mnhammed  when  he  became  prince  of 
Medina  in  the  year  622,  still  it  will  not  have  commenced 
in  the  year  606,  and  still  its  duration  will  scarcely  amount 
even  to  one  quarter  of  1260  years.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  religion  or  spiritual  kingdom,  of  Mohammed  arose 
precisely  in  the  year  606  ;  has  already  continued  nearly 
twelve  centuries ;  and  has  every  appearance  of  continu- 
ing, in  some  one  of  the  countries  where  it  is  professed, 
to  the  very  end  of  tJie  l^'^GO  years.  At  its  first  rise  it 
was  to  be  little,  comprehending  two  or  at  the  most  only 
three  persons,  namely  Mohammed  and  his  two  apostate 
associates  :t  but  it  was  not  long  to  remain  so.  The 
prophet  informs  us,  that,  small  as  it  originally  was,  it 
soon  "  waxed  exceeding  great  toward  the  South,  and 
toward  the  East,  and  toward  the  pleasant  land  "  Mo- 
hajnmedism  accordingly,  though  it  made  its  first  appear- 
ance at  Mecca,  soon  invaded  the  territories  of  ihe  Syrian 
horn  of  Ihc  he  goat,  thus  becoming  (agreeably  to  the 
prediction)  a  horn  oj  the  he  goat ;  and  afterw.;rds,  exclu- 
sive of  its  propagation  in  other  regions,  spread  itself  over 

*  Because  my  first  argument  only  piovts,  that  the  desolating  transgression 
must  be  a  spiritual  power,  not  thai  tlie  tittle  horn  must,  with  which  it  was  af- 
terwards identified.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  observe,  that  a  power  may 
be  at  once  both  spiritual  and  tt  mporal.  My  second  argument  Ihtrefere  goes 
on  to  prove,  that  the  desolati-.'.g  little  /win  must  itself  be  a  spiritual  power. 

+  The  Kabbinical  tales,  with  wldch  the  Koran  is  so  larpely  i  mbeUished, 
Molianum  d  i.s  supposed  to  liave  learned  Ironi  a  I'eisian  Jew  ;  and  tor  those 
parts  of  his  multifarious  work,  which  touch  upon  (Christianity,  he  is  thought 
tojiave  been  indebted  to  tiuNcstorian  munk  Sergius  or  B.dieir.a.  All  the  rest 
lie  himself  was  amply  fjualified  to  supply.  See  I'rideaui's  Life  of  Moham- 
med, p.  43 — 49. 


189 

the  whole  Macedonian  empire^  in  the  same  nmni^er  as 
the  li  tie  horn  oj  the  ^oman  beast  extended  its  iiitlib  nee 
over  the  zvhole  Western  empire.  Thiis  did  the  great 
double  Apos'acy  set  its  two  feet  upon  ihe  East  and  the 
West  in  the  self-same  year  :  and  thus  hath  it  ever  since 
continued  to  trample  upon  all  true  religion.  At  the 
end  however  of  the  1260  years,  the  judgments  of  God 
shall  surely  go  forth  against  it,  and  the  long  jx)!h^ted 
spiritual  sanctuary  shall  begin  to  be  thoroughly  cleansed. 

21.  The  'alse  religion  of  Mohammed-,  s3anbolized  by 
the  little  horn  of  the  he  goat-,  and  stigmatized  by  Daniel 
as  being  a  desolating  transgression-,  was  a  medley  of  cor- 
rupted Christianity  lurnisiied  by  an  apostate  monk,  of 
Talmudical  Judaism  contributed  by  a  renegade  Jew,  and 
of  Arabian  superstition  purified  of  its  idolatiy  by  Mo- 
hammed himself:  whence  it  may  justly  be  termed,  as  it 
is  represented  by  St.  John,"^"'  an  apostacy  from  the  pure 
'faith  of  re'oelation,  Mohammed  taught,  that  the  several 
prophets,  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Christ,  and. 
himself,  rose  in  just  gradation  above  "  each  other ;  and 
that  whosoever  hates  or  rejects  any  one  of  them  is  io 
be  numbered  with  the  infidels."  For  the  great  author 
of  our  faith  especially  the  Mussulm.ans  were  required  to 
entertain  a  high  and  mysterious  veneration.  "  \^erily," 
says  he,  "  Christ  Jesus,  the  son  of  Maty,  is  the  apostle 
of  God,  and  his  Word  which  he  conveyed  unto  Alary, 
and  a  spirit  proceeding  from  him :  honourable  in  this 
world,  and  in  the  world  to  come;  and  one  of 'hose  who 
approach  near  to  the  presence  of  God."t  Agreeably  to 
these  declarations,  Mohammed  acknowledged  the  divine 
authority  of  the  Pentateuch,  the  Psalms,  and  the  Gos- 
pel ;!|l  but  required  that  the  Koran  should  be  received 
along  with  them,  or  rather  should  supersede  them.  Such 
was  the  nature  of  that  desolating  transgression,  which 
set  itsr-lf  in  direct  opposition  to  the  prince  of  ihe  host, 
and  which  stood  up  against  the  prince  of  princes. 

o.  When  the  Arabian   pseudo   prophet  liist  retited  to 

*  Jl  fallen  star,  when  taken  in  a  spiritual  sense,  is  the  symbol  of  an  iipootate 
Christian  pastor.  Such  a  .sfar  was  Serg-ius,  who  opened  the  bottomless  pit 
and  let  out  the  false  religion  of  Mohammed.     Kev.  ix.  1. 

f  Koran.  C-  3  and  G  4 

4  Sale'5  Prelim.  l}:s.;ourse,  p.  100— Decline  and  Fall.  Vol,  ix.  p.  261— 266. 


190 

the  cave  of  Hera  to  fobricate  the  Koran,  this  being  the 
first  overt  act  of  his  imposture,  we  may  consider  that 
tra?2sgressiofi  of  desolationy  which  afterwards  caused  the 
daily  sacrifice  io  cease,  and  which  gave  both  the  sanctu- 
ary and  the  host  to  be  trodden  under  foot,  as  being  then 
firstsetup.  This  sanctuary  IS  the  spiritual  sanctuary  of  the 
Christian  church,  woi  the  literal  sane' uay^y  of  the  Jezvish 
temple,  as  will  sullicicntly  appear  from  the  following  con- 
siderations. 

According  as  the  temple  and  the  sanctuary  are  to  be 
taken  in  a  literal  or  a  figurative  sense  when  mentioned 
in  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  and  St.  John,  all  other  things 
connected  \\\X.\\  them  must  be  taken  in  a  literal  or  fgu- 
rative  sense  likewise.  Thus,  when  it  is  said,  that  the 
Roman  arms  should  stand  up  Siiiex  Antiochus,  that  they 
should  pollute  tJte  sanctuary  of  strength,  that  they  should 
take  auay  the  daily  sacrifice, and  that  they  should  setup 
the  abomination  of  desolation  :  the  temple,  which  they 
polluted,  being  the  literal  temple  oj'  Jerusalem,  the  daily 
sacrifice  taken  aivuy  by  them  will  of  couise  mean  the  li- 
teral daily  sacrifice,  and  the  abomination  of  desolation  set 
up  by  them  will  signify  the  literal  abomination  of  desola- 
tion which  they  set  up  when  they  woi  shipped  their  stand- 
ards within  the  precincts  of  the  sanctuary.  On  the  other 
hand,  when  St.  John  is  directed  by  an  angel  to  "  mea- 
sure the  temple  of  God,  and  the  altar,  and  them  that  xvor- 
ship  therein  ;  but  to  leave  out,  and  not  to  measure  the 
court  xvitlioHt  the  temple,  inasmuch  as  it  is  given  to  the 
gentiles,  who  are  to  tread  the  holy  city  under  icoi  forty 
andtxcomonths,'"  or  1C>00  natural  years  :  the  temple,  here 
mentioned,  being  the  spiritual  temple  of  God,  or  the 
Church  ;  its  altar,  its  daily  sacrifice^  its  outer  court,  the 
holy  city  in  wiiich  it  stands,  the  gentiles  who  are  to  tread 
it  uiidei  foot  ViiJO  years,  and  the  icitnesses  who  are  to^ 
prophesy  in  sackcloth  during  precisely  the  same  period  of 
time.  Hi  isL  ail  be  taken  in  i\  figurative  sense  ;  that  is  to 
say,  they  must  all  he  referred  not  to  the  temple  of  Jeru- 
salem, but  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  Now  we  have  seen, 
that  Mohaim!icdism,ov that  desolating  transgressioncon- 
nected  with  the  he-goat's  little  horn  which  was  to  take 
away  the  cai/y  sacrifice  and  to  pollute  the  sanctuary,\\as 


191 

to  flourish  during  the  very  same  period  as  tlie  treadhio- 
underfoot  of  the  apocalyptic  holy  city  by  the  gentiles  ; 
that  is  to  say,  during  the  space  of  1260  years.  Since  then 
the  Mohammedan  transgressiony  which  was  destined  in 
the  course  of  its   desolating  progress  to  lake  away  the 
daily  sacrifice  and  to  pollute  the  sanctuary,  is  to  flourish 
IQ60 years  :  and  since  the  onter  court  of  the  apocalyptic 
temple  is  to  be  trodden  under  foot  during  the  same  peri- 
od of  1260  years :  it  will  necessarily  follow,  that  the  sanc- 
tuary mentioned  by  Daniel  is  the  same  as  the  temple  men- 
tioned by  St.  John  :  in  other  words,  that  it  is  tlie  Church 
of  Christ.     This  supposition  is  decidedly  established  by 
the  particular  era  when  the  desolating  transgression  of 
Mohammedism  first  made  its  appearance.     The  era   iji 
question  is  the  year  in  which  the  Roman  beast  revived, 
or  the  year  of  our  Lord  QOQ  :  at  this  era,  the  literal  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Jezvish  temple  was  no  longer  in  existence, 
having  been  utterly  destroyed  by  the  Romans  several 
centuries  before  ;  consequently,  the  Jezt'ish  temple  cannot 
be  the  sanctuary  which  the  little  horn  was  to  pollute  : 
but,  if  it  be  not  tlie  literal  Jewish  temple,  it  can  be  noth- 
ing else  but  the  Christian  spiritual  temple.     On  these 
grounds  then  I  conceive,  that  the  pollution  of  the  sanctu- 
ary by  the  eastern  little  horn  is  the  establishment  of  the 
Mohammedan  Apostacy  upon  the, .ruins  of  the  Greek 
church  :  and  that  the  treading  under  foot  of  the  outer 
court  of  the  temple  by  the  gentiles  is  the  subjugation  of 
the  Latin  church  by  the  Papal  Apostacy.    We  shall  find, 
that  the  declaration  of  prophecy  concerning  these  matters 
precisely  accords  w ith  the  event.     The  Latin  church  Vvas 
to  be  trampled  under  foot  during  the  whole  period  of  the 
1260  years  ;  but  the  sanctuary  and  the  host  of  the  Greek 
church  v/ere  not  to  begin  to  be  trodden  under  foot  till 
some  time  after  tlie  rise  of  the  Mohammedan  little  horn, 
in  short,  not  till  after  it  Jiad  waxed  exceeding  great.* 

Compare  Rev.  xl.  2.  with  Dan.  viii.  9—12.  It  might  at  first  be  thought  \n- 
deed  from  Uan.  xii.  11,  that  f/je  o'<j//i/  A-rtc/v/jYe  should  begin  to  be  taken  away 
so  soon  ABtlie  abomination  of  desolation  should  be  set  up  :  but  the  precedin.i^ 
context  of  Dan.  viii.  9—12.  sufficiently  shews,  that  those  1290  daiis  are  to  be 
computed,  not  from  the  takiiij  a-diay  of  the  daihj  sacrifice,  but  from  the  setdi;^ 
up  of  the  desolating  abomination,  which  io  tlie  course  of  its  triumphwt  pro-, 
gress  should  take  away  that  daily  sacrifice  and  pollute  the  savctuani.  The 
.Mohammedan  little  h«rn  vvas  to  wax  exccedin-j  great;   ard,  in  the  course  of 


192 

Accordingly  the  Latin  church  was  subjugated  by  the  pa- 
pal hor?i  in  the  yea?'  606  :  but,  althougn  Mohammedism 
arose  in  the  same  year,  it  did  not  immediately  begin  to 
trample  upon  'he  Greek  church,  nor  did  it  finally  com- 
plete the  pollution  of  the  eastern  sanctuary  till  the  cres- 
cent triunjphefl  over  the  cross  in  the  very  midst  of  Con- 
stantinople. 

Here  we  cannot  but  observe  the  strict  accuracy  of 
expression  used  both  by  Daniel  and  St.  John.  TJiat  de- 
solating transgressionjhe  religion  of  Mohammed,  is  re- 
presenied  as  putting  an  end  to  the  daily  sacrifice  of  spi- 
ritual praise  ai.d  thanksgiving,  and  as  treading  the  sanc- 
tuary il  self  under  foot.  But  the  tyrannical  superst  tion 
of  Popery  is  described  as  onty  treading  under  foot  the 
outer  court  of  the  Gentiles  and  the  holy  city  ;  being  un- 
able lo  injure '^  the  temple  or  sanctuary  of  God,  and  the 
altar,  and  them  thai  xvorship  therein.'''  Such  according- 
ly has  been  the  event.  Although  the  skeleton  of  the 
Greek  church  has  been  suffered  to  exist,  yet  we  hear 
not  of  any  spiritual  worshippers  that  it  has  produced 
since  the  establishment  of  Mohammedism.  Its  sanctua- 
ry has  been  trodden  under  foot,  no  less  than  its  ou'er 
court  ;  and  its  altar  has  ceased  to  send  up  any  grateful 
incense  to  the  God  of  heaven.  Tlunged  in  the  same 
supe'stitious  observances  as  the  Latin  church,  though 
resolutely  denying  its  supremacy,  it  has  not,  like  the 
Lr.tin  church,  retained  within  its  bosom  a  hidden  seed, 
a  chosen  generation,  who,  in  the  midst  of  its  corruptions 
should  still  continue  to  worship  m  the  spiritual  temple^ 
and  to  serve  at  the  spiritual  altar.  In  the  western  world 
Ave  have  never  ceased  to  heboid  the  icitnesses  prophesy- 
ing in  sackcloth  ;  and  we  of  this  kingdom  have  especi- 
ally to  bless  their  piods  labou.s  for  that  pure  and  apos- 
tolical braix-h  of  the  cliurch  est.'iblished  among  us  :  but 
in  vain  do  wq  inquire  for  any  reformation  in  the  easern 
world  ;  no  unlnesses  there  have  raised  their  warning  voice  ; 

its  thus  \vn\int;  Cficat,  not  at  its  first  rise,  it  was  to  caiise  the  acnctunty  to  be 
poJluled  Such  is  tlieordpi- of  events  in  the  propliec  v,  and  exactly  sucli  has 
b(;en.t!u'ir  oicUr  in  the  conpletion  of  it.  At  ilie  time  .vJien  the  desoir.ting 
ira'.x^ncsMon  Wiis  tirst  act  up,  tin-  JwUuti'.r  oftesanctnury  was  only  ui  an  inci- 
pient htntc  ;  for  tlie  firsi  only  of  i  iM  scries  of  events  had  tlicn  taken  place 
v.liicli  afltrwards  Ipd  to  its  comph-tc  pollution. 


193 

the  sanctuary  itself  is  polluted,  and  will  cnntinue  in  that 
depl'^rable  statt'  to  the  very  end  of  the  l'?60  years.  Still, 
at  the  expiration  of  twelve  centuries,  aie  the  Greek 
churches  overwhelmed  with  the  same  vanities  oi  super- 
stition and  idolatry  that  pulled  down  the  wrath  'f  God 
iiMon  them.  They  made  no  effort  to  purify  tbemsolves; 
whence  they  have,  more  or  less,  durino  the  greatest  [jart 
of  that  long  peri  "id,  been  harassed  and  oppressed  by  the 
iron  rod  of  Mohammedan  despotism. 

II.  *'  Th'^  he-goat  waxed  very  great  :  and,  when  he 
was  strong,  the  great  horn  was  broken  :  and  for  it  came 
up  four  notable  ones  toward  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 
And  out  of  one  of  them  came  forth  a  little  horn,  which 
waxed  exceeding  great,  toward  the  south,  and  toward  the 
east,  and  tovv'-ard  the  pleasant  land." 

The  angel  interprets  this  passage  as  follows.  "  The 
rough  goat  is  the  king  of  Grecia :  and  the  great  liorn, 
that  is  between  his  e3^es,  is  the  first  king.  Now,  that 
being  broken,  whereas  four  stood  up  for  it,  four  kingdoms 
shall  stand  up  out  of  the  nation,  but  not  in  his  power. 
And,  at  the  end  of  their  kingdom,  when  the  transgres- 
sors are  come  to  the  full,  a  king  of  fierce  countenance, 
and  teachmg  dark  sentences,  shall  stand  up." 

1.  The  king,  or  kingdom,  symbolized  by  the  Utile  horn, 
ivas  to  stand  2ip  at  the  end  of  the  four  Greek  kivgdomsy 
and  out  of  one  oj  them — We  may  here  note  the  different 
manner  in  which  the  two  littte  horns  are  introduced. 
The  papal  horn  was  to  arise  Simongthe  ten  horns  of  the 
Roman  beast,  and  to  be  contemporary  with  them  :  the 
Mohammedan  horn  was  to  come  out  of  the  ruins  of  one 
of  -he  four  Greek  horns  of  the  Macedonian  beast,  as 
ihet  four  had  arisen  out  of  the  ruins  c^f  the  one  great 
imperial  horn,  and  not  to  be  contemporary  with  any  of 
them,  lor  it  was  to  stand  U})at  the  end  of  their  kingdom. 
Such  accordingly  was  the  event.  When  all  the  four 
Greek  kingdoms  had  come  to  their  end,  the  religwn  of 
M'hammed  made  its  a[)pearance,  agreeably  to  the  pre- 
diction, in  the  year  606,  at  the  beginning  of  the  1360 
years  during  which  it  was  to  flourish  contemporaneously 
with  the  Papacy.  Mecca  was  tl-e  first  theatre  of  i's  ac- 
tions :  but,  in  a  very  short  period  of  time  after  its  rise, 
VOL.  t.  Q5 


19i 

it  invaded  Syria,  and  thus  accomplislicd  its  prophetic 
character  of  being  a  little  horn  of  one  oj  the  jour  subwri- 
ed horns  of  the  he-,[^oat.^ 

•  The  first  war  between  the  Saracens  ami  the  Komans  took  place  in  the  year 
6C9  and  6J0 ;  and  be'.wecn  ihc Dears  632  and  6.39  the  whole  of  Syria  wus  con« 
quercd  by  ti»em  'Hist,  of  Decline,  Vol.  ix  p.  Jl-,  J79—  421  )  Dr.  Zouch,  in 
bis  work  on  prophecy,  objects,  that  tfie  little  fioru  of  the  fie-gnat  cannot  be 
.l/o/ja7n"v  J  Mr.  Whitakcr,  whom  he  is  opposing-,  ought  rather  to  have  said 
Alcfiummeuism,  for  a  horn,  in  the  lanjfuag'e  of  symbols,  does  not  mean  an  .ndi- 
I'idual,  but  a  pourr),  because  that  impostor  sprung  up  in  Arabia,  which  was 
never  bubjecl  to  .he  Siirian  horn  .  whereas  the  litue  honi  was  to  come  out  cf 
one '.fthe'fitf  nitao'enes  of  :hv  hegoat.  Hence  he  prefers  the  interpretation 
of  air  Isaac  anrl  Wu  \rw  on  :  and  suppost  s  with  them,  that  tl.e  liitle  horn  is 
the  It  man  p'lixr  wlncii  fiist  jjcnetraltd  into  the  East  by  v::!k\  of  Jflactdou,  one 
of  tlicj  t/r  lionm  or  kingdvir.s  of  the  Greek  emfiire — Wiien  I)r  Zouch  made  this 
obiecf.on,  he  certainU  was  not  awaie,  ihat  it  upplies  with  equal  force  to  his 
own  svstftn,  as  to  that  which  supposes  jMohnminedism  to  be  the  iittie  hortt. 
77jf  y/oHian /lower  sprung  up  no  irorc  within  tlir  territories  ui ami  f  th  four 
CVec.  i  rns  at  its  first  lis  ,\\\An  tlie  religon  if  J\t')hannv.e(l  Cun-eqiu  ntl>,  if 
the  one  ipus;  not  be  esteemed  the  l:ttte  horn,  because  ii  originated  in  .hubia, 
neitlier  must  tltc  nth  r,  bec.'tuse  it  first  a^cse  in  Jtiiiii  ,-  and,  on  the  contrary,  if 
the  one  may  be  i-sleemed  the  little  hoi  :i,  because  it  became  a  pu%cer  -within  the 
limits  of  the  liegoat's  empire  by  the  conqnest  of  Macedon  ;  so  likewise  may 
the  ether  with  equal  proijriety.  because  it  became  a  powr  tiitr.iH  the  nni.s  cf 
x/ifjame  f»i/«ie  by  the  conquest  of  Syria — I'he  fact  is.  I>r  Zoucii's  })bjection 
is  one  of  those,  which,  by  proving  too  much,  prove  nothing.  A  horn,  in  the 
language  of  prophecy,  is  indifferently  said  to  spring  from  the  heed  ^.J a  sxjmbol- 
ical  beast  or  einpire,  whether  it  be  </wr  of  th.-  hingdoms  into  winch  that  empire 
has  been  divided  by  it!,  o'xn  gtandees,  or  whe'hor  it  bt:  one  of  the  kingdoms 
which  have  been  formed  out  oi thi  empire  iti  question  by  the  succcsbtol  inroads 
Ciffoieignrrs.  Thus  the  ten  Gothic  kr.g  lonu  of  the  Ifestern  Jioman  unpt'e,  al- 
though foundid  by  nations  that  d:d  not  spring  out  of  the  empire,  but  on  the 
contrary  invided  it,  are  represented  by  Daniel  as  btingf/ie  ten  horns  of./tefeititL 
least  ;  no  less  than  the  Jour  Greek  monarchies,  wliicli  literall)  sprur.g  out  ot  the 
Mactd'tnian  empire,  aic  described  by  him  as  being /!«•/',«/•  ho  ns  of  t/u-  he-goaf. 
Yetif  Dr  Zouch's  objection  be  vahd,  net  one  of  the  leu  Gmhic  kingdoms  nmst 
be  esteemed  «  horn  of  the  fourth  least ;  because  n«l  one  <f  llievi,  so  tar  as  its 
fir/wj/tcrc  origin  is  concerned,  arose  out  of  f/je  V^ojjta/i  emonf,  any  more  than 
e'llUcr  the  Roman  tvipire  itself  or  .Moliamtrndisi^,  whichever  of  tliese  powers 
be  intended  l>y  the  liti'e  horn  of  the  he-goal,  arose  outof //le  Greek  emptre.  The 
1*260  da.s,  must  be  dated  from  the  time  when  the  saints  were  given  into  the 
hand  of  the  papal  horn,  or  the  yea'  606  ;  consequently  the  rise  »/  Muhavimedisfrtt 
or  the  selling  up  of  the  desolating  trar.sgression,  must  be  dated  from  the  same 
era  ;  but  Mohammcdisvi  itself  did  not  become  u  horn  of  the  he-goat,  or  a  ip.rit- 
ual poTver  luithin  tt.e  limits  <f  the  Greek  empire  till  the  Saracens  invaded  Syria. 

Dr.  Zoucli  furlho-  ob|ecls  to  l/uf  long  period  of  time,  w  hich  intervened  be- 
tween the  downfall  of  the  fmr  G' eeh  l-ingdonis  and  t:,e  rue  of  Mohammedism  { 
conceiving,  th.it,  \i ihe  httie  horn  had  been  designed  to  s\  mbolize  that .  ;pustaeyy 
some  of  ihs  intermediate  e\ents  would  have  been  notice  i  by  the  prophet— 
Tliis  objection  ajipears  to  me  very  unreasonable.  Daniel  had  alicatly  recupit- 
idated  the  whole  oi  .YebiKhaJr.eizar's  dream  in  his  vision  ol' inefoui  ieunts,  for 
the  evident  jMiipose  of  iiuroducine  thr  Iittie  horr.  of  the  fourth  beast,  wliich  had 
not  be  en  noliccil  in  the  dream  of  the  Babylonian  prince  :  he  now  racapiliil.ites 
the  his'.ory  of  </i<- «cov*/ and //i/r</em/>/rff,  for  tiie  similar  evident  purpose  of 
rntroduciiig  t/ie  little  horn  of  the  he-gitat  which  answers  to  the  thv  d  btast  of  the 
preceding  ■i-i^ti/H.  H.id  he  iherefoic  .JiT"'"  recapitulated  the  conquests  of  the 
Jtovuitis,  lie  Would  not  only  have  introduced  much  superlluous  matter,  but 
would  have  involved  his  whole  prophecy  in  confusioii  :  for,  m  that  case,  w* 
aboulJ  hare  been  led  erroneously  to  imagine,  that  both,  tiic  little  homa  sprung 


195 

'2.  The  horn  zt^as  first  to  be  small  ajid  afterwards  to  he 
great  in  asouthtni,  eastern,  and  northern^  direction — 
1  he  relig  on  of  Moliammed  was  originally  small  in  the 
3iUinber  ot  its  nroselytes ;  but  it  soon  waxed  exceeding- 
great,  and  that  in  the  very  line  marked  out  bj^-  the  pro- 
phecy. Its  conquests  extended  ^ow/Z^ze^/^/Y/ over  the  penin- 
GUia  ot  Arabia  ;  ea^tzvard,  over  Persia,  and  in  after  ages 
over  Hindostan  ;  and  7iortJrcvard,  o\er  Palestine,  Asia  Eli- 
nor, and  Greece.  Some  cojiquests  it  likewise  made  xcest- 
ward ;  but  they  were  neither  so  permanent,  nor  so  con- 
siderable, as  its  other  acquisitions.  Sjiain  soon  threw  ofl" 
its  tyranny  ;  and  the  piratical  states  of  Barbary  are  not 
woi'thy  to  be  mentioned  with  the  spiritual  sovereignty  of 
Greece,  Persia,  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  Hindostan,  and  Ara- 
bia. Hence  tlie  prophet  truly  remaiks,  that  the  princi- 
pal theatre  of  its  greatness  should  be  the  iVortky  the 
i^outh,  and  the  East.^ 

out  ct{  tjie  Western  part  of  Uie  empire  :  instead  of,  "wiiat  is  now  abundantly  man- 
ifest,  the  one  ouVof  tfie\lVesternJ>art ,  and  the  othtr  out  of  ?/;«?  Eastern  part  orthe  ori- 
ginal body  of //it'  third  bi  ait  Accordingly  we  find,  in  thefuiLoivin^  ti  ion.  that  Dan- 
iel does  fAe;e  actually  recapitulate  a  part  of  the  Uoman  hisiory,  because  he 
wishes  to  conduct  us  to  the  tyrannical  reign  of  the  atheistical  king-,  \v)io,  like 
the  papal  horn.,  was  to  arise,  not  in  Me  F.ast,  but  in  ?/;t'  IVcsi.  (Sec  Dan.  xi. 
30 — 4j)  in  order  then,  I  conceive,  to  preserve  that  perspicuity,  which  is  so 
necessary  lor  the  right  understanding  of  liis  propliecies,  Daniel  here  simply 
tells  us  tliat  some  time  after  tiie  downfall  of  the  four  Greek  kingdoms,  th.  lit- 
tle horn  should  m^ke  its  appearance  in  the  late  teriitories  of  one  of  them  The 
precise  time  howei'er,  when  \.\\q  power  which  was  destired  to  become  this  lit- 
tle horn  should  arise,  he  does  not  mention,  leaving  uu  to  collect  it  from  certain 
numbers  which  he  has  given  us.  From  these  numbers  the  time  has  l)een  col- 
lected ;  and  that  time,  as  we  have  seen,  Is  the  very  j  ear  in  which  Mijhamir.ed 
commenced  his  imposture 

Lastly,  Dr  Zouch  objects,  that  the  king  typijltdby  the  little  horn  was  to  be  a 
hiii^-  of  a  fevce  antntehai.cc  ,-  whereas  Mohammed,  according  to  the  traditions 
ot  his  companions,  was  distinguished  for  liis  commandmg  presence,  his  ma- 
jestic aspect,  liis  piercing  eye,  his  gracious  smile,  his  counienance  that  paint- 
ed ever\  sensation  of  the  soul,  and  iiis  gestures  that  enl'orced  each  expressiott 
of  ihs.  tongue — To  this  obiection  the  answer  is  sufliciently  obvious.  Dani'.l  is 
not  describing  the  asp  ct  of  a  man,  hut  the  nature  of  a  rtUgion  :  the  antit^pf; 
of  he  little  horn  is  not  at;  indivubuil  king,  but  a  spiritual  kinguom-  And  this 
spiritual  kingdom  or  religion  is  to  remain  1260  years,  and  at  length  to  he  broken 
wiihoui  liand  Consequently  it  cannot  be  any  single  iiuiividual.  Whatever 
then  the  countenance  of  «J/a/ia?>i«f<(/ may  have  been,  his  sanguirL-yy  si'persti- 
tion,  avowedly  propai^att-d  by  the  sword,  may,  with  the  utmost  propriety,  he 
described  as  .;  kingd  mjicrce  ofconn.nunicc.     isee  Zouch  on  Pi  <;pl'ec\ ,  Chap   8. 

*  The  expression  -oivard  the  pl(  usani  lari/l,  when  joined  with  the  preceding 
phrase  toiu  ird  the  South  and  toivnr  :  the  East,  and  wlien  considered  '.vilh  a  refer- 
ence lo  the  native  country  of  Mohammed,  evidently  means  toxvard  i'le  J\'orth. 
It  is  a  mode  of  speech  p(.;rfec  lyfamihar  iuUie  Hebrew  language.  Tlius,  fronn 
tlif  relitive  position  of  the  Mediterranean  sea  to  Palestine,  the  Jc\is  wete 
V'ont  to  express  the  West  by  the  piirase  totuard  the  sea- 

.+  *;  Under  tlie  lust  of  the  Oaimiades,  Vbx  Arabian  empire  extcndetl  two  hun  • 


5.  The  king  icfts  to  arise,  when  the  transgressors  were 
come  to  tilt  ull — I'ht  (  h.istian  clirclios  bv  onn  v'ry 
early  to  degenerate  from  their  primitive  purity,  and  to 
apostatize  in  the  niannrr  jiredicud  by  St.  Vi\\\\.  7he 
Apostacj/  however  was  Inng  cr)nfincd  to  individuals  ;  nor 
did  the;  transgressors  coruc  to  the  full,  until  it  was  p-b- 
li<  !v  authoriz'^d  and  upheld  by  the  spiritual  head  of  the 
ca'holic  church.  But  in  the  year  GO^,  when  tJie  saints 
Aveve  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  Pa^at  horn,  the 
Apostacy  became  an  en;bodied  system:  for  immediately 
afterwards  idolatry  was  openly  and  shamelessly  establish- 
ed by  the  sovereign  pontilr.  In  this  year  then,  when  the 
12G0  daysc'inmewQQdy  the  transgressors  came  to  the  lull: 
consequi'ntly  in  this  year  we  must  look  for  'he  rise  of  the 
fiing.  Accordino}}' t he Mohafnmedan apostacyccimmenc'd 
in  the  East,  in  the  seit-=anic  year  that  the  Pope  was 
constituted  Bisho^)  of  bishops  und  supreme  head  of  the 
Church  in  the  West:  ijisomuch  that  Dr.  1  rideaux,  struck 
ivi!h  this  wonde  lul  chronological  coincidence, could  not 
refrain  from  exclaiming,  "  that  Antichrist  seemed  at  that 
time  to  have  set  both  his  feet  upon  C  hristendom  toge-? 
ther,  the  one  in  the  East,  the  other  in  the  \V   st.'* 

dred  daj-s  journey  from  East  to  West,  from  Xhe  confines  of  Tartary  and  India 
to  tl.e  shoi-es  of  ihe  Atlantic  Ocean.  And.  if  we  retrtnch  the  slerty  o/t/it  )ol>e, 
as  it  is  styled  b  iheir  writers,  ttie  lonj;;  and  narrow  province  of  Af'ica."  (lliat 
is  to  sny,  tlie  petty  -.ii-'-tr.rn  conquests  "f  the  Mohammetlan  re/igion.  wliich  were 
not  V.  orthy  to  be  mentioned  alonj^  with  its  empire  in  the  East,  the  .\orth,  and 
thf  South,  and  which  are  tlierefore  left  unnoticed  by  the  prophet,'  "  the  solid 
and  compact  doniiniiiM  from  Farpana  to  Aden,  from  Tarsus  to  Surat,  will 
spread  on  tve.y  side  to  the  measure  of  four  or  fi»e  months  of  the  m.irch 
of  a  caravan."  (His;  <if  Drcline  and  Fall,  V  1  ix  p.  01.  To  this  vast  ter- 
ritory, which  acknowled'^^ed  Mohammrd  as  the  prophet  of  God,  the  1  urk^  af- 
terwards udded  (Jrrece  and  Asia  M. nor  in  the  North  Ihe  progress  of  ttie 
Saracens,  in  the  very  direction  marked  out  by  the  prophet,  is  f\en  ^rtbaih/ 
noticed  by  Mr  fiibhon.  After  detailing  the  histor)  of  tl.eir  conquest  of  Ara- 
bia \\\  the  S'luth.  he  observes,  "  To  the  .h'or.h  <»f  Nyria  they  passed  motint  'I'au- 
nis,  an<l  reducffl  to  their  (ibcdi<nce  lh<'  ])rovitu  e  of  ilicia  with  its  capi'al 
Tarsti.s,  the  ancient  monument  of  liie  Vssyrian  kinps  K(  \ond  a  second  lid^je 
of  the  same  moun'ains,  they  spiead  the  flame  of  war,  rather  than  the  lijrhr  of 
relijrion.  as  far  as  tlie  shores  of  the  Kiixn't-  and  the  uf  i}riibourhondf>t"Constan- 
tinople  To  rht  Kns'  they  advanced  to  the  banks  and  sources  of  the  Kuph''a« 
tea  lud  Tijrris  ;  tin- lonp  dispiitfd  barrirr  of  lifmr  and  Persia  w,i»  forever 
confounded,  the  walls  -if  Edessa  and  Anuda.  <>f  l):ira  and  Nisibis,  which  had 
resisted  the  arms  and  engine  s  of  Sapi^r  or  N' shirvan,  were  L'eHed  in  the 
dust  :  :>nd  the  holy  city  of  .\btrHrtis  mipht  vainly  produc«*  the  epistle  of  the 
ima^e  of  Christ  to  an  unbelievin(f  connueror.  lo  the  Uest  the  Syrian  kmjf- 
dom  is  boutiih'd  by  the  sea  "  I'l  this  direction  M  Gil>bon  notices  only  the  pi- 
falical  eicursioas  of  ih<  Sara.  v.. s  Mist  .f  Decline,  Vol  ix.  p.  309,  4^3,  4'J4. 
*  Phdcuux'ii  life  of  Muhamnied,  p.  16. 


107 

4    The  king  tvas  moreover  to  be  fierce  of  countenance-, 
and  a  teach  r  of  dark  sentences  :  that  is  to  say,  the  little 
horn  wdS  to  be  a  fspiritual  pozver  upheld    by  force  of 
anus ;  it  was  to  be  a  relig'on.,  not  mild  and  gentle  like 
that  of  the  Lamb,  but  paita.jng  of  the  fierce  and  unre- 
lenting;  natr.ro  of  tlie  dragon — The  word,  which  is  here 
rendered  dark  sentences,  prim.'irily  means  enigmas :  and, 
as  the  oriental  enigmas  were  usually  couched  in  sublime 
and  poetical  languago,  it  is  used  in  Scripture  to  express 
the  sublime  spiritual  enigmas  or  mysteries  of  religion. 
Thus  the  Psalmist,  wiien  ahnut  to  treat  ol  the  deep  wys- 
ier  es  of  redemptiony  and//^e  zvonders  of  the  resurrection-, 
su.iimons   all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  to  give  hira 
their  earnest  attention.     "  My  mouth,"  saith  he,  **  shall 
speak  of  wisdom  ;  and  the  meditation  of  my  heart  shall 
bo  of  understanding.     I  will  incline  mine  ear  to  a  para^ 
ble  :  1  will  open   my  dark  sentmce  upon   the  harp."* 
J^he  dark  sentences  then,  or  spiritual  enigmas,  taught  by 
the  littlchornynrc  manifestl}'  that  pretended  revelation  of 
jMohammed,  the  Koran  ;  a  work  written  in  a  kindred 
language  to  that  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  and  replete 
with  those  poetically  metaphorical  turns  of  expression 
so  peculiarly   grateful  to  an  oriental   ear.      "The   sub- 
stance of  the  Koran,  according  to  Mohammed  or  his  dis- 
ciples, is  uncreated  and  eternal ;  subsisting  in  the  essence 
of  the  Deity,  and  inscribed  with  a  pen  of  light  on  the 
tal>le  of  his  everlasting  decrees — In  the  spirit  of  enthusi- 
asm or  vanity,  the  proj)het  rests  the  truth  of  his  mission 
on   the  merit  of  his  book ;  audaciously  challenges  both 
men  and  angels  to  imitate  the  beauties  of  a  single  page  ; 
and   presumes  to  assert,  that   God  alone   could  dictate 
this  incomparable  performance.     This  argument  is  most 
powerfully  addressed  to  a  devout  Arabian,  whose  mind 
is  attuned  to  laith  and  rapture,  whose  ear  is  delighted  by 
the  music  of  sounds,   and  whose  ignorance  is   incapable 
of  comparing  the  productions  of  human  genius.     The 
harmony  and  copiousness  of  style  will  not  reach,  in  a 
version,  the  Kuroj)ean   infidel:  he  will   peruse  with  im- 
patience the  endless   incoherent  rhapsody  of  fable,  and 
precept,  and  declamation ;  which  seldom  excites  a  sen- 

*  Psalm  xlix.  3,  4. 


198 

timent  or  an  idea,  which  sometimes  cravvh  in  the  dust, 
and  is  S'^^metimes  lost  in  the  clouds.  The  divine  attri- 
butes exalt  the  fancy  of  the  Arabian  missionary;  hut  his 
loftiest  strains  must  yield  to  the  sublime  sinin'.icity  of 
the  book  of  Job,  composed  in  a  remote  age,  in  th'^  '^ame 
courtry»  and  in  the  same  language  "*  Such  are  :he  dark 
Siiitences  of  the  Koran  ;  and  the  religion,  which  it  ^nrul- 
cates,  may  well  be  described  as  "fierce  of  countenance," 
when  the  avowed  maxim  of  its  founder  was  to  use  no 
other  engine  of  conversion  than  the  sword. 

III.  "  And  it  waxed  great  even  against  the  host  of 
heaven ;  and  it  cast  some  of  the  host  and  of  (he  stars  to 
the  ground,  and  stamped  upon  them.  Yea,  it  magnified 
itself  even  against  the  prince  of  the  host  ;  and  by  it  the 
daily  sacrifice  was  taken  av>ay,  and  the  place  of  his  (the 
prince's)  sanctuary  was  cast  down.  And  the  host  was 
given  up  unto  it  by  reason  of  transgression  against  the 
daily  sacrifice  ;  and  it  cast  down  the  truth  to  the  ground ; 
and  it  practised  and  prospered." 

Of  this  passage  the  following  explanation  is  given  by 
the  angel.  "  And  the  power  of  the  king  shall  be  mighty, 
but  not  by  his  own  power:  and  he  shall  destroy  wonder- 
fully, and  shall  prosper,  and  practise,  and  shall  destroy 
the  mighty  and  the  people  of  the  Holy  Ones.  And 
through  his  policy  also  he  shall  cause  cratt  to  prosper  in 
his  hand  ;  and  he  shall  magnify  himself  in  his  heart  ;  and 
he  shall  destroy  many  w  hile  in  negligent  security  :  he 
shall  also  stand  up  agi\.inst  the  prince  of  princes;  but  he 
shaii  be  broken  wi'hout  h.nd." 

1 .  The  lit  tie  horn  was  to  cast  the  stars  of  heaven  to  the 
ground,  and  stamp  upoti  thtm — The  religion  Oi  Moham- 
med iias  prolessi  lily  set  itself  up  agains^  the  syuibolkal 
host  and  stars  of  heaven,  or  the  bishops  and pasrors  of  the 
Christian  Church  ;  numbers  of  w  horn  in  the  east;M  n  part 
of  the  empire  it  cast  down  to  the  ground,  compelling 
them  either  to  apostatize,  or  stamping  them  as  it  were 
under  its  feet  with  all  the  fury  of  brn*ai  lanaticism. 

2.  The  little  horn  was  to  inaani/j/  itsel/  against  the 
privce  ql  the  host,  and  to  cast  down  the  truth  to  the 
ground — Acconhm^i}  Mohammtdi  mA\&  opcmy  magnify 

•  Ilisl.  of  Decline  and  Fall,  \o\.  ix.  p.  '1^7,  26a,  .69. 


199 

its  founder  against  the  divine  author  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. The  impostor  allowed  Jesus  the  Son  of  Mar^  to 
be  a  prophet;  but  he  niaiatained  that  he  himself  was  a 
greater  prophet,  and  that  the  Koran  was  destined  to  su- 
persede the  Gospel.  He  taught  his  infatuated  discij.^les, 
that  *'  the  piety  of  Moses  and  of  (  hrist  rejoiced  in  ^he 
assurance  of  a  future  prophet,  more  illustrious  than  tliem- 
selves  :  and  that  the  evangelic  promise  of  the  Par.iclete 
or  H  \y  Ghosi,  was  prefigured  in  the  name,  and  accom- 
plished in  the  person  of  Mohammed,  the  greatest  and 
last  of  the  Apostles  of  God."*  Tiius  destroying  the 
mighh^  hosts  of  the  ri\al  nations  of  Rome  and  Persia, 
murdering  and  harassing  the  now  degenerate  people  of 
the  Holy  Ones,  taking  away  the  daily  sacrifice  of  prayer 
and  praise,  polluting  the  spiritual  sanctuar_y,t  and  mag- 
nifying itself  even  against  the  prince  of  priace?,  ihe  liltte 
hum  of  Mohammedism  cast  down  thj  truth  to  the  ground, 
and  waxed  exceedins;  s:reat. 

o.  The  strength  of  the  little  horn  was  to  be  mighty^  but 
not  by  its  own  strength — The  power,  here  spoken  of,  be- 
ing a  spiritual  one,  its  strength  \y\\\  mean  that  command- 
i7ig  influence  which  religion  exerts  over  the  soul  of  man. 
Thus  the  mighty  efficacy  of  the  Gospel  is  described  by 
the  Apostle  as  "  quick,  and  ]  owerfuly  and  sharper  than 
any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  io  the  dividing  asun- 
der of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and 

*  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p.  267- 
t  Mr.  Kett,  although  he  supposes  the  little  horn  to  relate  in  part  to  Mohani'- 
Onedism,  very  inconsistently  takes  the  sanctuary  in  a  literal  sense  ;  and  thence 
argues,  that  "  Jerusalem  is  designated  as  the  principal  scene  or  object  of  the 
tyranny  of  tKis  horn."  He  is  led  into  this  erroi-  by  his  system  of  doubt-  inter- 
pretations of  the  same propiiecv  .-  for  he  adds,  "  first,  during  the  Jewish,  and 
lastly  during  the  Christian  dispensation."  The  Uitle  'iom  therefore,  accord- 
ing to  his  system,  first  polluted  the  sanctiuv-y  in  the  days  of  .Intiodms  :  se- 
condly, in  the  time  O?  the  Romans  ,-  thirdly,  under  Mohainmed  ;  and  tastlv.  luiH 
pollute  it  by  the  arms  of  professed  i7ifi'/els— Now,  thongli  the  'iteral  sanctuary 
was  polluted  by  .intiochus  and  the  Jiamws.  (neither  of  whom  by  the  way  can 
have  the  slightest  connection  with  the  little  horn)  it  certainly  was  not  by  Mo- 
fiantmL !  ,■  and  for  this  very  substantial  reason  ;  in  his  dnys  it  was  no  longer 
m  existence — As  for  Jerusalem,  it  was  no  more  the  pilncipal  scene  of  Moham- 
medan triumphs,  thi:n  Persia,  Greece,  .'habia,  or  .'  gvpt  :  nor  has  the  sanctiiart/, 
which  was  to  be  polluted  by  the  little  horn,  any  reference  whatsoever  to  the 
temple— {See  Hiat.the  lnte:p  Vol  I.  p.  350,  3J1,  3.J9.)  The  tnfdd  power,  or 
Antichrist  will  indeed  plant  the  curtains  of  his  pavilions  between  the  Sfjas  in 
the  glorious  holy  vioui'.'ain,  at  the  era  of  the  restoration  of  the  Jcivs  :  but  rhis  ex- 
ploit is  cerainly  not  foretold  in  the  present  propUecy,  which  treats  of  quite  a 
aijerent  povier. 


is  adiscerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart."*" 
The  Gospel  accordingly,  when  preached  to  the  heathen 
world,  shewed  by  its  successful  progress,  that  it  was  pot 
only  mighty,  but  mighty  by  its  own  divine  strength.  It 
required  not  the  assistance  of  the  temporal  arm  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  prevailed  over  all  the  persecutions  that 
could  be  raised  against  it.  Hence  its  illustrious  founder 
is  prophetically  addressed  by  the  Psalmist,  "  Gird  ti-y 
sword  u])on  thy  thigh,  O  most  mighty^  with  thy  glory 
and  thy  majesty.  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously 
because  of  truth  and  meekness  and  righteousness;  and 
thy  right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible  things."!  And 
hence  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  the  primitive  ages 
is  described  hy  St,  John  in  the  same  sublime  strain  of  al- 
legory :  "  And  I  saw,  and,  behold,  a  white  horse  :  and  he 
that  sat  on  him  had  a  bow  ;  and  a  crown  was  given  unto 
him  :  and  he  went  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer."! 
But  Mohammedi^m,  strong  as  it  afterwards  became,  and 
great  as  was  the  influence  which  it  possessed  over  the 
minds  of  its  votaries,  was  not  m.ighty  by  ih  oivn  jiatmal 
strength.  It  avowedly  relied,  not  upon  the  still  small 
voice  of  reason  and  argument,  and  evidence  ;  not  upon 
the  louder  claims  of  miracles,  which  could  neither  be 
denied,  nor  accounted  for  on  physical  principles  ;  not 
upon  its  own  intrinsic  worth  and  \^\xY\iy-,  its  own  divine 
7massisted  strength  :  but  upon  the  enthusiastic  valour  of 
its  adherents,  the  strength  of  the  S/:racanc  ivord.  Jen 
years  Mohammed  persevered  in  the  exercise  of  his  mis- 

*  Heb  iv.  12.  t  Psalm  xlv  3,  4. 

i  Rev.  vi.  2.  I  cannot  but  wonder,  how  Up  Newton  could  think  of  apply- 
ing r/iw  symbolical  descript'on  to  the  conijue sis  of  the  Fhivi an  family  In  order 
that  the  prophecies  of  St  John  may  be  consistent  with  themselves,  the  rrder 
upon  the  ivhite  horse,  mentioned  hi  this  passage,  n.ust  be  the  same  as  the  rider 
upon  the  -white  horse  celebrated  in  the  niaeieenth  chapter  of  the  Apocalypse,  who 
is  there  decl.ired  to  be  the  persoi.ai  Word  of  God.  Cp  Newton  objects,  that  no 
good  reason  can  be  given  for  representinj-  t.he  Churcli  in  triumph  and  jrlory 
at  a  period  when  she  was  most  grievously  persecuted  and  afflicted  But  this 
objection  cannot  be  esteemed  of  any  weight,  when  we  consider,  thai  the  vic- 
tories of  the  Church,  being  purdy  of  a  spiritual  nature,  have  been  usually  the 
greatest,  when  he  r  temporal  estate  has  been  Jie  most  depressed  \ccor(liiiglj^, 
when  the  Church  was  established  bv  Constantine  in  gn  at  rempora.  prosperi- 
ty, the  Spirit  of  God  sets  so  light  by  this  oiit-ua  dly  glorious  event,  th.it  it  re- 
presents it  as  "  holpen  with  only  a /ir'/e  help  "  (Dan.  xi  34./  uecause  as  Bp. 
Newton  liimself  observes,  "  tlioup^h  it  add«.<i  much  to  the  «e;n/iora/ prosperity^ 
yet  it  contributed  little  to  the  spir'Uual  graces  ariu  virtues  of  Ciinsti.ins."  Mr- 
Mede  justly  supposes  the  rzder  upon  the  lahite  horse  to  mean  the  Messiah.  Com. 
Apoc.  iu  Sigil.  I. 


Bioii,  depending  upon  the  strength  of  his  religion  alone  / 
and  during  that  period,  the  superstition,  which  has  si!!ce 
overspread  the  eastern  wold,  "advanced    with  a  slow 
and  painful  \)Xog  ess  only  xv: tkin  the  walls  of  Mecca,"  for 
as  jet  the  pseudo-propiiet  "  disclaimed  the  use  of  reli- 
gious violence  :"*  in  one  day  three  thousajid  were  added 
to  the  Church  by  a  single  sernicni  of  St.  Peter;  and  in 
ten  years  after  the  passion  of  the  Messiah,   Christianity 
hs.'l  been  planted  in  8amaria.,t     Phenicia,  Cyprus,  Anti- 
och,J  aad   Etuiopia,^  exclusive    of  Ju'iea  and  Gahlee.ji 
Mohammed,  binding  that  he  was  likely  to  make  but  lit- 
tle progress  if  he  relied  upon  nnthiiig  but  the  strenpth  of 
his  cause,  after  he  hnd  made  hijnsclf  prince  of  iMedina, 
"  assumed  in  his   new    revelations,  a  fiercer  and  more 
sanguinary  tone,  which  proves  that  his  former  modera- 
tion was  the  effect  of  weakness.     The  means  of  persuasion 
had  been  tried,  the  season  of  forbearance  was  elapsed, 
^nd  he  was  now  commanded  to  propagate   his  religioji 
hy  the  sword,  todestroy  the  monuments  of  idolatry,  and, 
ivithont  regarding  the  sanctity  of  days  or  months,  to  pur- 
sue the   unbelieving   nations  of  the  earth — In  the  first 
months  of  his  reign,  he  practised  the  lesscms  of  holy  war- 
fare, and  displayed  his  white  banner  before  the  gates  of 
Medina :  the  martial  apnstle  fought  in  person  at  nine 
battles  or  sieges  ;  and  iifty  enterprizes  of  war  were   a- 
chieved  in  ten  years  by    himself  or    his    lieutenants." 
Plence  we  may  s^i tisfactoriiy  account  for  the  greater  ra- 
pidity with  which  his  religion  spread  during  ihQSG' second 
ten  years,  than  during  the  former  ten  years  when  lie 
confined  himself  merely  to  preaching.     "The  sword," 
said  he  to  his  mt:  epid  followers,  "  is  the  key  of  heaven 
and  of  hell :  a  drop  of  blood  shed  in  the  cause  of  God, 
a  night  spent  in  arms,  is  of  more  avail  than  two  months 
of  fasting  and  prayer:  wh  soever  fails  in  battle,  his  sins 
are  forgiven :  at  the  day  oi  judgment  his  wounds  shall 
be  resplendent  as   vermilion  and  odoriferous  as  musk : 
and  the  loss  of  his  limbs  shall   be  supplied  by  the  wJn^s 
of  angels  and  cherubim."1f     Thus  was  the  pow  er  of  Alo- 

,     *  Hist,  of  Decl.  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p.  235,  286.  "■  +  Acf  s  vlii.  5. 

T  Acts  xi.  19— Acts  xiii.  §  Acts  vlii.  27,  11  Acb;  ix.  31. 

II  Hist,  of  Decline  ana  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p.  294,  29 »,  296,  297. 

yoL.  I.  SG 


<202 

hammedism  mighty*  but  not  like  tlie  Gcspd,  by  its  owii- 
pnv-^i  ;  t'.us  did  ii  destroy  wonderluliy,  and  prosper,  and 
practise.* 

4.  jinother  ma^k  ofthepozrer,  symbolized  by  the  little 
horth  is,  that  '•  thro'gh  his  policy  he  shall  cause  craj  t  to 
prosper  in  the  land:"'  whence  we  must  conciudc,  tliat 
the  pozver-,  thus  symbolized,  was  to  be  no  less  crafty  than 
warlike — l..et  lis  hear  the  voice  of  histor3\  "  In  llie  ex 
e-cise  of  political  government,  Mohammed  was  compel- 
led to  abate  of  tlie  stern  rigour  of  fanaticism,  to  eom]>ly 
in  sonie  measu.ewilh  the  prejudices  and  })assicn9  of  hi? 
followers,  and  to  employ  even  the  vices  of  mankind  as 
the  instruments  of  their  salvation.  The  use  q! fraud  and 
perjdij-,  of  cruelty  and  injustice,  were  often  subservient  to 
the  propagation  o  the  faith  ;.  and  Mohammed  command- 
ed or  approved  the  assassination  of  the  Jews  and  idola- 
ters who  had  escaped  from  tlie  field  of  battle.  By  the 
repetition  oj  such  acts,  the  character  of  Mohammed  must 
Jhave  been  gradually  stained,  and  the  influence  of  such 
pernicious  habits  would  be  poorly  compensated  by  the 
practice  of  the  personal  and  social  virtues  which  are  ne- 
cessary to  maintain  the  reputation  of  a  prophet  among 
his  sectaries  and  friends.  Of  his  last  years  ambition  was 
the  ruling  passion  :  and  a  politician  will  suspect,  that  he 

*  I  prefer  this  interpretation  of  the  passapre,  "  his  power  shuU  be  might} , 
bnt  iKil  hv  his  own  power,"  to  tliut  adopted  by  Mr.  Kett.  "  As  the  kini^doms 
of  the  West,"  savs  lie,  "  i^ave  their  power  to  tlie  beast,  or  the  pnfial  ^intichristi 
so  liave  the  kingrdoms  of  the  East  given  theirs  to  the  JMohamm-dan  Antichrist. 
liut  1  conceive  this  is  not  all  that  is  here  meant  'J'he  dragon  gave  his  power  to 
the  beast,  and  the  angel  q/'  the  bottom iess  pit  led  on  the  Saracenic  locusts  ;  and 
thus  the  angel  may  be  understood  to  say,  1  he  power  oi'  this  horn  shall  be  not 
n>erely  that  which  is  common  to  the  conquerors  of  the  East,  such  as  the  he-  • 
^'oat  or  four  hcasts  in  the  former  vision  ;  it  iS  to  be  directed  and  supported  by 
"liipcr  human  art  and  strength  ;  m  hich  shall  enable  H  to  destroy  wonderfully,  to 
prosper  and  practise."  (Hist  the  Int  Vol.  1.  p.  3i6,  3  )7.)  The  wigel  of  the' 
Sottvmuss  pit,  who  was  the  kifig  oi'  the  Saracenic  locusts,  is  not,  as  Mr.  Ketv 
supposes,  thcdtvii,  but  tht  prophet  hiinatlf  ,■  whose  descriptive  name  .Ipol/yoti, 
or  i/ie  destroyer,  as  Up  Newton  justly  observes,  "  agrees  pertectly  well  with 
Mohammed  and  the  cidiphs  his  successors,  who  were  the  authors  of  all  those 
horrid  wars  and  desoialions,  and  who  openly  laught  and  professed  that  their 
religion  was  to  be  propagated  and  established  by  the  sword."  The  exact  co 
incidence  even  of  expression  between  Daniel  and  St  John  is  well  worthy  of  our 
no' ice.  Daniel  describes  the  po-tvtr  represented  by  the  tittle  horn  as  destroying 
wonderfully,  as  destmijing  the  miglUy  and  the  people  of  the  Holy  Ones,  as  de- 
ttrovi'.g  many  in  negligent  security  :  St.  John  styles  the  author  of  Mohammed- 
ism  .^/iC/Z/j/o/'  or  u  aest'oytr.  Mr.  Kett  does  elsewhere  justly  consider  Apolhj' 
on  to  be  a  descriptive  name  of  Mi. hammed  and  his  successors  (\ Ol.  If  p.  7-» 
73,  74)  ;  which  renders  his  farmer  mistake  the  raore  singular. 


secretly  smiled  (the  victorious  impostor  !)  at  the  enthu- 
siasm of  his  youtii  and  the  crecUility  of  his  pr')selytes  — 
In  the  support  of  truth  the  iirts  of  fraud  and  fiction  may 
be  deeni-'d  less  criminal  ;  and  he  would  have  started  at 
■thejoulness  of  the  means,  had  he  not  been  satisfied  of 
the  importance  and  justice  of  the  end."*  Such  is  tl>e 
unwillins:  confession  even  of  his  apologist  Mr.  G  bhon  : 
nor  was  perfidy  the  exclusive  characteristic  of  MoJiam- 
med  alone  :  his  example  in  this  respect  has  been  but 
too  faithfully  copied  by  his  numerous  votaries.  "It  is 
scarcely  credible  iiow  far  the  littleness  of  pride  is  carried 
by  the  Porte,  in  all  their  transactions  with  the  Christian 
princes.  To  support  their  faith,  and  to  extend  their  em- 
pire, are  the  only  lav/  of  nations  which  they  acknow- 
ledge. Their  treaties  amount  only  to  a  temporary  remis- 
sion of  that  implacable  enmity,  with  wiiich  their  religion 
inspires  them  against  every  thing  not  Mohanmiedan. 
They  consider  the  most  solemn  treaties  in  the  light  of  a 
truce,  which  they  are  at  liberty  to  break,  whenever  they 
can  more  effect ually  serv-e  the  cause  of  jMohammed.  Iii 
this  they  are  much  assisted  by  the  nature  of  the  Arabic 
language,  which  they  mix  with  the  Turkish  in  their  pub- 
lic acts,  and  which,  by  the  various  ap(Jlicati'^n  of  its  terms, 
literal  and  metaphorical,  enables  them  to  give  whatc-'er 
interpretation  they  please,  to  the  contract. "f  "  lii  a 
word,  lust,  arrogance,  cove tousn ess,  and  the  most  exqui- 
site hypocrisy  complete  their  character."  J 

5.  Another  c/iaracferisUc-,  %vhich  the  angel  gives  us  of 
the  little  horn,  is,  tJiat  "  heshoukl  (lest roy  many  xvhle  in 
a  staieof  nef^ligent  security'''' — This  j^ecidianty  is  .emark- 
ably  exemplified  in  tiie  whole  progi ess  of  th^3  Saracenic 
arms.  "The  birth  of  I^Iohammed  was  fortunately  plac- 
ed in  the  most  degenerate  and  disorderly  j)eriod  ol  the 
Persians,  the  Romans,  and  the  Barbarians  of  Europe:^ 
the  empir>cs  of  Trajan,  or  e\en  of  Constantine,  or  Char- 

*H'ist.  of  Dedine  and  Fall,  Vol.  is   p.  322.  323 

4  Eton's  Survey  of  Tuikish  Empire,  p    106  citf-d  by  Kelt. 

:^  Maundrell's  Traxels,  p   149  cilcd  by  Kelt. 

§  This  declaration  of  Mr.  (iibbon  afFoids  another  proof  that  the  power  svni' 

'jolizfd  by  the  JMohammedan  little  horn  'dvoae  u hen  the   trunsgremtors  irere  cume   to 

the  full,  though  I  conceive   the  cotnmcnamtnt  of  thi  1200  (L-iia  tp  be  peculiarlij 

:  alluded  to  by  \\\  ;d  expvcssicu. 


Q04 
*  • 

lemagne,  would  have  repelled  the  assault  of  the  naked 
Saracens  •  and  the  torrent  of  fanaticism  nii,<;lit  have  been 
obscurely  lost  in  tlic  snnds  of  Arabia.  In  the  victorious 
davs  of  the  llonian  republic,  it  had  been  the  aim  of  the 
sonatc  to  conlinc  their  consuls  and  legions  to  a  single 
war,  and  completely  to  suppress  a  first  enemy  before  they 
provoked  the  hostilities  of  a  second.  These  timid  max- 
ims of  polic}^  were  disdained  b}'-  the  magnanimity  or  en- 
thusiasm of  the  Arabian  caliphs.  With  the  same  \io;our 
and  success  they  invaded  the  Buccessors  of  Augustus, 
and  those  of  Artaxerxes  ;  and  the  rival  monarchies  at 
the  same  instant  became  the  {)reyof  ^;z  ctieviy,  ivhom  they 
had  been  su  lo})g  accustomed  to  despise.'"'^ 

Let  us  lirsi  ol)serve  the  ctlects  of  this  fatal  and  pre- 
sumptuous security  in  the  case  of  Pei^sia.  The  battle 
of  Cadesia  determined  the  fate  of  that  empire.  Three 
days  (\\k\  the  encounter  continue.  On  the  last  morning, 
"  the  clangor  of  arras  was  re-echoed  to  the  tent  of  Rus- 
tam,  who,  far  unlike  the  ancient  hero  of  his  name,  was 
gently  reclining  in  a  cool  and  tranquil  shade,  amidst  the 
baggage  of  his  cam[),  and  tlie  traiii  of  mules  that  were 
laden  with  gold  and  silver.  On  the  soend  of  danger,  he 
started  from  his  couch  ;  but  his  flight  was  oveitaken  by 
a  valiant  Arab,  who  caught  him  by  the  foot,  stiuck  otF 
his  head,  hoisted  it  on  a  lance,  and  instantly  returning 
to  the  held  of  battle,  car;ied  slaughter  and  dismay  among 
the  thickest  ranks  of  the  Persians — After  the  defeat  of 
Cadesia,  a  countiy  intersected  by  rivers  and  canals  might 
have  o}}posed  an  insuperable  barrier  to  the  victorious 
cavalry  ;  and  the  walls  of  C  tesiphon  or  Madayn,  which 
had  resisted  the  battering  rams  of  the  Romans,  would 
not  have  yielded  to  the  darts  of  the  Saracens,  But  the 
flying  Persians  v/eie  overcome  by  the  belief,  that  the 
hist  day  of  their  religion  and  empire  was  at  hand  ;  the 
strongest  jK)sts  were  abandoned  by  treachery  or  coward- 
ice ;  and  the  king,  with  a  part  of  his  family  and  trea- 
sures, escaped  to  liolwan  at  the  foot  of  the  Median  hills. 
Jn  the  third  month  al'er  the  battle,  Said,  the  lieutenant 
of  Omar,  passed  the  Tigris  without  ojiposition  ;  Die  capi- 

♦  IJisV  of  Decline  ^nd  Fall,  Vol  ix.  p  3fiO,  361. 


Q05 

tal  was  taken  by  assault ;  and  the  disorderly  resistance 
of  the  oeople  gave  a  keener  edge  to  the  sabres  of  the 
Moslems."* 

Let  us  next  consider  the  effects  of  the  same  impolitic 
security  in  the  case  of  t/ie  rival  empire  of  Consto.idirwple. 
"About  four  years  after  the  triumphs  of  the  Persian 
war,t  the  repose  of  Heraclius  and  the  empire  was  again 
disturbed  by  a  new  enemy,  the  power  of  whose  rehgion 
was  more  strongly  felt  than  it  was  clearly  understood  by 
the  C  hristians  of  the  East.  In  his  palace  ot  Constanti- 
nople or  Antioch  he  was  awai.ened  by  the  invasion  of  Syria, 
the  loss  of  Bosra,  and  the  danger  of  Damascus.  An  ar- 
my of  seventy  thousand  veterans,  or  new  levies,  was  as- 
sembled at  Hems,  or  Hemesa,  under  the  command  of 
his  general  Werdan — During  two  successive  engage- 
ments the  temperate  firmness  of  Caled  sustained  the 
darts  of  the  enemy,  and  the  murmurs  of  his  troops.  At 
length,  when  the  spirits  and  quivers  of  the  adverse  line 
were  almost  exhausted,  (alcd  gave  the  signal  of  onset 
and  victory.  The  remains  of  the  Imperial  army  lied  to 
Antioch,  or  Cesarea,  or  Damascus  ;  and  the  death  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  Moslems  m  as  compensated  by  the  opin- 
ion that  they  had  sent  to  hell  above  fifty  thousand  of  the 
infidels."J — "In  the  life  of  Heraclius,  the  glories  of  the 
Persian  war  are  clouded  on  either  hand  by  the  disgrace 
and  weakness  of  his  more  early  and  his  later  daj's.  When 
the  successors  of  Mohammed  unsheathed  the  sword  of 
war  and  religion,  he  was  astonished  at  Ike  boundless  pros- 
pect of  toil  and  danger:  his  nature  was  indoient-,  nor 
cold d  the  infirm  and  frigid  age  of  the  emperor  be  kind- 
led to  a  second  effort.  The  sense  of  shame,  and  the  im- 
portunities of  the  Syrians,  prevented  his  liasty  departure 
from  the  scene  of  action ;  but  the  hero  was  no  more ; 
and  the  1  ss  of  Damascus  and  Jerusalem,  the  bloody 
fields  of  Aiznadin  and  Yermuk,  may  be  imputed  in  some 
degree  to  the  absence  or  misconduct  of  the  sovereign."^ 

Most  of  the  smaller  rovqiiests  ot  the  Saracens  were,  in 
a  similar   manner,  achieved   by    surprise.      *'  From  his 

*  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall.  Vol.  ix.  p.  367,  3(^3,  .369. 
f  Namely,  the  ti-iumphs  of  Heraclius  over  Chosroes. 
+  Hist  of  Decline  and  Fall,  p  388,  390,  o9i.  §  Ibid.  p.  418. 


i206 

camp  in  Palestine,  Anirou  had  surprised  or  anticipated 
the  caliph's  leave  for  the  invasion  of  Egypt.  The  mag- 
nanimous Omar  trusted  in  his  God  and  his  sword,  which 
iutd  shaken  the  thiones  of  Chosroes  and  C  esar  ;  but, 
■when  he  compared  the  slender  force  of  the  Moslems 
with  the  greatness  oi  the  enterprise,  he  condemned  his 
own  rashness,  and  listened  to  his  timid  companions. 
The  piide  and  the  greatness  of  Pharaoh  were  familiar  to 
the  readers  of  the  Koran  ;  and  a  tenfold  repetition  of 
prodigies  had  been  scarcely  sufficient  to  efTect,  not  tiie 
victory,  but  the  llig'it,  of  six  hundred  thousand  of  the 
Children  of  Israel  :  the  cities  of  Egypt  were  many  and 
populous  ;  their  architecture  was  strong  and  solid  ;  the 
Nde,  with  its  numerous  branches,  was  alone  an  insuper- 
able^ barrier  ;  and  the  granary  of  the  imperial  city  would 
be  obstinately  defended  by  the  Roman  powers.  In  'his 
perplexitv,  the  commander  of  the  faithful  resigned  him- 
self to  the  decision  of  chance,  or,  in  his  G})inion,  of 
providence.  At  the  head  of  only  four  thousand  Arabs, 
tlie  intrepid  Amrou  Iiad  marched  away  from  his  station 
of  Gaza,  wheji  he  was  overtaken  by  the  messenger  of 
Omar.  If  .you  are  still  in  ISijri(h  said  the  ambiguous 
mandate,  re'rcat  xvithout  dclaij  ;  but  jj\  at  the  receipt  of 
this  epistle,  you  have  already  reached  the  frontiers  of 
Egypt i  advance  with  confidence •>  ana  depend  on  the  succour 
of  God  and  of  your  brethren.  The  experience,  })erhaps 
tlie  secret  intelligence,  of  Amrou  had  taught  him  to  sus- 
pect the  mutability  of  courts;  and  he  continued  his 
march  till  his  tents  were  unquestionably  pitched  on 
Egyptian  ground.  He  there  assembled  his  oilicers,  broke 
t\\ii  seal,  })erused  the  epistle,  gravely  inquired  the  name 
and  situation  of  the  j)lace,  and  declared  his  ready  obedi- 
ence to  the  commands  of  the  caliph.  After  a  siege  of 
thirty  days,  he  took  possession  of  F'armah  or  Pelusium  ; 
and  that  key  of  Egypt,  as  it  has  been  justly  named,  un- 
locked the  entrance  of  the  country,  as  lar  as  the  ruins  of 
Ideliopolis  and  the  neighljourhood  of  the  modern  Cairo."* 
The  conquest  of  the  African  province  soon  followed* 
that  of  F-^ypt.     "  At  the  head  of  forty   thousand  iMos^ 

•  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix  p  -^7,  428,  4:9. 


so? 

lems,  Abdalkh  advanced  from  Egy\)t  into  the  iiiiknowB 
countries  of  the  West.  The  sands  of  Barca  might  be 
impervious  to  a  Roman  leg'on  :  but  the  Arabs  were  at- 
tended by  their  faithlul  camels ;  and  the  natives  of  the 
desert  beheld  without  terror  the  familiar  aspect  of  the 
soil  and  climate.  After  a  painful  march,  they  pitched 
their  tents  before  the  walls  of  Tripoli,  a  rr;^rit?me  c:ty, 
in  which  the  name,  the  wealth,  and  the  inhabitants,  of 
the  province  had  gradually  centered,  and  which  now 
maintains  the  third  rank  among  the  states  of  Barbary. 
A  reinforcement  of  Greeks  was  surprised  And  cut  in  pie- 
ces on  the  sea-shore  :  !mt  the  fortifications  of  Tripoli  re- 
sisted the  first  assaults  ;  and  the  Saracens  were  temnted 
by  the  approach  of  the  prefect  Gregory  to  relinquish  the 
labours  of  the  siege  for  the  perils  and  the  hopes  of  a  de- 
cisive action — To  the  courage  and  discretion  of  Zobeir 
the  lieutenant  of  the  caliph  entrusted  the  execution  of 
his  own  stratagem,  wh  ch  inclined  the  long-din puted  bal- 
lance  in  favour  of  the  Saracens.  Supplying  by  activity 
and  artifice  the  deficiency  of  numbers,  a  part  of  their  for- 
ces lay  concealed  in  their  tents,  while  the  remainder  pro- 
longed an  irregular  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  till  the  sun 
was  high  in  the  heavens.  On  both  sides  they  retired 
with  fainting  steps  :  their  horses  M-ere  unl^ridled,  their 
armour  was  laid  aside,  and  the  hostile  nations  prepared, 
or  seemed  to  prepare,  for  the  refreshment  of  the  evening, 
and  the  encounter  of  the  ensuing  day.  On  a  sudden, 
the  charge  was  sounded  ;  the  Arabian  camp  poured  forth 
a  swarm  of  fresh  and  intrepid  warriors  ;  and  the  long 
line  of  the  Greeks  and  Africans  was  surprised,  i.ssaulted, 
overturned,  by  new  squadrons  of  the  faithial,  who,  to 
the  eye  of  fanaticism,  might  appear  as  a  band  of  angels 
descending  from  the  sky — After  the  fall  of  this  opulent 
city,  the  provincials  and  b.irbarians  implored  on  all  side^ 
the  mercy  of  the  conqueror — The  western  conquests  of 
the  Saracens  were  suspended  near  twenty  years,  till  their 
dissensions  were  composed  by  the  establishment  of  the 
house  of  Ommiyah — The  first  lieutenant  of  Moawiyah 
acquireda  just  renown,  subdued  an  important  city,  de- 
feated an  army  of  thirty  thousand  Greeks,  swept  away 
fourscore   thousand   captives,   and   enriched   with   their 


^08 

spoils  the  bold  adventurers  of  J^yria  and  I'^gypt.  But  the 
title  of  cori'/uero)  of  Africn  is  more  justly  due  to  his  suc- 
cessor Akbah — The  fearless  Akbah  plunged  into  the 
heart  of  the  country,  traversed  the  wilderness  in  which 
his  successors  erected  the  splendid  capitals  of  I'oz  and 
Morocco,  and  at  length  penetrated  to  the  verge  of  the 
Atlantic  and  the  gieat  desert.  The  river  Sus  descends 
from  the  uestern  sides  of  mount  Atlas  ;  fertilizes,  like 
the  Nile,  the  atljacent  soil  ;  and  falls  into  the  sea  at  a 
moderate  distance  from  the  Canary  or  Fortunate  islands. 
Its  banks  \ve\-<i  inhabited  hy  tho  last  of  the  Moors,  a  race 
of  savages,  without  laws,  or  disci}  line,  or  rehgion :  tiieif 
were  ostoriished  bjj  the  strange  and  irresistible  terrors  of 
the  Orifiital  arms  :  and,  as  thev'  posse«!sed  neither  gold 
nor  silver,  the  richest  spoil  was  the  beauty  of  the  female 
captives,  some  of  whom  w  ere  afterwaids  sold  for  a  thou- 
sand pieces  ol  gold."* 

The  same  fatality  attended  the  Goiiiic  Jdngdom  of 
Spaiv  :  like  most  of  the  other  crnqursts  of  the  Saracens, 
it  fell  into  their  hands  by  indulging  in  the  hollow  secu- 
rity of  peaceful  carelessness.  The  perfidious  count  Ju- 
lian "  revealed,  in  his  epistles,  or  in  a  personal  interview 
with  the  Arab  general  Musa,  the  wealth  and  nakedness 
of  his  country;  the  weakness  of  an  unpopular  prince; 
the  degeneracy  of  an  eUcmi  nate  people.  The  Goths  were 
DO  longer  the  victorious  barbarians,  who  had  humbled 
the  pride  of  Rome,  despoiled  the  queen  of  nations,  and 
penetiated  from  the  Danube  to  the  Atlantic  ocean. 
Secluded  from  Ike  jvcrld  bjj  the  Pyrenean  viowitaivSi  the 
successors  of  Alaric  had  slumheted  in  a  long  peace  :  the 
walls  of  the  cities  were  mouldered  into  dust  :  the  yontk 
had  abavdoned  the  exercise  oj  arms ;  ai  d  the  presump- 
tion of  their  ancient  renown  would  erpnse  them  m  a  field 
of  battle  to  the  fir:,t  assault  of  the  invaders.  The  ambi- 
tious Saracen  was  lired  by  the  ease  and  importance  of 
the  attempt  ;  but  the  execution  was  delayed  till  he  had 
consulted  the  commander  of  the  faithful ;  and  his  mes- 
.senger  returned  with  the  permission  of  W'alid  to  annex 
the  unknown  kingdoms  of  the   W  est  to  the  religion  and 

•  Ilist.  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p  450—458. 


209 

throne  of  the  caliphs.     In  his  residence  of  Tangier,  Muaa, 
witli  secrecy  and  caution,  continued  his  correspondence, 
and  hastened  his  preparations.     But  the  remorse  of  the 
conspirators  was  soothtd  by  the  faltacioiis  assurancey  that 
he  should  couleni  himself  with  the  glory  and  spoil,   with- 
out aspiring  to  establish  tlie  Moslems  beyond  the  sea  that 
separates  Africa  from  Europe  T     Musa  having  at  length 
invaded  Spain,  its  Gothic  sovereign  and  nobility  too  late 
perceived  the  magnitude  of  the  danger.     "  In  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Cadiz,  the  town   of  Xeres,  has  been  illus- 
trated by  the  encounter  which  determined  the  fate  of  the 
kingdom.     The  stream  of  the  Gaudalete,  which  falls  in- 
to the  bay,  divided  the  two  camps,  and  marked  the  ad- 
vancing and  retreating  skirmishes  of  three  successive  and 
bloody  days.     On  the  fourth  day,  the  two  armies  joined 
a  more  serious  and  decisive   issue ;    but  Alaric  would 
have  blushed  at  the  sight  of   his  unworthy  successor, 
sustaining  on  his  head  a  diadem  of  pearls,  encumbered 
with  a  flowing  robe  of  gold  and  silken  embroidery,  and 
reclining  on  a  litter  or  car  of  ivory  drawn  by  two  white 
mules."*     This  battle  terminated  in  the  complete  victory 
of  the  Saracens  ;  "  and  the  remc'uns  of  the  Gothic  army 
were  scattered  or  destroyed  in  the  flight  and  pursuit  of 
the  three  following  days."t     Thus  has  tlie  Mohamme- 
dan Utile  horn  destroyed  many  while  slumbering  in  a  state 
of  false  security  ;  and  thus  accurately  has  the  prophecy 
of  Daniel  been  fulfilled. 

6.  The  only  remainivg  peculiarity-,  wJiich  the  angel  as- 
cribes to  this  tyrannical  superstition,  is  still  future  :  it  is 
destined  to  be  broken  without  hand — This  event  is  to  take 
place  at  the  close  of  tJie  2^200  years,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  synchronizes  with  the  termination  of  the  12(50 
years ;  when  the  spiritual  sanctuary  will  begin  to  be 
cleansed  from  the  abominations  of  the  two-fold  Apostaay. 
In  the  prediction  of  Daniel,  Mohammedism  alone  if^ 
spoken  of  :  its  two  principal  supporters,  the  Saracens  ?iix<^. 
the  Turks,  are  not  discriminated  from  each  other  :  a^^^'- 

•  The  resemblance  between  tlie  eftemlnate  an  J.  unwadvke  liabillmdntsof  the 
Spanish  Koderic  and  the  Persian  Rustam  cannot  but  have  been  observed  by 
;the  reader.     Each  "  was  destroyed  in  negligent  security  ,'* 

t  Hisk  of  Decline' and  Fall,  Vol  jx  p.  469-- 474. 

VOL.  I.  27 


cral  history  of  the  superstition,  from  its  commencement 
to  its  termination,  is  given,  without  descending  to  par- 
ticularize the  Ucations,  by  which  it  should  be  successive- 
ly patronized.     In  the  Jlevelation  of  St.  John  this  defi- 
ciency is  amply  supplied:  and  we  are  furnished  with 
two  distinct  and  accurate   paintings  both  of  Saraceiuc 
locusts  under  their  exterminating  leader,  and  of  the  Ea- 
pfn'atean  liorseineii  of  the  four  Turkish  suUanies.*    "  The 
sovereignty  of  Arabia  was  lost,"  long  before  the  expira- 
tion of  the  2200  years^  "  by  the  extent  and  rapidity  of 
conquest.     The  colonies  of  the  nation  were  scattered 
over  the  East  and  the  West,  and  their  blood  was  min- 
gled with  the  blood  of  their  converts  and  captives.     Af- 
ter theieign  of  three  caliphs,  tlie  throne  was  transported 
from  Medina  to  the  valley  of  Damascus  and  the   banks 
of  the  Tigris  ;  the  holy  cities  were  violated  by   impious 
war  ;  Arabia  was  ruled  by  the  rod  of  a  subject,  perhaps 
of  a  stranger  ;  and  the  Bedoweens  of  the  desert,  awak- 
ening from  their  dream  of  dominion,  resumed  their  old 
and   solitary  independence."t     Tlie  Turks  at  present, 
jointly  with  the  FersiauSy  occupy  the  place  and  empire 
of  i/ie    Saracens  ;  and  the  Utile  horn  of  Mohammedism 
has  branched  out  into  the  rival  sects  of  the  Sliiites  and 
iJie  Sonnites.     It  appears  however  from  the  Apocalypse, 
that  the  Ottoman  powers  like  its  predecessor  the  Saracenic 
Caliphate,  will   be  annihilated  previous  to  th^  complete 
expiration  of  the  QQOO  and  the  IQGO  years,   and  conse- 
quently previous  to  the  downfall  of  the  Roman  beast  un- 
der his  last  head  and  of  his  little  horn  the  papal  false 
/)rophet.     The  mystic  natcrs  of  (lie  Eul^hrates  are  lo  be 
completely  dried  uj)  under  tlie  sixth  vial  ;  and  by  their 
cxiiaustion  are   to  prepare  a  way  for  the  /tings  from  the 
East,  and  for  the  gatliering  together  of  the  grand  con- 
federacy of  the  beast,  the  false  prophet,  and  the  /titigs  of 
the  Latin  earth,   to  their  destruction  at  iMegiddo  :  but 
the  confederacy  itself  is  not  to  be  destroyed  till  tlie  sev- 
enth vial  is  poure'l  out,  and  till  the  1^60  years  are  fully 
accomplished.^      The  downfall  of  the  Ottoman  evipire, 

"  Uev.  ix.  -J  Hist-  of  Ueclinc  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p.  353. 

1  Compare  Kcv.  ix.  14,  15,  xvi.  1^,  13,  14, 15,  16.  \\\\\\  xvi.  17 — 21.  and  sis- 
tl — 21.    Tbcsc  matters  will  bs  d'rscussed  more  fully  htreafter. 


the  prognostics  of  which  are  even  now  sufficiently  visible, 
will  greatly  weaken  the  spiritual  horn  of  Moltammedism, 
but  certainly  not  altogether  break  its  strength.  The 
false  religion  of  the  Arabian  impostm  will  still  be  pro- 
fessed in  Persia,  Hindostan,  and  Barbary  ;  nor  will  it  be 
finally  "  broken  without  hand"  till  tlic  mOO  years  shall 
have  expired.  What  precise  idea  we  are  to  annex  to 
this  phrase,  can  onl}^  be  positively  determined  by  the 
event:*  this  however  we  assuredly  know,  that  the  east- 
ern Utile  horn,  like  its  western  fellow,  will  be  for  ever 
broken  at  the  termination  of  that  period.  Concerning 
what  is  future  we  cannot  venture  to  go  beyond  the  ex- 
press declarations  of  Scripture;  but  of  that  which  is  past 
we  may  speak  with  confidence  Rud  precision. 

We  may  see  then,  that  the  little  liorn  of  the  he-goat 
or  Macedonian  empire  answers,  in  every  particular  that 
has  hitherto  been  accomplished,  chronological  as  well  as 
circumstantial,  to  the  successful  imposture  of  Mohammed: 
we  have  seen,  that  only  one  particular  yet  remains  iinac- 
complished  ;  and  that  even  that  has  already  begun  to  be 
fuliiiied :  and  we  have  further   seen,  that,   although  the 

*  The  expression  is  aml)igiious.  Tf  conjecture  be  allowable  in  such  a  mat- 
ter, it  ma\'  either  mean,  tliat  J\Inhammeuii>m  shall  be  as  it  were  practically  con- 
futed andsilenced  by  the  second  advent  of  Christ,  against  whom  the  impostor 
had  presumed  to  stand  up  (Compare  Daniel  ii.  o4,  o 5,  44,  45):  or  it  may 
mean,  that  it  shall  gradually  fall  away  to  nothing-  by  the  desertion  of  its  vo- 
taries, and  tlius  die  a  sort  of  natural  death.  Tlw  c.vhaustion  of  tlie  Euphrates 
will  no  doubt  greatly  weaken  it  :  and  it  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  even  in 
Mese  eventful  times,  that  a  sect  has  lately  made  its  appearance  in  the  very 
country  of  the  false  Arabian  piophtt,  which  threatens  no  less  than  the  destruc- 
tion of  his  relifjion  itself  The  fV<ihibcts  are  infidels  ;  and  their  numbers  are 
daily  increasing.  Their  opinions  have  been  maintained  in  secret  near  xixti^ 
'tjears  ;  and  they  at  lengtli  find  thems'jlves  strong  enough  to  take  up  arms  in 
defence  of  ihetn.  It  is  said,  that  tlit-y  occupy  the  greatest  part  of  the  country 
which  extends  from  .Medina  to  the  Euphrates.  Their  last  exploit,  ot  which 
we  have  recently  received  an  account,  shews  tlieir  decided  hostility  to  Jl/o- 
havimi-dinvi  in  a  very  striking  point  of  view.  Having  veintorced  their  army 
from  the  desert,  and  having  overwlielmed  the  whole  adjacent  country,  they 
suddenly  assaulted  and  took  the  city  of  Medina  witii  intinile  bloodshed  and  de- 
vastation. They  set  lire  to  it  in  various  places  ;  destroyed  the  mosques,  after 
having  ransacked  tiiem  of  their  slirinesand  treasures  ;  and  completely  demol- 
islied  the  tomb  of  the  prophet.  Some  thousands  of  females  of  the  first  rank 
were  carried  oft' by  the  besiegers  into  tiie  desert,  with  a  number  of  the  princi- 
pal male  inhabitants.  A  troop  of  camals  was  ;dso  se\)t  away  with  jewels  and 
other  treasure  to  an  immense  amount.  (See  Moinlng  I'ost,  I'cb.  22,  lti06.) 
Should  this  sect  continue  to  increase,  JitrJiammtdii'^n  must  fall  eventually  by 
mere  force  of  opinion.  If  its  votaries  continue  gradually  to  abandon  it,  we 
may  easily  conceive,  how,  at  the  time  of  the  trui,  it  will  be  broken  -unthout  hand. 
The  reader  will  of  course  vie  v.'  the  whole  that  has  been  said  on  this  point  in 
the  light  of  mere  conjecture. 


212 


character  of  the  little  horn  agrees  in  some  particulars  with 
those  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  the  Romans,  and  the  pow- 
er of  Infideliti/ ;  yet  it  entirely  disagrees  with  them  in 
others  .-^he  result  therefore  of  the  whole  inquiry  must 
be  this,  that  the  prophet  designed  to  symbolize  by  ttxe  lit- 
tle horn  Mohammcdisin,  and  nothing  but  Mohommcdism. 


CHArxEii  vr. 

Concerning  Daniels  last  vision,  and  the  king  who  mag- 
nijied  himself  above  ererx)  God. 

DANIEL,  having  in  his  two  former  visions  pre- 
dicted the  tyranni)  of  the  twofold  Apostacy  of  Popery 
and  Mohammedism,  proceeds  in  his  concluding  prophecyy* 
to  give  a  most  accurate  account  of  the  subversion  of  the 
Medo-Persian  empire,  the  rise  of  the  Macedonian  empire, 
it's  subsequent  clivision  into  fmir  Idvgdoms,  the  wars  of 
the  Greek  kings  of  Syria  and  Egypt,  and  the  conquest 
of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans.  The  whole  of  this,  which 
is  only  an  enlarged  and  literal  repetition  of  his  former 
brief  and  symbolical  predictions,  serves  as  a  kind  of 
chronological  introduction  to  the  history  of  the  king  who 
was  to  magmfy  Jiimself  above  every  god;  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  vision  of  the  four  beasts  conducted  us 
to  the  tyrannical  reign  of  the  papal  horn,  and  the  vision 
of  the  ram  and  the  he-goal  to  the  exploits  of  the  Mohamme- 
dan horn. 

The  first  part  oi  i\\\^  wonderful  minute  iwophecyhas 
been  so  amply  and  satisfactorily  explained  by  J^p.  New- 
ton, that  it  Avould  be  superfluous  in  me  to  olTer  any  ob- 
servations upon  it.  Suflice  it  to  say,  in  the  words  of 
that  excellent  commentator,  "  there  is  not  so  complete 
and  regular  a  series  of  the  kings  of  Egypt  and  Syria, 
there  is  not  so  concise  and  coninrc]}ensive  an  account 
of  tiieir  afiairs,  to  be  found  in  any  author  of  tliosc  times. 
The  prophecy  is  really  more  perfect  than  any  liislory." 

*  Dan.  X,  xi,  xii. 


213 

The  explanation  of  the  second  part  of  this  prediction 
is  attended  with  considerably  more  difficulties,  than  thai, 
of  the  first.  The  main  question  here,  which  offers  it- 
self to  our  attention,  is  this:  What  power  did  Daniel 
mean  to  describe  under  the  character  of  the  king  who 
was  to  magnify  himself  above  every  god !  Arc  we  to  sup- 
pose-,  that  this  part  of  the  prophecy  is  only  a  repetition  of 
the  history  of  one  of  tlie  little  horns  ;  or  that  it  is  a  pre- 
diction of  some  third  power  distinct  from  them  both! 

Bp.  Newton  adopts,  in  part  at  least-,  the  former  of 
these  suppositions.  He  explains  this  king  to  signify, 
primarily :,  the  Roman  emperors.,  after  the  conversion  of 
the  empire  to  Christianity ;  and,  secondarily^  to  mean  at 
once  the  Greek  emperors  in  the  East,  and  the  Bishops 
of  Rome  in  the  IFest,  the  king  consequently,  in  his  lat- 
ter character,  is  the  papal  little  hern  combined,  as  it  were, 
with  the  temporal  authority  of  the  Constantinopolitan 
sovereigns.  Hence  lie  applies  some  parts  of  the  pro- 
phecy to  the  Roman  emperors,  before  the  division  of  the 
empire,  some  to  the  Papacy  in  the  West,  and  some  to  the 
Constantinopolitan  emperors  in  the  East — He  conjectures, 
for  instance,  that  the  king's  doing  according  to  his  will, 
his  magnifying  himself  above  every  god,  and  his  speak- 
ing marvellous  things  against  the  God  of  gods,  intimate, 
*'  that,  after  the  empire  was  become  Christian,  there 
should  spring  up  in  the  Church  an  anti christian  p)owery 
that  should  act  in  the  most  absolute  and  arbitrary  man- 
ner, exalt  itself  above  all  laws  divine  and  human,  dis- 
pense with  the  most  solemn  and  sacred  obh'gatious,  and 
in  many  respects  enjoin  what  God  had  forbidden,  and 
forbid  what  God  had  commanded,  l^his  power  be<7an 
in  the  Roman  emperors,  who  summoned  councils,  and 
directed  and  influenced  their  determinations  almost  as 
they  pleased.  After  the  division  of  the  emj)ire,  this 
power  still  increased,  and  was  exerted  principally  hy  the 
Greek  emperors  in  the  East,  and  by  the  Bishops  of 
Rome  in  the  West.''*'  Tlie  kings  disregarding  tlie  de- 
sire of  women  he  applies  to  monaslicism,  whether  orien- 
tal or  occidental,  and  to  tlie  constrained  celibnnj  of  the 
clergy  ;  his  veneration  of  Malinzzim,  or  tutelary  demi- 

.Bp.  Nr^ton's  Dissert,  xvii. 


Q14 

gods,  to  the  idolatrous  worship  of  saints  and  angelsy 
first  openly  established  and  requi.ed  by  t lie  church  of 
Rome,  though  |)revalent  likewise  in  the  Greek  church  ; 
SLniXhisicars  zcitli  thekitigofthe  south  and  the  Aing  of  the 
77orth,  to  the  invasion  of  the  eastern  empire  by  the  Sara- 
cenSy  and  its  final  subversion  by  the  Turks.^ 

Mr.  Kett,  adhering  to  his  plan  of  primary  and  seco?i- 
^</;'j/ completions  ot  the  same  pro]) hecy-,iif\o\)\s  the  latter 
supposition,  yet  without  excludijig  X.\\e  former — "  The 
apj)lication,"  says  he,  "  ot  this  j)!Oj)hecy  to  the  papal 
Antichrist ;  to  the  conquests  of  (he  Saracen  king  of  the 
south,  nxuithe  Turkish  ki?!g  of  the  north,  over  the  holy 
land  and  many  other  countries;  the  escape  of/irabia^ 
and  the  subjection  oj  .Egypt  and  Barbnry  ;  have  been 
clearly,  I  had  almost  said  indisputably,  established  b}'' 
many  learned  conmientators.  J^ut,  how  lar  this  proph- 
ecy may  be  considered  as  a  double  type  of  Antichrist  ^  and 
how  much  mtiy  be  supposed  to  be  yet  future,  are  ques- 
tions which  can  only  be  decided  by  a  careful  comparison 
with  other  prophecies  respecting  the  same  period,  and 
by  the  course  of  events  which  time  5haU  I)ring  to  light."t 
— lie  afterwards  adds :  *'  The  accomplishment,  which 
the  former  part  oi  this  prophecy"  (concerning  the  king 
zcho  7cas  to  7nagnify  himself  above  every  god  J  "  has  re- 
ceived in  the  papal  power,  and  in  the  conquests  of  the 
Mohammedan  pozver,  is  confessedly  accurate :  but  much 
remains  to  be  iullilied  ;  and  many  reasons  might  be  pro- 
duced to  authorize  the  conjecture,  that  even  that  part  of 
the  prophecy,  which  has  been  so  decidedly  fulfilled,  will 
.hereafter  receive  a  more  full  and  perfect  accomplish- 
•mcnt."t — He  further  observes,  that  "  the  end  of  this 
ki/fg'  (meaning,  I  apprehend  from  the  context,  the  king 

*  Ibid-  Dissert,  xvii.  Dr.  Zouch.for  any  thing'  that  appears  to  the  conlrai'y, 
applies  ll\e  prophecy  relative  to  t/iia  king  exclusively  to  t/ie  Papacy  He  for- 
bcitrs  howi-vcr  noticiiif;  tli;it  p:irt  of  it,  which  treats  of  the  wars  of  tite  kin^ 
with  the  kin^M  of  the  .Vorih  am!  tie  Soufh.  Yet  these  wars  constitute  so  very 
prominent  a  feature  in  tlie  history  of  the  /t/n;,',  whatever  power  he  may  be  de- 
sifjnerl  to  represent,  tluil  they  surely  ouj^ht  not  to  have  been  omitted  :  espe- 
cially since  L)r.  Zouch  asserts,  that,  in  his  character,  "  we  discover  a  desig- 
nation of  the  same  power,"  as  that  symbolized  by  the  (xifial  little  horn,  "  some- 
wliat  indeed  diversified,  but  not  so  as  to  prevent  us  trom  acknowledging  its 
identity"  (Zouch  on  Prophecy,  p  163 — 171)  Mr.  Mede's  exposition  of  the 
Ijiophecy  is  nearly  the  same  as  tlial  of  lip.  Newton's.  I  shall  hereafter  discuss 
it  conjointly  with  that  of  the  Ilishop. 

+  Hist  the  luterp.  Vol.  i.  p.  368.  t  Ibid.  p.  373. 


mo 


^f  the  North  J  "  whether  Mohammedan  or  Itifidel,  is  to 
be  exactly  similar  to  the  end  of  the  Grecian  little  hortiy 
and  the  horn  of  the  fourth  beast  in  the  former  vision  :  yet 
he  shall  come  to  his  end,  andnone  shall  help  him''^ — And 
he  lastly  conjectures :  "  If  infidel  France  he  this  king  of 
the  North,  we  may  presume  that  it  m^U  take  possession 
of  the  present   dominions  of  the  Turkish  Mohammedan 
power."! — The  whole  that  Mr.   Kett  has  said  upon  the 
subject  of  the  prophecy  now   under  consideration,  is  so 
extremely  obscure,  and  so  widely  scattered  in  different 
parts  of  his  w^ork,  that  I  greatly  fear,  lest  I  should  unde- 
signedly be  guilty  of  misrepresenting  his  meaning.     As 
far  however  as  I  am  able  to  collect  his  sentiments  from 
these  several  passages  when  viewed  in  connection  M'ith 
each  other,  it  appears,  that  Mr.  Kett  supposes  the  king 
who  magnified  himself  ahoce  every  god  to  be  primarily 
the  Papacy  :  but  that  he  wishes  nevertheless  this  sup- 
position to  be  adopted  without  excluding  the  possibility 
of  his  character  being  designed  for  a  double  type  of  Anti- 
christ ;  that  is,  I  suppose,  Antichi^ist  both  Papal  and  In- 
fidely  unless  indeed  Mr.  Kett  means  Antichrist  both  Pa- 
pal and  Mohammedan,  for  he  does  not  expressly  say,  in 
what  manner  the  king  is  a  double  type  of  Antichrist.     It 
further  appears-,  that  he  doubts  whether  the  king  of  the 
North,  the  mighty  rival  of  the  king  xvho  magnified  him- 
self above  every  god,  be  Mohammedan  Turkey',  ov  injidet 
FranceX     The  sum  therefore  of  the  whole  is,  unless  I 
have  completely  misunderstood  Mr.   Kett,  that  the  txvo 
potentates,  whom  Daniel  represents  £is  such  bitter  ene- 
mies to  each  other,  may  after  all  be  one  and  the  same. 
As  for  instance  :  if  the  king  who  magnified  hiniself  above 
every  god  be  secondarily  injidel  France,  and  if  the  king 
of  the  North  he  infidel  France  Wkemse,  these  two  hoiT- 
tile  kings  are  evidently  made  to  be  one  power:  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  if  the  king  who  magnified  himself  above 
every  god  be  secondarily  Mohammedan  Turkey,  and  if 
the  king  of  the  North  be  Mohammedan  Turkey  likewise, 
in  this   case  also  the  tv.o  livais  are   equally    identified 

*  Hist  Interp^  Vol.  i.  p.  ;174.  j  ibid.  Vol.  ii.  p,  202 

.K-   r    ^^"/7"'^"'  ^\t^ether  M->UammeJan  ov   Lifidti"— "   if  infrdel  France  Z" 
this  ki.ig-  of  the  north" — 


^16 

with  cacli  other.  For  it  is  manifest,  that  the  king  who 
niagnrficd  himself  above  every  god  cipmol  be,  as  Mr.  Kett 
supposes,  a  double  tijpe  of  Antichivsty  without  being  sec- 
ondarily either  Moliaviriiedan  Ti'rkey^  or  infidel  France  : 
and,  let  him  be  which  of  these  two  he  may,  he  will  be 
equally  confounded  with  the  king  of  the  Norili,  if  the 
king  of  file  North  may  be  either  Mohamviedan  Turkeu 
or  infidel  France  likev/ise. 

With  regard  to  the  exposition  offered  by  Bp.  Newton, 
it  is  liable  to  a  variety  of  objections. 

1.  The  first-,  which  presents  itself  to  the  mind,  is, 
that  it  makes  this  last  prediction  of  Daniel  very  little 
more  than  a  mere  repetition  of  a  former  one.  Since  the 
prophet  had  already  described  the  tyranny  of  the  Papa- 
cy under  the  symbol  of  a  little  horn,  it  is  scarcely  prob- 
able that  he  \Yo\\\(X  resume  3.  subject,  which  he  had^Jr^- 
vionsly  discussed  and  dismissed.  Yet  this  superfluous 
resumption  is  necessarily  supposed  by  such  an  exposition.* 

2.  The  ne.vt  objection  is  its  want  of  unity  and  simplici- 
ty. Each  of  the  little  horns  symbolizes  one  single  and 
distinct  power :  whence  it  is  but  reasonable  to  conclude, 
that  the  king-,  mentioned  in  the  last  prophecy  of  Daniel, 
is  0??^  single  and  distinct  power  likewise.  But  the  system 
of  Bp.   Newton  makes   him  a  complex  power,    exerted 

first  in  the  empire  in  general,  and  afterwards  partly  in  the 
East,  and  paitly  in  the  West  ;  a  sort  of  compound,  in 
his  latter  character,  of  the  Greek  emperor  and  the  Pope. 

Daniel's  frequent  recapitulations  of  the  temporal  history  of  the  four  ^r eat 
empires  are,  not  only  not  superfluous,  but  absolutely  necessary.  The  great  excel- 
lence of  his  prophecies  is,  that  they  are  strictly  both  local  and  chronological 
ones.  Hence  he  repeats  the  substance  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  dream  of  the  im- 
age in  his  vision  of  the  four  hcasts,  in  order  that  we  may  exactly  know  at  what 
«ra,  and  in  whal  empire,  to  look  for  the  tyranny  oithe  first  little  horn  :  and  hence, 
in  a  similar  manner,  he  recapitulates  the  history  of  the  second  and  third  empires  in 
his  vision  of  the  ram  a7vl  the  he-goat,  in  order  tiiat  we  maybe  able  precisely  to  vlH- 
certnin  the  age  .xnd  country  oi' the  seco'id  little  horn.  For  the  same  reason,  he 
once  more  repeats,  in  his  last  n.sion,  the  history  of  the  second  and  third  empires, 
;knd  tlie  latter  part  of  the  hiHtory  of  fAe  Eomans  ,-  with  a  view  to  conduct  us,  in 
a  regular  cronolo'^ical  series,  to  the  tyranny  of  the  kingivho  regarded  not  any 
god  Now,  if  ihis  king  be,  in  a  great  measure,  the  same  as  the  first  little  horn  ,■ 
It  is  evident,  tiiat  the  laat  vision  n.ust  be  almost  entirely  a  mere  repetition  of  the 
•vision  of  U'le  four  beasts  ;  {\\\e  first  of  them  alone  being  excluded)  not  a  studied 
recapitu.'atton  i^f  their  temporal  liistory,  for  tiie  purpose  of  introducing  a  new 
cliaracte;,  (////i'/r?;/ from  those  of  which  he  liad  treated  before.  Consequent- 
ly,  upon  !»ucti  a  supposition,  the  last  viSiou  ^v;^  be  a  complete  repetition,  not  n 
partis  J  recapituhttion. 


This  system  with  some  shades  of  difference  has  the 
sanction  of  the  venerab'e  name  of  Joseph  M'/dt.  Mr. 
Mede  includes  in  the  character  of  ike  king,  not  only 
the  Pope,  together  with  the  Eastern  and  We  tern  Em- 
perms,  but  likewise  the  pagan  Roman  state  from  h^ 
time  of  Antiochm  Epiphnnes.*  Such  an  unwarrantable 
licence  of  exposition  S'^erns  to  me  to  carry  along  with 
it  its  own  confutation:  for,  Masinole  prophetic  character 
may  comprehend  so  man y  difftnnt  persons*ai\d  thim^s, 
the  application  of  the  different  parts  of  the  predicUon 
must  be  left  entirely  to  the  discretion  of  the  commenta- 
tor In  the  pro|)hecy,  a  certain  nmnher  of  actions  are 
ascribed  to  one  single  and  distinct  power.  But,  if  we  in- 
quire what  is  meant  ^)y  the king\  speaki ng  viarvello2is things 
against  the  God  of  gods,  Mr.  l^.Iede  informs  uh,  that  it 
alludes  to  the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord  by  the  Romans. 
If  ^ve  next  inquire,  what  is  intended  by  the  king's  doing 
according  to  his  nill,  we  are  taught  by  Bp.  Newton  that 
it  relates  to  a  tyrannical  Jmver  exercised  in  the  Church 
first  by  the  Christian  ev;p'jrors  before  the  division  oj  the 
Empire,  and  afterwa'-ds  by  the  Greek  Emherors  in  the 
East  and  the  Popes  in  the  IVest.  If  we  again  inciuire 
what  is  meant  by  the  king's  magnifying  himself  above 
every  god,  we  are  referred  to  the  prophecy  of  the  man  of 
sin,  and  are  told  that  it  alludes  to  the  Pope,  receiving  di- 
vine honours  in  the  temple  of  God.  If  we  further*  in- 
quire what  is  meant  by  the  king's  disregarding^  the  desire 
of  women,  we  are  then  carried  back  to  the  days  of  the 
Emperor  Constantino,  the  rise  of  monasticism  in  the 
East,  and  its  subsequent  establishment  in  the  West.  If 
we  next  inquire  what  is  intended  by  the  kings  itonour- 
ing  a  foreign  deity  and  certain  Mahuzzim  or  tutelary 
godSf  we  are  referred  to  the  idolatrous  veneration  of 
saints  and  angels  which  ahke  infected  the  rival  churches 
of  Rome  and  Constantino[)le.  And,  if  we  lastly  require 
an  explanation  of  the  wars  of  the  king  with  the  kings  of 
the  North  and  tlie  South,  our  attention  is  then  entirely 
diverted  from  the  Church  to  the  State;  and  we  are 
taught  that  they  refer,  not  to  any  actions  of  the  Pope, 

*  Apostacy  of  the  latter  tirres,  Part  I.  Chap.  16,  IT. 
VOL.    I.  OQ 


but  to  the  wars  of  the  Eastern  Emperor  with  the  Sarat^ 
gens  and  the  Turks. 

I  cannot  but  think,  that  such  a  mode  of  exposition  as 
this  accords  very  ill  with  the  definite  simplicity,  for 
which  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  are  so  remarkable.  In- 
stead of  treading  with  confidence  upon  sure  ground,  I 
feel  rnyself  bewildered  in  a  succession  of  rapid  changes 
from  Uigan  Rome  to  Clin'siian  Route,  from  the  Emperors 
bef'^e  ike  division  of  the  Empire  to  the  Emperors  after 
it:-  di virion,  from  the  E  nperors  of  Constantinople  to  the 
Popes  of  Rome^  i'om  ttie  East  to  the  West  and  from  Ike 
West  to  the  East,  from  the  State  to  the  Church  and  from 
tlie  Church  to  the  State,  from  the  impious  adoration  paid 
to  the  lioman  Pontiff  to  the  struggles  of  the  Constantino- 
politrn  monarch  with  the  Saracens  andthe  Turks. 

To  this  objection  it  would  probably  be  answered,  that 
the  king,  like  the  tev-hcrved  beasty  means  the  whole  Ro- 
man slate ;  and  consequently  that  the  different  actions, 
performed  by  the  differ .nt  members  of  that  state,,  are  all 
asciibcd  to  the  same  king  or  kingdom- 

Such  an  ar.swcr,  tliough  perhaps  the  best  that  can  be 
given,  is  tome  by  no  means  satisfactory.  In  tiie  united 
prophecy  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  relati\e  to  the  Roman 
beast,  their  own  proper  actions  are  assigned  resj)ectively 
to  hi  seven  heads,  his  ten  horns,  and  his  tittle  horn  ;  so 
thfit  we  arc  in  no  danger  of  mistaking  cither  the  actions 
or  the  persons  of  some  oi  his  members  for  either  the  ac- 
tions or  the  persons  of  others  oi  them  :*  but,  in  the  pro- 
phecy of  the  kiig,  according  to  the  mode  of  exposition 
now  under  consideration,  ail  is  confusion  and  uncertain- 
ty ;  insomuch  that  even  iNIr  Medeand  Bp.  Newton  can- 
Dot  agree  as  to  the  precise  period  of  the  Roman  historj 
when  we  are  to  suppose  that  the  prophecy  began  to  be 
accomplished;  the  one  conceiving  the  knig  io  mean  the 
Empire  fro?n  the  time  of  Antiochus Ep'phanes,  and  inter- 
preting part  of  ihe  prophecy  to  relate  to  the  death  of  our 
Lord,  i.he  other  dating  the  prophecy  only  from  about  t/ie 
ttaj/s  qt  Cimslantine, 

•  The»anic  remark  applies  to  the  double  prophecy  respecting  thr  MaceJonian 
emp  -e  symf^lizcd  bot!i  by  t/u-  leoparJ  in  one  vision  and  by  t/ie  hc-g'jat  n  ano- 
Aar.    It  Ukewisu  applius  t«  tiie  prophecy  of  the  Fersian  ram  vtkk  two  horn. 


«1§ 

3.  The  last  and  most  conclusive  objection,  nhich  T  ahall 
mrgc,  is,  that  such  an  exposition  cannot  be  made  to  accord 
with  the  clironological  series  of  events  as  detailed  by  Dan- 
iels in  regular  succession,  in  this  his  concluding  prophecy . 

We  have  the  authority  of  our  Lord  for  pronouncing, 
that  the  abomination  of  desolation,  mentioned  in  theSlst 
i)erse  of  the  Wth  chapter,  is  to  be  referred  to  the  sacking 
of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans.  Of  this  Bp.  Newton  is 
sensible;  and  therefore  very  justly  applies  the  two  fair 
lowing  verses^  to  the  pagan  per stcutions  of  the  primitive 
Christians.  "  The  Roman  magistrates  and  officei-s,"  says 
he,  "  it  is  very  well  known,  made  use  of  the  most  allur- 
ing promises,  as  well  as  of  the  most  terrible  threatenings, 
to  prevail  upon  tliem  to  renounce  their  rehgion,  and  offer 
incense  to  the  statues  of  the  emperors  and  images  of  the 
gods.  Many  were  induced  to  comply  with  the  tempta- 
tion and  apostatized  from  the  faith,  as  we  learn  particu- 
larly from  the  famous  epistle  of  Pliny  to  Trajan  :  but  the 
true  Christians,  the  people  who  knew  their  God,  were 
strong ;  remained  firm  to  their  religion  :  and  gave  the 
most  illustrious  proofs  of  the  most  heroic  patience  and 
fortitude.  It  may  too  with  strictest  truth  and  jn'opriety 
be  said  of  the  primitive  Christians,  that,  being  dispersed 
every  where,  and  preaching  the  gospel  in  all  the  parts  of 
the  Roman  empire,  they  instructed  many,  and  gained  a 
great  number  of  proselytes  to  their  religion  :  yet  they  fell 
by  the  sword,  and  by  flame,  by  capHxity,  and  by  spoil,  vuiny 
days ;  for  they  were  exposed  to  the  malice  aiid  fur}'  of 
ten  general  persecutions,  and  suffered  all  manner  of  in- 
juries, afflictions,  and  tortures,  with  little  intermissioa 
for  the  space  of  three  hundred  3^ears."t 

The  3'Uh  'verseX  he  with  equal  propriety  applies  t» 
the  days  of  Cunstantine.  **  Ihe  most  natural  way  of  in- 
terpretation," he  justly  observes,  "  is  to  follow  the  course 
and  series  of  events.     The  Church  had  now  laboured 

•  "  And  such  as  do  wickedly  against  the  covenant  shall  he  corrupt  by  flat- 
teries ;  but  the  people,  that  do  know  their  God,  shall  be  strong,  and  do  ex- 
ploits And  they  that  understand  anvong  the  people,  shall  instruct  many  ;  yet 
they  shall  fall  by  the  sword,  and  by  the  flame,  by  captivity,  and  b}  spoil,  many 
days."     Ver.  32,  33. 

+  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  xvii. 

I  "  Xow,  when  they  fall,  they  sluali  be  holpen  with  a  little  help  j  but  many 
elull  cleave  to  them  with  flatteries."    Ver.  o4. 


S90 

under  long  and  severe  persecutions  from  the  civil  power — 
Tilt  tenth  and  last  genera!  persecution  was  begun  by 
Diocleti  .n  :  it  raged,  th<>ugh  not  ;it  all  times  equally,  ten 
years  ;  ^nd  was  suppressed  entirely  by  Constantine,  the 
first  Roman  emperor,  as  it  is  universally  known,  who 
made  open  profession  of.  Cliristianity :  and  then  the 
Ciiurch  was  no  longer  persecuted,  but  was  protected  and 
favoined  by  the  civil  power.  But  still  this  is  called  only 
a  litilc  help:  because,  though  it  added  much  to  th^^  tem- 
poral prosperity,  yet  it  contributed  little  to  the  spiritual 
graces  and  virtues,  of  Christians,  It  enlarged  their  rev- 
enues, and  increased  their  endowments  ;  but  proved  the 
fat.d  means  of  corrupting  the  doctrine,  and  relaxing  the 
discipline,  of  the  Church.  It  was  attended  with  <his  pe- 
culiar disadvantage,  Wmi  mavy  cleave  to  them  with  flatte- 
ries. IMany  became  Christian. s,  for  the  sake  of  the  loaves 
and  the  fishes  ;  and  pretended  to  be  of  the  religion,  only 
because  it  was  the  religion  of  the  Emperor.  Eusebius, 
who  was  a  contemporary  writer,  reckons,  that  one  of  the 
reigning  vices  of  the  time  was  the  dissimulation  and  iiy- 
pocrisy  of  men  fraudulently  entering  into  the  Church,  and 
borrowing  the  name  of  Christians  without  ^he  reality.""* 
Hitherto  the  Bishop  has  very  clearly  explained  the 
meaning  of  the  prophecy  :  but  in  his  exposition  of  the 
^5th  versed  he  has  not  been  equally  successful.  He 
suj-jDOses,  that  this  pa' sage  relates,  in  the  first  insiai:ce^ 
to  the  qvurrds  cf  Vie  Christians  aruoiig  each  other. 
"The  Cojisubstantialists,"  says  he,  "  e\  en  in  the  time 
of  (  onstantine,  led  the  way  by  excommunicating  and 
banishing  the  Arians.  The  latter,  under  the  favour  of 
Constantius  and  N'alens,  more  than  retorted  the  injury, 
and  were  guilty  of  many  horrible  outrages  and  cruelties 
towards  the  former  "  He  afterwards  a[)plies  the  passage, 
in  the  second  instance^  to  the  persectif/on  of  the  protest- 
(tiits  by  the  papists.  "These  calamities  were  to  bt  fall 
the  Christians  to  try  thevi,  ovd  purgCy  and  mahe  ihcm 
7ihite,  not  only  at  that  time,   but  even  to  the  time  of  the 


*  Bp.  Ntv  tnn'fl  Dissert.  XV  IT. 
^  "  And  Sfimc  <  f  tliemorun<icMsl;iii('inp-  shnil  full,"  (that  is, /»t'm7ij  "in  pu- 
rifyiiii.':  ilum,  ami  in  purjruiK'  tlicn,,  :in(i  in  niukinj.    t!icm  whitr,  even  to  the 
time  of  the  end  j  because  il  is  yet  un'.o  the  time  apj-uiiUed."    Ver.  3-5. 


S21 

end,  because  it  is  yet  for  a  time  appointed  ;  and  we  see, 
evei)  a'  this  day,  not  to  al ledge  other  instances,  how  the 
poor  protestarits  are  pei  seen  ted,  plundered,  and  murder- 
ed, in  the  southern  parts  of  France.""* 

The  only  manner,  in  which  prophecy  can  be  satisfac- 
torily explained  is  by  strictly  adhering  to  its  plain  unvar- 
nished declarations.  It  is  observable,  that  in  this  verse 
the  true  Church  is  represented  as  being  again  in  a  state 
of  persecution,  similar  to  that  which  she  had  before  en- 
dured from  the  fury  of  Paganism.  As,  in  the  jirst  per- 
secution, they,  that  understood,  were  to  instruct  many  ; 
and,  in  consequence  of  their  zeal,  to  fall  by  the  sword, 
and  by  flame,  by  captivity,  and  by  spoil :  so,  in  this  sec- 
ond persecution,  some  of  the  men  of  understanding  are, 
in  a  similar  manner,  to  perish  in  attempting  to  bring 
about  a  reformation  in  the  now  degenerate  Christian 
world.  Hence  it  is  evident,  that  the  men  of  understand- 
ing must,  in  both  cases,  be  men  of  the  same  principles  ; 
that  is,  men  professing  and  acting  up  tuthepuretruthsof 
ike  Gospel,  in  contradistinction  to  the  heathens  in  the 
former  instance,  and  to  corrupt  Christians]  in  the  latter 
instance.  Such  being  the  plain  import  of  the  prophecy, 
that  part  of  it,  which  is  contained  in  the  thirty  fifth  verse, 
certainly  can  have  no  relation  to  the  quarrels  of  the  Con- 
sub  stantialists  and  the  Arians.  Tiie  passage  in  question 
describes,  not  the  variously  successful  and  unsuccessful 
struggles  of  two  rival  parties;  but  the  persecution  of  men, 
similar  to  the  first  martyrs  of  the  Church,  on  account  of 
their  desire  to  purify  their  degenerate  brethren.  We 
must  look  therefore  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  pre- 
diction in  an  age  long  posterior  to  that  of  the  Consub- 
stantialists  and  the  Arians. 

In  our  inquiries  for  thrs  age  of  persecution  we  shall  bo 
greatly  assisted  by  attending  to  the  very  accurate  lan- 
guage of  the  propliet.  He  tells  us,  that  these  men  of 
understanding  shall  continue  in  a  persecuted  state  to  the 
time  of  the  end  ;  because  their  trials  are  yet  unto  the  time 
appointed.     But  the  time  of  the  end  commences  at  the 

*  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert.  XVH. 
f  These  corrupt  Chrislians  are  styled  Gt.iii'ts  by  St.  Johu  on  account  of  their 
having  relajjsed  into  the  uld  abominations  of  Gentile  idolatry.    Rev.  xi.  2. 


«2« 

*  

ftrmwation  tf  the  H60  years :  therefore  the  persecution 
oi  the  second  mentionedinen  of  understandini*;  Is  to  conti- 
nue tf>  the  end  of  the  i26o  j^ ears  Hence  it  is  manitest, 
that  this  persecution  is  the  sarr»e  as  that  which  was  to 
take  place  during  the  reign  ol  the  paDnl  horn,  represented 
by  St.  John  under  the  ima5;es  oi  the  witnesses  prol>hesy- 
ing  in  sackcloth,  and  thejiight  of  the  ivoman  into  the  'wil- 
derness. Daniel  however,  i  conceive,  meant  siKciaily 
to  point  out  a  particular  period  in  the  course  oithe  1260 
year.'^ ;  a  period.,  which  should  bear  a  more  striking  and 
deiin.te  r(  -eniblanceto  the  period  of  heathe?! persecutiony 
than  any  other  part  of  the  reign  of  tiie  horn.  These  sec- 
ond men  oj  understanding  dixe  described  by  the  prophet, 
as  not  content  with  secretly  iiolding  tlieir  opinions,  and 
assembling  their  congregi' lions,  in  the  deep  i^ece^se-  of 
fnountaiiis  and  forests  :  but  a.-,  boldly  and  openl>i  coming 
forward,  X\\.ft  the  jirstmeno' understanding  ;  as  labouring 
t(^ propagate  their  tenets;  cAui  as  ai'empting  to  ^w?'o-e, 
reform^'dxxtXinake  xchite,  a  corrupt  and  degenerate  C  hurch. 
Such  a  descrijition  a2[rees  'nly  with  the  glorious  era  of 
the  reformation.  The  unfortunate  and  much  injured 
\A  aldenses,*     cooped  up  in  the  mountainous  regions  of 

*  The  Abbe  Barruel,  in  the  true  spirit  of  a  determined  Papist,  has  endeav- 
oured to  fix  the  imputation  of  .IfnnicAe/ynj  upon  the  Waldenses  ;  as  if,  even 
grantint^  that  he  had  been  successful,  such  a  cha  ge  would  warrant  the  diabo- 
lical cruelties  of  his  corrupt  churcli.  tirosslv  however  as  these  vicinns  of  per- 
secution have  been  misrepresented  and  viliCedby  the  adherents  oi  popery,  there 
ar'  not  wantini^  testimonies  in  their  favour  borne  even  by  papists  themselves. 
Bp.  Xewton  cites  three  of  these  witnesses,  whom,  ashejustly  obser  es,  ^^  both 
*r(/es  must  "illow  to  be  unexceptionable,  Jfrinerius,  Thuanus,  and  Mezerzy*' 
The  testin:ony  of  the  last-mentioiad  auUior  is  sJiort,  b>it  immediately  to  the 
purpose.  "  They  had  almost  the  same  opinions."  says  he,  '*  v%  those  who  are 
now  called  C.ihi/iistn.'"  Their  rtflZ  crime  is  with  much  simplicity  declared  by 
Rt  merius,  who  floui-ished  about  theycar  13.'j4,  and  who  has  the  additional  re- 
commendation of  beinp  at  once  a  Dominican  and  an  Inquisitor  general  *  T'ley 
live  justly  before  mtn,'"  says  he,  "and  believ*:  all  things  vitrhtly  concein'ii,^ 
God,  and  all  the  articles  which  are  contained  in  the  or  ed  :  only"  —hie  nu;er 
est,  hunc  tu,  llomane,  cavtto,)  "  an!:  they  blaspheme  the  chuicli  of  Uomt',and 
the  clergy,  in  whom  tl>e  multitudf  of  the  laity  readily  place  an  implicit  cmfi- 
dence  "  (See  Bp  Newton's  Dissert  on  Uev  xi  )  Whether  the  modein  A.ijhe 
Barruel.  or  tlie  ancient  Iiiquisilo;  general  Ec-inerius,  be  the  most  deservin^^'  of 
credit,  the  candid  leuder  must  determine  for  himself  "  As  there  was  u  ^  ari- 
ety  of  names,"  sujs  Bp.  Newton,  "  so  there  might  be  some  ifr  ersity  of  opin- 
ions (.f  ihem  ;  but  that  they  Were  not  gviilty  of  Jiltmiclieism  and  ot  r  nbniti' 
tnubl  hi.  i-cnies,  which  have  been  charged  upon  them,  is  cei  ain  and  <  vdtnt  from 
all  "lie  remains  of  their  creeds,  confessi.ins.  aiul  writmgs  "  The  Ailiigei.scs 
are  frequently  consider  ed  as  a  bi  ;inch  of  the  W:dd<  uses  ;  but  accordini'-lo  .Mo- 
slieim  they  were  an  .  ntiiely  diil'erent  pciple  Of  the  piety  of  the  Walden- 
ses he  speaks  in  very  high  terms  ;  and  even  iJie  Albigenscs  he  exculpates  from 


France  and  Italy,  existed  indeed  like  leaven  in  a  mass  of 
bread-corn  ;*  but  are  little  known  except  by  their  jja- 
tient  suffering  for  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  by  the  relcnt- 
le-s  bigotry  of  their  blood  thirsty  persecutors :  while  the 
martyrs  ot  iJie  reformation  "  have  iilled  the  whole  world 
with  their  doctrine,"  *ind  have  raised  an  edilice  against 
which  the  agents  of  Popery  have  vainly  exerted  al!  treir 
powers.  I'he  secmid  persecution  then  of  the  mtnof  im- 
ders'andivg  must  be  referred  in  a  peculiar,  1  iuicl  aln  st 
said  ex(iudv€y  manner  to  the  rejorvudhm  cf  the  sixlei  nlk 
centi'rij'  That  it  has  such  a  reference  i?/ ^w;/ at  leat, 
Bp.  Newton  himself  allows  :  but,  as  if  conscious  that 
such  an  acknowledgment  would  chronologicalbj  invali- 
date his  .  proposed  interpretation  of  the  prophecy  respect- 
ing the  king  who  was  to  exalt  himself  above  every  g  d,  he 
cautiously  adds,  "  the  principal  source  of  these  persecu- 
tions is  traced  out  in  the follonivg  'verses''  Now,  u;.»oa 
examining  these  following  ver<es,  we  shall  not  find  that 
they  afford  us  any  warrant  i<y  suppose,  that  the  king  was 
to  be  at  all  concerned  in  persecuting  the  men  <j  nnder- 
staiiding.  In  the  whole  account,  which  tiie  iirojihet  gives 
©f  his  character,^  not  a  single  hint  is  dropped,  that>  like 
the  little  papal  horn,  he  should  wear  out  iiie  saints  oj  the 
Must  High.  At  the  beginning  oi  his  reign  at  leasl,ail  his 
exploits  are  of  an  entirely  different  nature-,  and  directed 
to  an  entirely  different  end.  They  are  exploits  purely 
atheistical:  for  the  object  of  his  rancorous  avcjsion,  tite 
God  of  godSi  is  alike  venetated  by  the  adherents  and  the 
opponents  of  the  Papacy,  b}?  the  persecutors  and  the  per- 
secuted. Toward  the  end  oi  his  reign  indeed,  it  appears, 
that  he  will  league  himself  with  the  false  prophet  or  the 
Papacy  ;  that  they  will  jointly  engage  in  a  bloody  war 
of  extermination  under  the  pretext  of  religion  ;  and  that 
the  power  of  both  will  be  finally  broken  in  Palestine 

the  charge  of  Manicheism ;  and  seems  to  think,  that  their  opinions  were  more 
nearly  allied  to  a  nnystical  sort  of  faiialicism,  than  to  heresy  "  VVHien  we  ex- 
amine matters  attentively,"  sa)  s  he,  '  we  find  that  even  tlieir  enemits  acknowl- 
edgc-d  the  smcerity  of  their  piety  ;  that  they  were  blackened  by  accusations, 
which  weie  evidently  false  :  and  that  the  opinions,  for  which  they  were  pun- 
ished, differ  width  from  the  Manicli^un  sysitm  "  See  Mosheini's  Eccles. 
Hist  "S'ol  II.  p  380,  381,  08;;— Vol.  iii.p.  I'iO— 127-  See  also  Me de's  Works, 
B.  III.  Revel.  Amichus  p  722,  andLowmar's  Paraph,  p.  152 — 156. 
*  Matt.  xiii.  38.  t  ^^^  ^''"-  *^-  "^^ — ^'^- 


22  i. 

between  the  two  seas  *  But,  whether  this  religious  war 
wiil  be  undertaken  against  (lie  Proitstanls  or  the  Jov-  or 
both,  it  is  as  yet  future  ;  and  will  not  even  commence^  as 
Daniel  carefully  informs  us,  till  the  time  of  the  cud,  or  till 
ihe  tertiiinatiov  of  the  1260  daijs.  Hence  it  certainly  can 
have  no  connection  with  the  persecutions  of  the  Papacy 
proper  III  so  called  :  for  the  papal  little  horn  was  to  wear 
out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  until  a  time  and  times  and 
ha'f  a  time,  and  the  failhjid  nutnesses  of  Christ  were  to 
prophesy  in  sackcloth  during  the  ivhole  term  rf  the  1260 
days  ;  whereas  the  religious  extermitiutivg  war  (ftiiis  king, 
against  whon-.soevcr  it  may  be  directed,  is  not  so  much  as 
to  bejin  till  the  very  end  of  that  term.  Tiie  men  at  nn- 
derstar.divg,  or  the  witnesses,  are  to  be  in  an  alBicted 
state  till  the  time  of  the  end ;  coiisequently  their  ap- 
pointed period  of  persecution  is  before  the  time  of  the 
end,  and  ceases  at  the  time  of  the  end.  At  this  very 
time  of  the  end  however  fhe  relig'Oh'S  war  of  the  hng  will 
be  first  undertaken  :  that  is  to  say,  the  war  will  com- 
mence, when  the  persecution  of  the  witnesses  shall  cease. 
Such  being  the  case,  the  war  of  tlie  king,  if  undertaken 
a^'^ainst  the  witnessrs,  innst  prove  unsucc^  ssful  :  and  ac- 
cordingly Daniel  s^x-cially  informs  us,  that  it  will  prove 
unsuccessful.  From  this  view  of  the  subject  we  have  a 
right  to  conclude,  ihat  the  sufferings  of  the  men  of  under- 
standrng  are  no  way  connected  with  the  impious  tyranny 
of  the  king.  \A'hence  it  will  of  course  follow,  since  ail 
Daniel's  prophecies  are  strictly  chronological,  and  since 
the  second  persecniion  of  the  7nen  of  m/ffer^'anding  pccn- 
liarly  relates  to  the  suiVerings  of  t  lie  prof  estant  rcformos, 
that  we  are  to  look  for  the  rise  of  this  king  not  hjorc, 
but  of'er,  the  era  of  the  Reformation  :  and  ihereiore  that 
tliis  king,  wliOever  ho  n-.ay  be,  cannot  po;-sil)ly  be  cither 
the  Roman  en.peror,  the  Pope,  or  the  nnpostor  Molmmmed ; 
but  must  be  some  other  po.rcr  perfectly  distinct  from 
them  all. 

To  state  the  whole  argument  more  briefly  ;  the  events 
succeed  each  other  in  the  following  order.  In  the  olst 
verse  oi  the  llth  chapter,  Daniel  predicts  the  desolation 

*  Cunccrning  this  religious  war  more  will  be  s&id  borcafter. 


225 

of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans  :  in  the  3^2^/ and  Sod  verses-, 
the  persecutions  of  the  primitive  Christians:  mthe  Sith 
verse,  the  conversion  of  the  Empire  under  Constantine  : 
and,  in  the  S5th  verse,  the  papal  persecutions  of  the 
witnesses,  more  especially  that  which  took  place  at  the 
era  of  the  Reformation.'^  After  having  thus  brought  us 
down  to  the  l6th  century,  he  next  proceeds  to  describe 
the  character  of  some  power,  which  he  represents  as  a 
monster  of  wickedness  and  impiety.  It  is  manifest 
therefore  from  the  preceding  order  of  events,  that  this 
power,  whatever  state  may  be  intended  by  it,  must  be 
expected  to  spring  up  at  some  indeiinite  period  after 
the  Reformation,  although  before  the  time  of  the  end  :t 
and  consequently,  that  all  states,  which  hxo?^9,  previous  to 
the  Reformation,  are  by  that  very  circumstance  exclud- 
ed from  having  an}^  connection  with  the poxcer  in  question. 
Perhaps  however  it  may  be  said,  that  there  must  be  a 
fallacy  in  the  objections  which  I  have  urged,  and  that 
they  certainly  cannot  be  solid  however  plausible  the}?- 
may  appear,  because  one  part  of  the  king's  character, 
his  disregard  of  the  desire  of  xcomcn,  so  decidedly 
proves  him  to  be  that  comple.v  power,  which  neglected 
and  discouraged  marriage  both  in  the  East  and  in  the 
JVest,  which  at  first  prohibited  only  the  second  marriages 
of  the  clergy,  but  in  time  absolutely  restrained  them 
from  marrying  at  all,  that  it  is  a  vain  labour  to  seek  for 
any  poxver  that  has  arisen  after  the  Reformation,  to 
which  such  a  description  can  be  in  the  least  degree  ap- 
plicable. "  This,"  says  Bp.  Newton,  "  was  evidently  not 
regarding  the  desire  of  zvives  or  conjugal  affection — -So 

*  The  32d,  33d,  34tli,  and  35th,  verges  describe  three  successive  periods  of 
the  Church,  which  exactly  coincide  with  the  three  periods  of  the  life  of  th:  Ru- 
vian  beast  after  the  promulgation  of  Christianity,  his  deathf  and  his  revival.  The 
32d  and  33d  verses  describe  the  first  period ,-  which  readies  from  the  days  of 
the  Apostles  to  the  time  of  Constantine.  The  S-itli  describes //k  second  period ; 
dwr'm^  \y\\\ch  the  beast  \Ay  dead,  and  wliich  reaches  from  the  time  of  Con- 
stantine to  the  commencement  oi  tlie  1260  vears.  The  3Jth  describes  the  third 
period  ;  at  t!ie  commencement  of  which  the  beast  revived  l)y  relapsing  into  his 
former  state  of  persecuting  iflolatry,  and  which  reaches  from  the  beq-inning  of 
the  V2&Q  years  to  the  time  of  thi:  end,  comprehending  the  7i'hole  rf  the  1260  vears, 
although  in  treating  of  it  the  prophet  peculiarly  describes  its  most  remarka- 
ble era,  that  of  tJie  Reformation-  We  are  plainly  tauglit  liowever  that  it  is  to 
extend  to  the  time  of  the  end,  or  the  very  time  when  the  ONpedili"'.!  o^theml- 
fulking  commences.    Comp.  Dan.  xi.  3),  40. 

+  See  Dan.  xi.  3^,  'lO. 

VOL.  I.  9d 


much  did  the poxcer  hero  described  magnify  himself  above 
ali,  oven  G-hI  him  eii,  hy  contrarlictiiig  the  primary   law 
ot  God  and  nature,  and  hy  making  that  dish'^nourable, 
which  tho  Scripture  hath  pronounced  honouraMr   in  all." 
C  nuld  it  once  be  satisfactorily  pro\e(!,  that  the  d  s re- 
gard or  the    desire  of  xvomcih   mentioned   by    Daiiiel, 
iii«cansthe  i^ame  thing  as  the,/ or  bidding  to  many,  pre- 
dicted   by  St.  Taul  as  one  of  the    subordinate  badges  of 
t/.e  /fpostaci/r"  I  should  re..dily  allow,  that   this  would 
l^e  so  strong  an  argument  in  favour  of  J3p.  Newton's  in- 
terpretation as  justly  to  wanajit  a  sus})icion  that  there 
was  a  lurking  fallacy  in   the  objections  which   I    have 
brouglit  forward  :  but  I  can  find  no  just  fijrounds  for  sup- 
posing, that  such  is  really  the  case.     77/e  desire  ot  xvo- 
mcn  does  not  signify  the  desire  to  haxexvomen  or  wires  ; 
but,  on  the  contrar}'",  that  xvhicli  women  orzvives  desire 
lo  have.     That  such  is  the  meaning  of  the  exjjression   is 
sulliciently  nianii'est   from    the   uniform  and   unvarying 
phraseology  of  the  wdiole  Hebrew  Scriptures:  at  least  I 
have  not  been  riblcto  discover  a  single  passage  in  the  Old 
Testament,  wherein  the  word  desire,  when  constructed  as 
in  the  expression  under  consideration,  ever  signifies  a  xcisit 
to  hare  thnthingimported  by  Ibesabstaritive  with  which 
it  is  so  const  met  ed.     Thus  the  ((esire  of  Israel  does  net 
mean  the  wish  to  have  Israel,  but   that   xvhich  Israel 
xcishcd  to  Inice,  namely  Saul  for  a  king  .7  the  desire  of 
thy  soul'is  not  the  wish  to  have  thy  soul,  but  that  which 
thy  soul  zc'ishes  to  have  :t  the  aesire  of  the  heart  is  not 
the  xvish  to  have  the  heart,  but  that  which  the  heart 
wi.Jies  to  have -i  the  desire  of   the  zriched  is  not  the 
wish  to  have  the  zrirked,  but  that  xchich  the  wicked  wish 
to   have  :\\  the  desire  of  Ezekieis  eyes^  is  not  surely 

*  1  Tim  iv.  3.  t  1  Sam.  ix.  20.  t  1  Sam.  xxiii.  CO. 

§  P.salm  X.  3  xxi.  2.  |!  Psalm  cxii.  10. 

•f  Mr  -Mcde  has  been  pc-culiarly  unfoi  tuiiatc  in  liis  choice  of  lhi3  text  to 
suppiji-t  his  opinion,  w  hlcli  i.s  sin.ihir  to  that  of  H]).  Newton.  K  is  true,  that 
///e  '.cv/Vf  of  Kzihi  i's  nies  was  his  wife  :  but  this  will  never  prove,  that  the  iL- 
tiie  of  '.ciiieii  means  the  counuOial  s'ulc  ;  ruther  inijt  cd  tlic  vi  ry  reverse.  Had 
Daniel  wijlird  to  represent //;<■  /r/;;^/- as  disreganlinc^  and  discoiiraginpr  mar- 
riage, he  v,f)iildnot  have  said  (if  wc  may  argue  ai  least  fr  m  aaalog) )  he  shall 
r.ot  regard  the  desire  of  woiiun,  becatue  he  would  have  known  that  such  a 
phrase  in  his  own  language  conveyed  quite  a  difiirent  idea  ;  but.  on  the  con- 
U*arv,  adoptinjf  r./ckiel's  familiar  and  natural  mode  of  expression,  he  wouhL 
Ji^vc  said,  he  nhall  nut  regard  the  desire  <f  tnen's  ci'es.    Cicero's  affectionate  ad 


9m 

the  ividi  io  Jta^e  his  eyes  but  that  which  his  eyes  desirecU 
namely  his  wife  ;'^  and  thus  not  to  weary  the  reader 
with  along  detail  of  instances,  tlie  desire  of  all  nations 
is  not  the  ivishio  be  master  of  all  nations^  but  tliat  iviiich 
all  nations  desire,  even  the  promised  Messiah.-\  Argu- 
ing tiien  Irom  the  analogy  ct  idiom,  we  must  conclude, 
that  the  d  sire  of  women  does  not  mean,  as  Bp.  Newton 
and  Mr.  Mede  suppose,  the  desire  of  having  wo  men  or 
wives,  but  that  which  women  or  wives  desire  to  have  % 
The  propriety  of  such  an. explanation  of  the  phrase  is  yet 
fu'ther  evident  irom  the  very  context  vrith  which  it  is 
joiiied.  Daniel  is  speaking  of  objects  of  rensims  W07^- 
shipy  true  and  false,  all  of  which  this  king  was  alike  to 
disregard  :  and,  among  these  objects,  he  was  to  j)ay  as 
little  regard  to  one  which  the  prophet  intitles //;<?  <:/t'i'/>(? 
ef  women,  as  to  any  of  the  others.  *'  The  king  shall 
magnify  himself  above  every  god."  After  lids  general 
aisertion,  Daniel  .descends  to  particularize  and  specify 
what  he  meant  to  include  under  the  expression  of  every 
g'od.  "  He  shall  sj^eak  marvellous  things  against  the 
God  of  gods  ; — neither  shall  he  regard  the  god  f)f  bis 
fathers,  nor  the  desire  of  women,  nor"  (a  rej^etition  of 
the  first  general  assertion)  "  regard  any  god  :  for  he 
shall  magnify  himself  above  all :"'  that  is,  above  all  the 
objects  of  7Vorship  which  Daniel  had  just  spvciHed ; 
immely,  the  God  cf  gods,  the  god  of  his  J  at  hers,  the  de- 
sire of  women,  and  in  short,  every  god-  Such  appears 
to  be  the  natural  and  obvious  meaning  of  the  passage; 
and  it  perfectly  accords  w^ith  the  intcnjrelat  on  of  the 
phrase,  the  desire  of  women,  which  I  have  deduced  from 
the  analogy  of  other  similarly  constructed  phrases. 

dress,  to  Iiis  wife,  which  Mr-  Mede  likewise  adduces,  En  mf  a  lux,  virum  de- 
Kidetium.'  is  as  little  applicable  to  the  case  in  point  as  the  text  I'rom  Ezckiel. 
The  desire  of  Cicero  was  not  his  love  of  h.ivisej,  but  of  his  wife  :  she  was  wijat 
Lis  eyes  desired,  not  his  otvii person,  bee  Mcde's  Apostacy  of  the  latter  liaies. 
Part  1.  Chap  16. 

«  Ezek  xxiv.  16.  f  Hagcfai  ii.  7. 

'r  The  in.cjenious  Mr  Dimock  comes  so  rer?,'  near  tlie  n.qht  iiitcrpretation  of 
this  passage,  that  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder  to  me  how  he  cculd  have  nsissed  it. 
He  proposes  an  alteration  of  the  text  ;  and,  instead  oi  C3'lt^Dvt"-;7Hen,woiildrea(l 
CD'13  7iatio;is ,-  so  that  by  the  desire  ofnatioiis  might  be  niesnt  Christ  Finding' 
}iowever,-  that  his  jn-oposed  alteration  is  unsupported  by  any  authority,  iie  does 
nut  venture  to  insist  upon  it :  but  allows,  that  the  present  reading  is  oapable 
of  trood  sense.     See  Winlle's  Version  of  Daniel  in  loc^. 


2^8 

The  question  then  is,  what  object  of  religious  worship 
is  pointed  out  by  the  desire  of  women  P  To  this  I  readily 
answer  the  Messiah  s  for  the  title  is  pefectly  applicable 
to  hintj  and  totally  inapplicable  to  every  o//ier  person. 
The  original  prediction  ot  the  promised  seed  was  deliv- 
ered specially  to  Eve.  It  was  her  seed,  that  was  to 
bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent,  not  Adam's.  To  the  ad- 
vent of  this  seed  she  impatiently  looked  forward  :  and, 
such  was  her  eager  desire,  that,  upon  the  birth  of  her 
first  shild,  forgetting  that  Cain  was  Adam's  seed  no  less 
than  her  own;  she  joyfully  exclaimed,  ^'  I  have  gotten 
a  man,  even  Jehovah  hi  vise  I f'^  I  hold  in  my  arms  the 
promised  Messiah.  To  the  subsequent  limitation  of  this 
promise  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  successively,  we 
must  attribute  the  vehement  desire,^  which  Sarah,  Re- 
bekah,  and  Rachel,  all  felt  to  have  children :  and  the 
same  cause  will  satisfactorily  account  for  the  excessive 
horror  which  all  the  Israelitish  women  entertained  of 
barrenness.  "  Let  me  go  up  and  down  the  mountains, 
and  bewail  my  virginity,"  was  the  mournful  language  of 
Jephthah's  daughter,  when  doomed  by  her  father's  vow 
to  perpetual  celibacy  :  "  the  Lord  hath  taken  away  my 
reproach  among  men,"  was  the  joyful  exclamation  of 
Rachel  and  Elisabeth  :  "  hail  thou,  that  art  highly  favour- 
ed, the  Lord  is  with  thee,  blessed  art  thou  among  women," 
w^is  the  salutation  of  the  angel  to  the  mother  of  the 
Saviour  of  mankind ;  the  desire  indeed  of  all  nations,  but, 
in  a  peculiar  and  mysterious  sense,  the  desire  of  wovieny 
inasmuch  as  he  was  to  be  born  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  of  a  pure  virgin.  J 

*  Heb.  n'^r^^  nS  the  Lord  himself 

fit  is  probably  in  allusion  to  this  vehement  dciire  of  the  promised  seed,  that 
Hosea  terms  children,  DDti?3  »1f3nO  the  desirabU  things  of  their  (the  Ephrai- 
mitish  women's)  ivombo-.     Hos.  ix.  16. 

;|:  See  Dr. .  Illix\s-  RcmcirJte  on  Hcr/ptwe.  It  is  there  satisfactorily  proved,  that 
it  was  the  studied  desic^n  of  the  Almiglity,  by  so  frequently  preferrinp  the 
younper  brother  to  the  elder,  to  keep  alive  tlie  expectation  of  the  world  re- 
specting the  desire  of  (dt  n.itio)is,  or,  as  T  conceive  Daniel  to  term  the  same  di- 
vine personage,  the  (k^irr  of -women.  To  this  expectation  Dr  AUix  refers,  as 
I  hsL\c  <\onc.  iih<.rh\m,  the  violent  desire  which  all  0>e  Hebrew  women  felt  to 
liave  chitdren  :  and,  upon  the  same  principle  he  accounts  for  llic  premedita- 
ted insest  of  the  daughters  ©f  Lot,  who  was  of  the  family  (jf  the  Hebrews  and 
of  the  line  of  Shem. 

If  it  be  obiected  to  this  interpretation  oHhe  dcaire  qfivomen,  th.it  the  phrase 
Qccura  o;i/j' ow'f  in  the  whole  Bible  ;  and  tliat,  if  it  (.0  mean  CVimV,  it  stands 


It  appears  then,  that  the  king's  disregard  of  the  desire 
of  women,  so  far  from  proving  dim  to  be  the  Pope  or  the 
Constantinopolitan  Emperor,  decidedly  shews,  tliat  he 
cannot  possibly  be  either  of  them :  for,  amidst  all  the 
abominations  of  the  Papacy,  the  fundamental  article  of 
the  proper  divinity  of  our  Lord  was  faithfully  preserved  ; 
and,  although  it  was  impugned  in  the  East  by  the  tur- 
bulent and]  lolitical  disciples  of  Arius,  God  was  pleased 
Xo  raise  up  then,  as  he  has  since  done  in  these  our  days, 
able  and  resolute  defenders  of  it.  Some  indeed  of  the 
Eastern  Emperors  were  infected  with  Arianism  :  yet  I 
know  not  how  they  can  be  said  on  that  account  to  have 
disregarded  the  desire  of  women.  They  doubtless  held 
heretical  notions  respecting  him  ;  but  they  never  entirely 
blotted  the  very  name  of  Christ  from  their  religious  creed. 

It  may  perhaps  nevertheless  be  said,  that  that  part  of 
the  king's  character,  which  respects  his  paying  honour  to 
a  strange  Godc^nd  to  Mahuzzim  or  tutelary  deities,  ac- 
cords very  exactly  with  the  papal  worship  of  saiiits  and 
angels  :  and  Mr.  Mede  wnll  add,  that  the  strange  or  for- 
eign god  is  certainly  Christ,  whom  the  Romans  adored, 
when  they  had  begun  to  disregard  the  false  gods  of  their 
fathers.  Such  an  interpretation  as  this,  it  we  adopt  the 
scheme  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Mede,  is  much  too  vague  to 
be  satisfactory.  Supposing  the  king  to  mean  the  Roman 
empire  from  the  days  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  the  wor- 
ship of  ajoreign  goddcnd  tutelary  deities  will  be  no  less 
characteristic  of  pagan,  than  of  papal,  Rome.  The  Ro- 
man custom  of  naturalizing  the  gods  of  all  the  countries 
which  they  subdued  is  well  known  :  how  are  we  to  de- 
cide then,  upon  Mr.  Mode's  scheme,  whether  the  xvor- 
ship  of  the  foreign  god  ought  to  be  explained  as  relating 
to  Romepagaii,  or  to  Rome  papal  ?  The  scheme,  as  prc- 

alone,  a  solitary  and  insulated  title  of  the  Messiah  :  I  readily  answer,  that  the 
very  same  objection  applies  to  the  universally  received  interpretation  of  the 
phrase,  the  desire  of  all  nations.  This  phrase,  like  its  parallel  plirase  in  the  book 
of  Daniel,occurs  onlt/  ovce  in  the  whole  Bible  :  but  its  s/n^/f  occurrence  was  never 
thought  to  be  any  reason,  wliy  it  siiould  not  be  descriptive  of  tlie  Saviour. 
Ilatygai  speaks  of  the  desire  rfall  nations  as  being  a  person  ;  Dar.tel  also  speaks 
of  fAe  desire  ofivoinen  as  hems: a poson,  mentioning  him  among  various  objects 
of  worship,  true  and  fiil.se,  all  of  whom  t/ie  //j/^'  was  ;dike  to  disieg;ird.  The 
self-same  word  mDH  is  vist- d  in  both  passages,  and  pointed  procis<ly  in  the 
same  manner.  Wbence  we  may  naturally  suppose,  that  it  is  ust-d  in  tlie  same 
sense.  J n  short,  tlie  two  passages  appear  to  me  to  he  perfcci'.y  parallel  to 
each  other, 


^30 

jx)sed  by  Bp  Newton,  is  not  indeed  liable  to  this  uncer- 
tainty, because  he  makes  the  prnph'  cy  of  the  /if?jg  com- 
mence witli  the  age  of  Covstantinc.  Nevertheless  the 
coiiicidence  of  ///e/f^//^'*character  with  that  of  the  lope 
in  this  point  is  not  si/iiicient  to  establish  their  idennty, 
when  so  many  objections  present  thenisclves  tosucn  an 
opinion.  The  word  Mahuzzim  means  tutelari)  dei'ies  ; 
or,  as  Bp.  Newton  translates  it,  ''  protec  or^,  dejtndtrs-, 
^\](\  guurdiausy  The  term  thereiore  may  be  used  orop- 
erl^y  enough  to  describe  saints  and  angtls,  when  consid- 
ered in  the  light  that  the  Papists  consider  thcni  in:  l)ut 
there  is  no  reasoji  w  hy  it  should  be  coniined  eaxlusively 
to  them:  it  may  equally  signify  tutelary  demi-gods  of 
any  other  description. 

1  know,  that  both  Mr.  Mede  and  Cp.  Newton  have 
maif'tained,  that  the  man  oj  sin  is  the  exact  transcript  of 
the  king  predicted  by  Daniel;  and  even  ihai  St.  Paul, 
when  he  w  rote  to  the  Thessalonians,  had  this  very  pro- 
phecy in  his  eye.  I  can  discover  however  no  sort  of  re- 
semblajice  betueen  them,  either  chronological o\  circitm- 
stantial.  It  is  said  indeed,  that  the  king  should  speak 
marvellous  things  against  the  God  oi  gods,  and  should 
magmfy  himself  abo\  e  ever^  gnd  ;  and  it  is  likewise  said, 
thai  the  man  of  sin  should  oppose  and  exalt  liimseif  above 
every  one  that  is  called  gody  or  that  is  worshipped  : 
w^hence  it  might  appear  at  the  first  sight,  that  in  this 
particular  at  least  there  was  a  strong  resemblance  be- 
tween their  characters.  Hut  tlie  resemblance  is  altogeth- 
er imaginary,  and  not  real.  Ihc  king  was  to  nuiguify 
himselt  above  all  gods,  both  true  and  lalse  :  whereas  the 
mun  of  sin  was  only  to  exalt  himself  above  every  one 
that  is  called  ^i^A  or  august,  in  other  words  (as  Bp.  New- 
ton justly  observes),  those  mere  earihly  gods  (as  they 
are  frequently  termed  in  Scripture),  kings  and  emperors.* 
ISoth  the  man  of  sin  indeed  and  the  king  were  to  be  no- 
torious enemies  of  the  true  God  and  his  religion,  a  point 
in  which  all  the  wicked  agree  ;  but  they  were  to  be  his 

»  •«  He  opposelh  ar.d  exalteth  hrmsclf  abovr  all,  tvi  watla,  above  every  one, 
thai  is  called  god  or  that  is  ixor shipped,  r,  o-r,5*<T/^«  alluding  lo  the  title  ofllie  Uo- 
in:m  emperors,  crvP^T.rflo;  au^xiH  or  venerable.  He  shall  oppose  and  exalt  him- 
scir,  not  only  above  inft  rior  magistrates,  who  arc  .sometin<es  calletl  gods  in  ho- 
Iv  writ,  bia  even  above  the  greatest  cwpcrcrs."     Dp.  Newton's  Uissert  xxu. 


231 

enemies  in  two  modes  as  different  from  each  other,  as 
it  is  alnost  possible  to  conceive.  The  king  was  to  speak 
marvellous  things  against  the  God  of  gods  ;  to  magnify 
himself  above  every  god  ;  to  regard  neither  the  god  of 
his  fathers,  nor  the  Desiie  of  women,  nor  any  other  god. 
These  expressions,  than  which  nothing;  can  be  at  once 
more  definite  and  more  comprehensive,  plainly  intimate, 
that  the  king-  should  make  an  open  and  undisguised  pro- 
fe-sion  of  otheism.  He  should  neither  regard  the  true 
Ond,  not  any  false  god;  neither  tlie  god  of  his  fathers 
(whoever  his  fathers  were),  nor  Messiah  the  Desire  of 
women,  nor  any  other  god  :  but  he  should  at  once  s|)eak 
marvellous  things  against  the  God  of  gods,  and  magnify 
himself  above  all  the  vanities  of  the  Gentiles.  Now  it 
is  utterly  impossible  to  conceive,  how  such  strong,  such 
\'aried,  and  yet  such  determinate,  language  could  ever 
have  been  intended  to  describe  the  conduct  of  the  Pope^. 
They  doubtless,  in  strict  harmony  with  the  prophecy  of 
the  man  of  sin,  "  did  exalt  themselves  above  all  laws  di- 
vine and  human,  dispense  with  the  most  solemn  and 
sacred  obligations,  and  in  many  respects  enjoin  what  God 
had  forbidden,  and  forbid  what  God  had  commanded." 
They  have  moreover,  still  in  harmony  with  the  prophecy, 
advanced  a  step  further  ;  have  blasphemously  assumed 
the  divine  titles  and  attributes;  and  have  sat  as  God  in 
the  very  temple  of  God.  But,  wlien  we  consider  the 
manner  in  which  they  thus  conducted  themselves,  we 
shall  discover  no  great  resemblance  between  their  behav- 
iour and  that  of  the  king  predicted  by  Daniel.  Instead 
of  speaking  marvellous  things  against  the  God  of  gods;* 
they  professed  to  do  all  io  his  honour  and  glory.  Instead 
of  disowning  his  authority  ;  they  affected,  with  much 
importunity,  to  act  in  his  name.  Instead  of  throwing 
off  their  allegiance  to  the  Desire  of  women,  and  totally 

*  The  papal  little  horn  is  said  in  our  translation  to  speak  great  words  againsf 
the  Most  niph  :  but,  as  1  have  already  observed,  the  passage  when  rendered 
literally  imports,  that  the  little  horn  sliall  speak  great  words  bj  the  side  of  the 
Most  J^igh,  placinfT  his  decrees  upon  an  equality  with  Scripture,  and  shewing 
hunself  in  the  temple  of  God  that  he  is  God.  The  kin;f.  on  tlie  contrary,  is  re- 
presented by  Daniel  as  speaking'  raarvellous  thinp:s  6*bi<  ^M  ^y  against,  or 
afr've,  the  God  of  g^ods  TIius  accurately  has  Daniel  dj-awn  the  line  (if  distinc- 
tion between  t/iese  txvo  po-wrs,  by  the  use  of  t~a'o  entlrelii  different  expressions, 
^viuch  our  translators  have  injudiciously  confounded  tog'ether  by  rendering 
thtm  as  if  tiicy  were  in  the  original  one  and  the  same  expression. 


2.32 

clisregardiiifi;  him  ;  tliey  delighted  to  style  themselves  the 
V  car  '}f  Christ  Jhe  husband  of  the  Church,  the  represent- 
ative of  God  upon  ear t hi  the  hnmediatc  delegate  of  heav- 
e?i.  Highly  tyrannical  as  their  actions  were,  and  utter- 
ly nfTensive  in  the  eyes  of  God  ;  still  they  were  not  done 
proj'essedlij  to  afTront  him  to  his  face.  The  tiiin  garb  of 
piety  with  which  they  were  clothed,  but  ill  concealed 
their  native  deformity ;  yet,  throughout  all  the  j)aj)al  per- 
secutions, tlie  saints  of  God  were  never  put  to  dci.thrt'^ 
the  saints  of  God,  but  as  his  enemies.  The  preaching 
of  the  bloody  crusades  against  the  Waldenses  was  term- 
ed, in  a  perverted  sense  indeed,  the  preaching  of  the  cross 
of  Christ  :  Pope  Martin  the  fifth  exhorted  the  Emperor, 
and  the  other  European  sovereigns,  to  extirj)ate  hcrilics, 
by  ilie  xviunds  of  Christ  and  bij  the  scdvation  of  Chris'  : 
and  even  the  diabolical  murders  of  the  Inquisition  are 
dignified  with  the  Christian  appellation  of  acts  of  faith. ^' 

Let  us  however  compare  the  character  of  the  man  of 
sin  with  tliat  of  the  kivgy  and  we  shall  find  that  their  im- 
agined resemblance  will  rapidly  fade  away,  till  there  be 
scarcely  any  similarity  between  the  two  portraits. 

the  mail  of  sin  was  to  be  revealed,  when  he  thgt  let- 
ted, by  which  the  general  tradition  of  the  Church  has  al- 
ways understood  the  iiuperial  authority  in  llow.e,  was  tak- 
en out  of  the  way  :  the  king  was  not  to  make  his  appear- 
ance till  after  the  second  ox  papal  persecution  o{  the  men 
of  understanding  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation.  The 
vian  of  sin  was  to  cause  himself  to  be  worshipped  in  the 
temple  of  God  :  iJi.e  king  was  to  \eneiatc  a  foreign  god 
and  along  with  him  certain  tutelary  (kitics  ;  no  mention 
is  made  of  his  causing  himself  to  be  worshipped.  The 
man  of  sin  was  to  work  pretended  miracles :  no  hint  is 
given,  that  the  king  should  so  much  as  even  lay  claim  to 
supernatural  powers.  So  again  :  it  is  said,  that  the  king 
should  divide  the  land  among  tlic  champions  of  his  tute- 
lary deities  for  a  price  :  no  similar  action  is  ascribed  to 
the  man  of  sin,  nor   was  ever  performed  by  the  Pope.\ 

*  Auto  da  Fe. 

+  Mr.  Medccxplains  this  diriiUnj  of  the  lanJ  by  tlickinc^  to  mean, that  his  tute- 
fnry  gods  should  haif  different  kingdoins  assigned  to  them  to  preside  over,  "  St- 
♦ieorffc  shall  liave  England  ;  St.   Andrew,  Scotland  ;  St.  Denis,   France  ;  ^t. 


The  kingwAS  to  be  engaged  in  wars  with  the  Idngsofthe 
South  and  the  North  :  here  the  parallel  entirely  fails  ;  no 
similar  exploits  of  the  man  of  sin  are  predicted.   Bp.  New- 
ton tlierefore  is  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the  expedi- 
ent oi  making  the  king,  not  only  the  Wedem  Pope,  but 
likewise  the  Eastern  Emperor.     Still  however  even  this 
sudden  transition  is  insufficient :  for  the  predicted  wars, 
which  he  applies  to  the  Saracenic  and  Turkish  invasions 
of  the  Empire,  are  to  take  place  at  the  time  of  the  end,  or 
at  the  close  of  the  U6o years  ;  and  that  time  is  not  yet 
come.     Surely  then,  with  so  great  a  discrepance  of  char- 
acter both  chronological  and  circumstantial,  the  man  of 
sin  can  scarcely  have  been  designed  to  represent  the  same 
power  as  the  king.     The  man  of  sin  however  has,  I  think, 
been  amply  shewn  by  the  Bishop  himself  to  be  the  Pope. 
The  natural  conclusion  therfore  is,  that  the  king  cannot 
have  any  connection  with  the  Pope,  but  must  prefigure 
some  entirely  different  power. 

Mr.  Kett's  mode  of  interpreting  this  prophecy  is  liable 
to  the  very  same  objection,  as  his  method  of  explaining 

James,  Spain  ;  St.  Mark,  Venice  ;    and  bear  rule  as  presidents  and  patrons  of 
their  several  countries."     ( Apost.  of  the  latter  times  Part.  I.  Chap.  xvii. )     Bd 
Nexvton  rejects  this  explanation  ;  and  supposes  (very  justly,  I  think,)  that  the 
land  was  to  be  divided  not  among  the  Mahuzzim,  but  among  the  champions  or 
the  Mahuzzimy    Conceiving  however,  agreeably  to  his  general  plan  of  exposi- 
tion, ihaXtlie  Mahuzzim  mem  the  tutekirlj  saints  and  angels  of  PoPerv   he  o^ 
course  understands  their  champions  to  be  the  Romish  Hierarchy.     Hence  he  con- 
jectures,^ that   the  dividing  of  the  land  among  the  champions  of  the  Mahuz-im 
means,      that  they  have  been  honoured,  and  reverenced,  and  almost  adored 
in  lormer  ages  ;  that  their  authority  and  jurisdiction  have  extended  over  the' 
purses  and  consciences  of  men  ;  that  they  have  been  enriched  with   noble 
bu.ldmgs  and  large  endowments,  and  have  had  the  choicest  of  the  lands  ant 
propnated  for  church  lands."     (Dissert  xvii)     Both  Mr.  Mede  and  Bishon 
Newton  seem  to  have  forgotten  «   -rery  .m,fer/«/ ,.«.../ in  this  part  of  the   pro 
phecy.     1  he  land  was  not  only  to  be  divided,  but  it  was  to   be  divided  L  a 

f.^n%f  f"f,  '^"''•*Tr^'^'->^''''-f'^'""'  but  in  the  margin  it  retains  the  proper 
import  of  the  original,/,,-  a  price.  Now,  in  whatever  manner  the  Pope  rJSt 
coiitrive  to  divide  the  land  among  his  adherents,  he  certainly  did  not  divide  it 
among  them /or  a /,nce,-  that  is  to  say,  having  an  equivalent  paid  for  valu^ 
ihSf  "f/"'^"f=«^^h«  l^"'ty  to  make  large  grants  of  their  lands  to  the 
<.huich,  and  thus  in  some  sort  may  perhaps  be  said  to  have  divided  the  land 
among  the  champions  of  Mahuzzim .-  but  1  much  doubt  whether  it  can  be 
Shewn,  that  he  ever  received  ««i/;,r.ce  from  thoie  supposed  champion  of  Ma 
huzzim  for  thus  dividingthe  land  amony  them.  The  word  THQ,  here  used  de. 
entu^h  ?oiw7.-^'""'  -  -cAa«^e,  th^rice  or  .alue  of  a  thin^.  Hen'ce  iUs  no 
^.?c^?     ,  ^'"•^'  """^^'^^y  '°  '^^^'^  dividedthe  land,  if  that  kin^  mean  the  Fot>e  ■  it 

Tto  taS;  T""^  'r.  '^^^^'^^^'-^-ndfor.aluerecei.ed.  "  And  thekfnlraid 
X  birnt  off.  ■''  ^''''  *  T;"  '"'f  >'  ^"y  '^  °*"^'^«^  ^^  «  P'^'<^  ■■  "either  ^f  iU  1 
iSd  K/J  theT  "k'°  "if  '^""^i"^  '^"'^  «^^^«'  -^^hichcost  me  nothing.  So 
Sam  XX  V  2I  fl^^^-"h.ng  floor  and  the  oxen  for  ffy  s/Ms  of  silver!'  (3 
&am.  XXIV.  24.)  The  word,  here  used  to  express  af>ricc,  is  n'HD. 
VOL.   F.  ^0 


the  histories  of  the  two  little  hams  ;  a  needless  perplex - 
ily  and  confusion.     A  r/zrw/o/oi^'vVY?/ prophecy  is,  from  its 
very  nature,  absolute)}'  incapal>le  of  a  duuble  accojnpUsh- 
ineiit.     The  scries  of  events,  wiiich  such  a  prophecy  fore- 
tells, succeed  each  other  in  the  same  regular  order  as 
when  sul)seqncntiy  detailed  in  history  :   hence  it  is  obvi- 
(jusly  imp'>::siuic,  that  any  particular  link  in  the  cliain 
rhould  be  w  hat  Mr,  Kelt  terras  a  ilauhle  link.^''     If  the 
abominalion  of  desolation,  predicted  in   the  present  pro- 
phecy, reflate  to  the  sacking  of  Jerusalem  bij  the  Romans^ 
(and  that  it  does,  cannot  be  doubted)  eecrij  thing,  that  is 
nie-ntioned  aj'/er  it,  must  necessarily  he  posterior  to  that 
event ;  and,  as  such,  ean  have  no  primary  relation,  as 
Mr.  Kett  suj)po!-:es,  to  (he  times  of  the  Ma(  cadees  and  An- 
iiochvs   Epiphancs.     Oji  the  sauie  grounds,  we  may  safe- 
ly venture  to  assert,  that  it  is  utterly  incompatible  with 
the  nature  oiaprofessedly  hisLoricu-ciirnnologiralproplieey, 
that  ^'^e  long,  predicted  in   Dfmiel's  last  vision,  should 
be  not  only  tite  Papacy,  but  a  donble  type  of  ylntichrist, 
either  Infidel  or  Moiiammedan,  likewise.t     Each  link  in 
a  chain  of  historical  predictions  must  be  referred  to  one 
eorrespondi)tg   event,   and   only   one  ;    each  of  the  little 
liorns  thereiore,  and  the  king  irho  nas  to  ej'alt  himself 
above  every  god,  must  be  understood  as  respectively  sym- 
bolizing a  single  poncr.     I  have  already  endeavoured  to 
})rove,  that  the  two  ht^rns  were  designed  by  the  spirit  of 
God  to  typify  the  Papal  and  Mohaminedcn  aposLacies : 
I  shall  now  attempt  to  ascertain  what  .v.V//t' is  predicted 
under  the  character  of  the  king. 

•  nist  the  interp.  "Vol.  i.p.  ."6,3. 
+  I  cannot  find,  that  Mr.  Kelt  am  v.licre  atten;pl8  to  iAnr,  th.'><  thr  hln^  is  a 
tl'iuhletiilc  oj'.lnticltvti''  Hcdwilfs  s(r<>i\t;l)  tipun  liis  beinj;  the  J'ope  ;  hut 
he  advances  tJie  idi-.i  t»f  his  bcinty  likewise  a  ihii/ik  type,  rather  as  a  random 
cuMJctUirc,  than  as  a  iact  wliicli  lie  dcsipmd  to  prove.  (See  VoK  i.  p.  C>6B\ 
■J.- A,  and  \\A.  ii.  p.  301,  302.)  Accordin};!},  in  the  table  of  contents  to  his  se- 
cond vohiine,  he  speaks  of  rAt  king  as  beinj;  .vo.V/v  tlie  f'tifial  pi.-wr  .-  nfthelit- 
tk  horn  of  the  lic-gtuit,  as  iK-injj  *oi'<7^/lhe  .Mohamvifilan  fiuwrr  ,•  and  ot  the  liitlr 
horn  of  the  fiirih  hectsl,  as  bcinj^  Koltti/  tlie  Jiijiihl p'.^-'ei:  I  slioid.l  be  sorry  to 
appear  cupMuiis  in  these  remarks  upon  Mr  Kctl's  work,  which  contains  some 
very  vahtable  and  important  matter:  but  I  cf  rtainly  am  not  conscious,  that  I 
liav'e  wilfady  at  least  roisrepn  sented  the  sentiments  of  its  rrspec.table  author. 
An  attentive  peru&al  of  his  treatise,  many  limes  rrpeated,  induces  mc  to  hope 
th.\l  1  ha\e  not  mistaken  his  meaning  :  and,  in  order  that  ihc  reader  may  be 
ablj  satii.facto.ily  to  follow  me  in  m>  obs*rr\alions,  1  have  carefnlly  pivcn  him 
accurate  references  to  tiie  third  edition  of  that  work.  The  banc  of  .Mr.  Kctr's 
inicrprclution  of  the  prophecies  m\  Daniel  is  h.s  scheme  of  primary,  secondary. 


235 

1.  The  same  chronological  series  of  events,  which 
shewed  us,  I  had  almost  said  to  dcriiovstraiioih  that  this 
formidable  power  cannot  be  either  Foperjj  ov^Mokam' 
medism,  will  lead  us,  in  these  last  dm/s,  to  point' out  with 
considerable  precision  the  state  intemled  hy  it.  Wc  have 
seen,  that  we  are  to  look  for  the  rise  of  this  impious  ty- 
rant after  the  reformatio7i :  and,  unless  I  be  much  mis- 
tiiken  in  the  preceding  remarks  u[)on  the  iiiivibers  of 
Dardcl  and  St.  Jchn,  we  are  now  removed  but  little 
more  than  sixty  years  from  the  end  of  the  great  period 
of  the  lQ60p?'ophetic  days::  consequently  it  is  but  rea- 
sonable to  conclude,  that  we  are  now  living,  not  merely 
in  the  latter  times y  hut  in  the  last  times.  Existing  facts 
amply  tend  to  prove,  that  this  conjecture  is  but  too  well 
founded.*  The  superstition  of  the  latter  days  is  now 
N.\' supported,  rather  from  motives  of  policy,  than  of  relig- 
Vj'ion.f  The  distinguishing  feaiiire  of  the  present  age  is 
\^  certainly  not  that  oi  giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits^  and 
\i  doctrines  of  tntelai-y  saints  i  of  speaking  religions  lies 
K  in  pious  hypocrisy  ;  of  forbidding  to  marry ^  and  com- 
\j  vianding  to  abstain  from  meats  ;  of  attending  to  old 
wives^  fables y  and  bodily  mortifications  ;  of  worshipping- 
idols  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and  stone,  and  wood  ; 
and  of  voluntary  humiliation  in  the  worship  of  angels. 
All  these  mummeries  of  the  latter  days  are  indeed  still 
in  existence,  and  will  continue  to  be  so  to  the  end  of  the 
V260  years  :  but  they  no  longer,  as  formeily,  constitute 
the  d.'sfingnishing  feature  of  the  age.  It  is  an  equally 
evident  truth,  that  the  impieties  of  the  last  times  have  for 
some  years  heen  the  most  prominent  characteristic  of  the 
present  period.  Perilous  times  are  cmne  :  men  are  now 
professedly  lovers  of  their  own  selves  ;  insatiably  covet- 
ous of  the  territories  of  their  neighbours  ;  boasters,  prondy 
blasphemers  ;  disobedient  even  by  system  J  to  their  par- 

andeven  ultimate  accomplishments  of  one  and  Uie  same  ciivoiiological  predic- 
tion. 

•  I  mean  the  conjecture,  that  we  are  living  in  the  last  d<rjs.  This  is  proved 
by  existing  faces,  whether  the  year  606  be  the  proper  date  of  tiic  ICoO  ijcurs, 
or  not. 

+  Such,  I  doubt  not,  will  be  the  •ase  with  the  kings  hnh;  -var  .it  the  time  kJ' 
the  end.  llclijvion  will  be  Xhv.  pretext  ;  hence  his  union  witlw/i(-ya/sc'/;;(/)/.f.' .- 
but  the  rca/ cause  will  be  the  crooked  policy  of  an  insatiable  amijitioii. 

±  "  The  command  to  love  one's  parents  :s  more  the  work  uf  education  than 
»f  nature."    Barruel. 


K 


Q56 

enis  ;  unthaulcfnl,  unholy,  without  natural  affection  ;*' 
truce-btenhers,  false  accusers,^  incontinent,  fierce,  de- 
sphers  of  those  titat  are  good  ;  traitors,  heady,  high-mivd- 
ed ;  lovers  of  pleasures  more  than  lovers  of  God  ;  hav- 
ing aformoif  godliness  bid  denying  the  poiver  thereof ;% 
creeping  into  houses,  and  leading  captive  silly  women  ;^ 
led  away  uuth  divers  Insts  ;  ever  learning,  and  mrver  able 
to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;i|  resisters  of  the 
truth  ;  men  of  corrupt  minds  ;  reprobate  concei'ning  the 
faith  ;1[  scoffers,  walking  after  their  own  lusts,  and  say- 
ing, JFliere  is  the  promise  of  his  coming  ?  willingly  igno- 
rant of  the  tremendous  catastrophe   of   the  deluge  ;** 

*  One  of  the  grand  doctrines  of  7norfrr?i/j/»7oso/)/i^  is,  that  to  a  certain  ab- 
stract idea,  a  sort  o\' remote  political  good,  all  the  teelings  of  natural  affection  are 
without  scruple  to  be  sacrifii;ed 

I  The  public  papers,  ■which  teem  with  the  lylnj^  accusations  of  the  PYench 
ag'ainst  all  whom  they  cannot  subdue,  particularly  England,  are  a  sufficient 
proof  of  the  accuracy  of  this  part  of  the  description 

+  See  the  initiatory  discourse  of  the  president  of  the  llluminati  (Barruel, 
Vol  iii.  p  164.  and  Kett,  Vol  ii.  p  178  )  "  Jesus  Christ,  our  grand  and  ever 
celebrated  master,  appeared  in  an  age  when  corruption  was  universal — He 
supported  his  doctrines  by  an  innocent  life,  and  sealed  them  -with  his  blood"  So 
much  for  theiry^rwi  of  godliness.  "All  ideas  of  justice,  and  injustice,  of  virtue 
and  vice,  of  glory  and  infamy,  are  purely  arbitrary,  and  dependent  on  custom — 
conscience  and  remorse  are  nothing  but  the  foresight  of  tliose  physical  penalties 
to  which  crimes  expose  us.  The  man,  who  is  above  the  law,  can  commit 
without  remorse  the  dishonest  act  that  may  serve  his  purpose — TJie  fear  of 
God,  so  far  from  bL-ing  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  would  be  the  beginning  of 
foil) — .Modesty  is  only  an  invention  of  refined  voluptuousness — Virtue  and  hon- 
esty, with  regard  to  individuals,  is  no  more  than  the  habit  of  actions  person- 
ally advantageous  ;  and  self-interest  is  tlie  sole  scale,  by  which  tlie  actions  of 
men  can  be  measured.  Sublime  virtue,  and  enlightened  wisdom,  arc  onlytlie 
fruits  of  those  passions  called  folly."     So  much  for  their /Jovyrr  of  godluieas 

§  "  Tliere  is  no  way,"  says  the  miscreant  that  founded  the  diabolical  sect 
of  the  llluminati,  *'  of  influencing  men  so  powerfully  as  by  means  of  tiic  wo- 
men. These  should  therefore  be  our  chief  study.  fVe  should  insinuate  ourselves 
into  their  g,f,d  op7iion,  f^'ive  them  h\nis  of  emancipation  from  the  tyranny  of 
public  opinion,  and  of  standing  up  for  themselves.  It  wid  be  an  immense  relief 
to  their  ei  slaved  minds  to  be  freed  from  anyone  bond  of  restraint  ;  and  it 
Avill  fire  them  the  more,  and  cause  them  to  work  for  us  witii  zeal,  without 
knowing  that  they  do  so  "  Tliere  was  moreorer  another  very  weighty  reason 
with  that  son  of  perdition  for  tliuslabouringto  lead  captive  silli/  wutirn;  "This 
association  might  serve  to  gratify  those  brethren,  who  had  a  turn  for  sensual 
pleasure  " 

II  See  thi-  various  conflicting  opinionsof  those  wretched  mork  piiilosophcrs, 
Humc.Slufisburv,  Rolinglirokc,  Voltaire,  Rouiscau,  and  Frederick  ol  IVussia. 
Kett.  Vol.  ii  p    I'.iG,  147,  118    14*.'. 

II  "  We  cannot  know,  whether  a  God  really  exists,  or  whether  tliere  is  the 
«m.illcst  diffcrncp  bet  wern  good  and  evil,  or  vice  and  virtue.  The  immor- 
talitj.  ofilu- soul,  so  far  from  stimulating  man  to  the  practice  of  virttie,  is 
Dothin.'j  but  a  barbarous,  despei.-itc.  fatal  tenet — .Tosus  Christ,  the  son  of  tlic 
true  (Jo  I,  was  an  imposioi — Crush  the  wretch — Human  reason  is  the  only  su 
preme  God  "     Harrucl  pas-sim. 

•*  For  this  purpose  llie  bow<ls  of  the  earth  were  industriously  r.-jnsackcd 
i>y  the  pupilb  of  Voitaire  ;  and  vaiious  geological  eysttnis,  rivalling  each  other 


237 

denying  the  Lord  that  bought  fhem  :  inducing  inany  to 
foUoxv  their  pernicious  xvays-,  by  reason  ofxvhom  iht  way 
of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of  ;  walking  after  tliej  csk 
in  the  lusl  of  undeanness  ;  despising  government ;  pre- 
sumptuous-,  self  tcilled-,  not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  dig- 
niiies ;  having  eyes  fullofaduliei^y  ;  beguiling  unstable 
souls  ;  speaking  great  sivelling  words  of  vanity  ;  allur- 
ing, through  Hie  lusts  oj  the  jlesh,  those  thu  xvere  clean- 
escaped  from  the  error  of  the  papal  Apostacy  ;*  promis- 
ing thnn  liberty,  wJiile  they  themselves  are  the  servants 
oj  corruption  ;  denying  both  tlie  I  either  and  the  ion  ;\ 
mockers  ;  blasphemers  of  the  name  of  God.  Siicli  prin- 
cipies  as  tkese  existed  indeed  in  the  very  days  of  the 
Apostles  :  e\en  then  the  spirit  of  Jlntichrist  was  in  the 
world  ;  and  his  pernicious  maxuns  were  concealed  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Church.  Both  St.  Ppter  and  St.  Jude 
complain,  that  men,  tainted  with  atheism  and  the  vain 
pretensions  of  a  spurious  liberty,  had  insinuated  them- 
selves into  the  primitive  leasts  of  charity,  and  were  la- 
bouring to  lead  weak  brethren  astray.  Antichrist  how- 
ever was  not  to  be  revealed,  in  all  his  undisguised  hor- 
rors, till  the  last  days  ;  till  there  hiidjirst  been  a  great 
Apostacy,  till  the  reign  of  superstition  zms  nearly  over. 

At  the  head  of  this  long  and  black  catalogue  of  the 
peculiar  vices  o'  the  last  times,  we  may  justly  place  athe- 
ism and  infidelity  :  or,  nr  St.  John  expresses  it  when 
speaking  oi  Antichrist,  a  denial  both  of  the  Father  and  of 
the  Son  :  for,  as  a  belie)',  that  ''  God  both  is,  and  is  a 
reward er  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him,"  is  the  root 
ol  all  religion  ;  f.oatheis7?i  and  infidelity  are  equally  the 
root  of  all  irreligion,  and  of  every  kind  of  profligacy  of 
manners.     We  iiave  seen,  that  the  regular  series  of  events 

in  laborious  absurdity,  were  publislied  for  the  perversion  both  ol  old  and 
young-  A  lew,  and  but  w  ?'^yt -w,  lieathen  nations  have  been  in-cohmtarUii '\^- 
norant  of  tlic  Hood  ;  but  th^-se  conceited  pretenders  to  science  were  willingly^ 
80.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  observe,  that  scofrmg'  and  ribaldry,  instead  of 
calm  and  tt-mp^ralc  d'scussion,  have  been  tlie  favourite  arms  of  modern  phi- 
losophers. For  thi.^  it  is  not  difficult  to  assign  a  cause  Sober  reasonmg  has 
always  espoused  the  cause  of  revcli'.tion  :  but  every  fool  can  make  a  mock  at 
sill;  eveiy fool  can  sajj  both  i?i  his  heart,  and  with  his   tons^ue,   there  is  no    Got.'. 

*  The  o'nce  protestant  countries  of  Holland  and  Switzerland  were  main 
agents  in  propaeating  those  pernicious  lies,  which-  have  now  pulled  down 
swift  .uin  upon  their  own  heads. 

I  "  The  Supreme  Being,  the  God  of  philosophers,  Jews,  and  Christians,  i.s 
but  a  cliiinera  and  a  phantom — Jesus  Christ  is  an  impostor."     lianeill. 


leads  us  to  place  the  king,  mentioned  by  Daniel,  after 
the  reformation  :  and  we  have  likewise  seen  what  sins 
have  been  predicted  to  be  most  pre\  alent  in  the  last  days  : 
we  have  only  therefore  to  study  the  character  of  this 
king,  and  to  compare  his  deeds  with  the  abo\e-rccited 
vices,  in  order  to  determine  whether  we  are  to  look  for 
his  manifestation,  not  only  after  the  reformation,  but  in 
that  period  of  the  \%i)  years  which  \^  peculiarly  distin- 
guished i>y  the  tit'.e  of  Ihe  last  times. 

*'  And  a  king  sliall  do  according  to  his  will;  and  he 
sliall  exalt  liimself,  and  magnify  himself  above  every  God, 
and  shall  speak  mai-\cll'jus  things  against  the  God  of  gods, 
and  shall  prosper  till  the  indignation  be  accomphshed : 
for  that,  that  is  determined,  shall  be  done.  Neither  shall 
he  regard  the  God  of  his  fathers,  nor  (fhim  who  is  J  the 
desire  of  women,  nor  regard  any  God  :  for  he  shall  mag- 
nify himself  above  them  all.  Yet,  when  he  is  establish- 
ed fin  power,  J  he  shall  honour  tutelary  gods  together 
with  a  god  ;  even,  together  with  a  god  whom  his  lathers 
knew  not,  shall  he  honour  them  with  gold,  and  silver, 
and  with  precious  stones,  and  desirable  things  :  and  lie 
shall  practise  fprosp>erously.J  Unto  the  upholders  of 
his  tutelary  gods,  together  with  the  foreign  god  whom  he 
shall  acknowledge,  he  shall  multiply  glory  :  and  he  shall 
cause  them  to  rule  over  many,  and  di\ide  the  land  for 
a  price." 

No  person  can  compare  the  character  of  this  king  with 
the  vices  of  the  last  times,  and  not  be  convinced  that 
they  are  closely  connected  together.  Like  the  Anti- 
christ of  St.  John,  he  was  to  be  a  professed  at  heist  :  and, 
as  such,  was  to  speak  marvellous  things  against  the  God 
of  gods,  to  disregard  the  God  of  his  fathers  or  immediate 
predecessors,  to  pay  as  little  respect  to  that  illustrious 
character  who  was  the  desire  of  women,  and  in  short  to 
j)ay  no  regard  to  any  god.  Like  the  scoffers  of  the  last 
days,  ho  was  to  be  heady  and  high-minded  :  for  lie  was 
to  ma^^nify  himself  above  all.  And,  like  the  mocking 
blasplKiUors  v{  the  name  of  God,  he  was  to  deny  the 
Lord  that  bought  him,  and  contemptuously  ask,  Hlierc 
is  the  promise  of  his  coming  !  \\\  line,  he  was  not  to  be 
icvcaied  till  after  the  period  of  the  JUformation,  till  the 


Q$9 

1260  dai/s  were  drawing  near  to  their  close.  Hence  it 
is  manifest,  that  we  are  to  expect  the  appearance  of  this 
king  in  the  last  times ;  in  the  times  of  the  scoffers  ;  m 
the  very  times  in  which  we  are  now  living. 

It  is  to  be  observed  nevertheless,  that  the  scoffers  and 
the  king  are  not  in  all  respects  absolutely  and  completely 
the  same.  The  scoffet^s  and  false  teachers,  predicted  by 
the  apostolical  prophets,  are  plainly  indivicluals,s^\ing\no^ 
up  and  disseminating  tlieir  baneful  principles  in  tarious 
parts  of  the  world  :  whereas  both  the  appellation  of  a 
/ring,  which  in  the  prophetic  language  signifies  a  slate 
or  kingdom,  and  the  dennite  political  actions,  ascribed  to 
that  king,  shew  plainly,  that  he  was  to  be  7io  individuah 
but  a  pozver  or  iiation  composed  of  individuals,  who 
should  profess  and  act  up  to  the  impious  principles  of 
the  atheistical  scoffers.  The  people  therefore  oithe  kijig- 
dom,  alluded  to  by  Daniel,  were  to  do  according  to  their 
ivill ;  were  to  exalt  themselves  ;  were  to  magnify  tliem- 
^ehes  above  every  god ;  were  to  speak7narvello?fs  things 
against  the  God  of  gods  ;  Mere  alike  to  disregard  the 
God  oftheirfathers,  thcdesire  of  xc omen, and  every  other 
god ;  because  they  were  to  magnify  themselves  above  all. 
They  were  moreover  to  be  traitors,  heady,  Jiigh-jjiinded; 
to  deny  the  existence  both  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son: 
and  to  be  blasphemers  of  the  name  of  God.  I'hey  were 
likewise  to  be  presumptuous,  selfxviUcd  ;  to  be  despisers 
of  government ;  to  Idc  not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  digni- 
ties ;  nnd  to  pro7nise  the  universal  diflusion  of  liberty, 
while  they  themselves  were  the  miserable  slaves  of  vice 
and  conniption.  In  fme  they  were  to  be  a  pandemonium 
of  licentious  anarchists  and  determined  atheists;  a  xcon- 
derful phenomenon  both  in  religion  and  politics  whicli 
should  first  be  developed  after  the  era  of  the  Reforma- 
tion :  a  phenomenon,  such  as  had  never  before,  in  any 
age  whatsoever,  made  its  appearance  in  the  world  :  inso- 
much that  they  might  safely  be  pronounced,  whensoever 
they  should  start  up,  to  be  the  long  expected  and  late- 
revealed  Antich  rist. 

And  shall  we,  while  recent  events  are  yet  fresh  in  our 
memory,  find  any  difliculty  in  pointing  "out  the  nation 
prcligured  by  the  inftdcl  king  ?  Have\\  e  not  all  beheld 


240 

a  miojity  people,  after  the  period  of  the  reformation,  anA 
during  the  litsl  daijsofopen  blasphemy  and  prof aneness, 
risinor''up  as  one  man,  and  throwing  oif  every  restraint 
both  civii  and  religious  ;  disregarding  at  once  the  digni- 
ty of  rhcir  s  -vereign,  and  the  high  majesty  of  heaven  ; 
tranipHng  upon  the  rights  both  of  individuals  and  of  na- 
tions with  liberty^  humanitv,  and  philanthropy,  ever  in 
their  mouths  ;  and  professedly  rending  asunder  all  the 
endearments  of  social  life,  as  if  human  nature  could  only 
be  perfected  b\'-  being  previously  brutalized  /  When  wc 
consider  both  the  character  of  the  infidel  king,  and  the 
periodat  xchich  Daniel  predicted  hisma'nfestation.wc  can 
sciircely  hesitate  to  pronounce  him  to  be  revolutionary 
France.^' 

Let  us  proceed  however  to  a  more  minute  examina- 
tion of  his  character,  in  order  that  this  opinion  may  be 
satisfactorily  established. 

As  tJie  king  then  was  to  rise  up  after  the  second  perse- 
eution  of  the  men  of  understanding, or,'m  other  words,  af- 
ter the  Reformation  :  so  has  tJie power  of  infidel  France 
commenced  at  tliis  very  period.  As  the  king  was  to 
magnify  himself  above  every  god,  whether  true  or  false  ; 
so  has  the  atheistical  republic,  soaring  with  a  bold  flight 
of  impiety  at)Ove  her  heathen  and  papal  precursors, 
openly  maintained  and  supporte/J  the  most  astonishing 
lie,  that  was  ever  embracd  by  infatuated  mortals,  an 
avoiced  denial  of  the  very  existence  of  the  DeityX 

•  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  observe,  that  the  circumstance  of  this  power  be- 
ing styled  a  kingh  no  impediment  to  the  application  of  the  prophecy  to  revo- 
hitionary  Fiance.  "  Tiic  nebrews,'"  us  Mr  Medc  justly  remarks,  "  use  king 
i'or  kingdom,  And  hin^'-tlom  for  uny  ffov.rnmcKt,  slate,  or  fwlity,  in  the  world." 
A  post,  of  the  latter  times,  p  ic.  16  ;  Upon  this  principle,  1  conceive  r/if  »«- 
ji till  ting  to  be  France,  from  ihe  epoch  of  the  revolution  to  the  end  of  tlte  1260 
days,  under  whatever  form  of  government,  whether  republican  or  imperial, 
it  may  exist  durinj^  that  puiiod. 

t  The  reader  will  lind  ;.niple  proofs,  ifany  proofs  be  wanted,  of  French  Jlh^ 
i/tm  in  Hist  llic  intcrjv  of  prophecy.  Vol  ii.  particularly  at  p.  2-3,  2.. 8, 241,  250. 

i  love  ihe  truth  »vhi.iever  it  caii  be  found,  whether  in  the  writings  of  a  Pa- 
pist or  of  a  prottslant.  Mhilc  1  think  the  je.si.it  Cornelius  i  Lapidc  quite 
mistaken  in  rtferriuj^  the  ciiaractcr  of  the  king  primarily  to  .intiochus  Epipha- 
vcs,  1  believe  him  lo  bi-  very  r^ght  in  referring  it  ultimately  and  properly  to  the 
ffietU  .Intichrist.  ll  is  a  curious  circumstance,  thai  lung  before  the  Fmich  Rc' 
i>o/i///o/i  took  place  <for  his  Commentary  was  printed  in  the  year  1 634)  he  pro^ 
nounceil,  rr.crely  from  a  view  of  the  prophetic  character  ai  theivilfulking,  that, 
whenever  he  should  he  revealed,  ho  would  In  an  atheist,  and  would  abolish, 
Viot  only  the  worship  of  Chnsl  and  the  supirstitious  idolatry  of  paganism,  but 
eventhcTcvy  name  and  adoration  of  the  true  Uod.  "  Ex  hoc  ergo  vcr.  etex 


Ml 

Yet,  in  the  midst  of  undisguised  atheism,   contradic- 
tory as  it  might  appear  before  this  prophecy  had  recei'vcd 
its  accoraphshment,  llie  king  was  not  to   be  without  a 
god  of  his  own.     He  was  to  worship,  as  soon  as  he  was 
firmly  estabhshed,  a  c  rtain  god  at  the  head  of  a  host  of 
Mahuzzim  or  tidelarii  gods  ;  a  gody  whom  Daniel  styles 
a  strange  ox  foreign  god :  a  god,  whom  his  fathers,  su- 
perstitious as  they  had  been,  never  knew.     Hence  it  ap- 
pears, that  the  adoration  of  this  deity  and  his  kindred 
Mahuzzim  was  not  to  be  an  invention  of  the  king  him- 
self, but  that  it  should  be  borrowed  by  him  from  the 
theological  code  of  some  other  country.     The  god  was 
to  be  a  foreign  god,  whom  his  immedialte  predecessors  of 
the  Apostacy,  notwithstanding  their  idolatrous  veneration 
of  saints  and  angels,  had  never  worshipped.* 

The  Romans  were,  I  believe,  the  only  nation  that 
ever  expressly  deified  Liberty,  till  the  worship  of  it  was 
borrowed  from  them  by  the  atheists  of  France.f  A 
spurious  Freedom,  utterly  incompatible  either  with  ge- 
nuine religion  or  with  the  real  rights  of  man,  was  the 
very  soul  of  the  revolution  which  has  since  shaken  Eu- 
rope to  its  centre.  Liberty  and  Equality  were  the 
watchwords  of  the  infidel  conspirators  :  and  their  boast 
was,  that  slavery  and  superstition  should  soon  be  made 

rer.  prxcedente  (ver.  37,  38.)  collig'itur,  Antichristum  fore  atheum,  eumque, 
c<ini  pleno  potietur  imperio,  non  tantum  Christum  et  idola,  sed  et  Dei  veri 
nomen  et  cultum  ablaturum  "     Comment  in  loc.) 

Such  was  the  lang-uag'e  of  anticipatory  exposition  previous  to  the  French  re- 
-colutton.-  let  us  now  attend  to  the  remarkably  similaa-  language  of  applicatory 
exposition  after  the  commencement  of  that  awful  politico-theological  convul- 
^i?";  I'J  ^'^^^'  I  too  clearly  see  the  rise,  instead  of  the  fall,  oi  t/,e  .Antichrist 
oj  f/ie /fV.<— who  shall  be  neither  a  Protestant  nor  a  Papist;  nei.her  Chris- 
tian, Jew,  nor  Heathen  :  who  shall  worship  neither  God,  angel,  nor  saint— 
who  Will  neither  supplicate  the  invisible  majesty  of  heaven,  nor  Tall  down  be- 
fore an  idol."     Bp.  Horsley's  Letter  on  Isaiah  xviii  p.  10  ),  10a 

•It  is  not  unworthy  of  notice,  that  "the  Fathers  constantly  thought,  that 
under  these  Mahuzzim  was  some  idol  meant  which  .inti.  hrint  should  worship  " 
(Apost  of  the  latter  times,  Part  i  C  16  )  The  event  has  shewn,  that  they 
were  right  in  their  judgment  Jerome  observes,  tiiat  the  Jews  likewise  con- 
ceived the  character  of  this  kinj  to  relate  to  Antichrist.  Bp  Newton's  Dis- 
sert,   xv  u. 

+  The  Greeks  had  a  festival  in  honour  of  Jupiicr  FJeutherius,  but  I  am  not 
■aware  that  they  ever  deified  Lilwrti/  itself  If  I  am  mistaken  however  in  this 
pomt,  It  wdl  not  uuhe  slightest  degree  attect  the  circumstance  of  Lihertv  he- 
wg  a ;ore,gn  ^od  considered  in  relation  to  France.  Tiie  boasted  i/Aer/y  of 
the  Romans  was  not  unlike  that  of  their  modern  apes  :  as  far  as  I  am  able  to 
comprehenrl  its  nature,  it  was  a  Uherty  to  quarrel  with  each  otter,  and  to  fv. 
ranmze  over  their  weaker  neighbours. 
VOL.    T.  .^j 


245 

io  vanish  f^'^iii  ofV  the  fnct'  of  the   earlh.       Liberly  in 
short,  accorciiiig  to  tlicii  definition  of  the  wnrd,  that  is  to 
say,  a  frei'doni  J  rum  all  rt-slraint  both  civil  amlrelgin^is, 
lornied  luidoiibtfdly  the  most  prominent  feature  in  all 
their  harangues,  and  in  all  their  projects.     Not  satisfied 
hovve\er  with  merely   applauding  and  imitating  the  prin- 
ciple-  anil    practice  of  the  ancient   Konian  republicans, 
they   dtjtermined  likewise  to  adopt  the  literal  worsliip  of 
Jj:')t'>-ti/.      Accoidingly,    after    abjuring  the   religion   of 
Chvist    and  declaiing  him   to  be  an  impostor,  the  Con- 
vention, M'ith  tumultuous   aj)plausc,   decreed  the  adora- 
tion oi   Liberh)  and  Equalili)  ;  and,  in  express  imitation 
of   the  idolatrous  Rnnans,   app(  inted   festivals  exactly 
similar  to  those  of  paganism,  in  honour  of  Reason-,  the 
Coiiiitniy  the  ConstiluUony  the  Jlrtucs-,  and  various  other 
allegorical  deities.*      Liberty  then  I  conceive  to  be  the 
foreign  gnd,  so  peculiarly  \'enerated  by  the  infidel  hivgy 
and   which  he  placed  with  such  distinguished  honour  at 
the  head  of  liis  inferior  Mahuzzim.     Nor  were  these  al- 
legorical deities  his  only  Mahuzzim.     One  of  the  tenets 
of  modern  philosopliy  is,  "  that  tutelary  gods,  even  dead 
men,  may  be  canonized,  consecrated,  and  worshipped.'* 
In  perfect  harmo/iy  with  this  doctrine,  the  antisocial  re- 
public formally  enrolled  in  the  list  of  its  Alahuzziui  Vol- 
taire, Rousseau,   Mirabeau,  Marat,  and  even  the  vile  as- 
sassin Ankerstrom.     The  church  of  St.  Genevieve  "  was 
changed  by  the  national  assembly  into  a  repository  for 
the  remains  of  their  great  men,   or  rather  into  a  pagan 
temple;   and,  as  such,  was  aptly  distinguislicd  by  the 
name  of  the  Panthemu  with  the  inscription,  Aux  grands 
hommes  la  Patrie  recnnnoissantey  on  the  front."     To  this 
Pantheon,  this  avowed  copy  of  the  ancient  Roman  I'an- 
theon,  this  polluted  den  of  foreign  idolatry,   the  remains 
of  Volt  aire  and  Rousseau  were  conveyed  in  a  magnifi- 
cent j)r(K:ession  :  and,  as  if  to  insult  the  Almighty  to  his 
face,  the  bones  of  Voltai:e  were  placed  upon  the  high 
altar,  and  incense  was  oflered  to  them,  the  infatuated 


•  The  l:ile  \'eiirrable  Mr.  Jones  remarked  some  years  apo  the  pradual  ap"- 
proximalion  of  ihc  present  ;ip- to  pag'aiiism.  Uc  af'itrwanis  lived  lo  sec  U»e 
worship  ol' «.';-.. ;/^'f  If v</«opeiil)  cbtablisl»cd  ii)  Fr:incr  See  \\\%  Urjlcctiont  «■ 
the  grtitlh  of  JJi<u/ici:i$m  nmang  moilern  VhrUtiant .  Works,  Vol.  iii.  p.  42S. 


^3 

multitu(!e  meanwhile  bowing  down  in  silent  adora- 
tion before  the  relics  of  this  arch  enemy  of  Christ.* 
Such  have  been  the  tvtelanj  gods  of  the  infidel  k  ng. 
Disregarding  the  god  of  his  fatners  and  the  Desre  of 
iiovten,  he  has  revived  the  adoration  of  the  Mahnzzim 
Oj  Paganism  ;  and,  although  a  professed  adieist,  has 
pr'istrated  himself  beiore  a  fureigfi  god  whom  his  fathers 
Dever  knew.f 

It  is  now  therefore  that  we  behold  the  rise  of  Anti- 
christ:  for  in  no  particular  doe'i  the  Papacy  answer  to 
his  character,  as  drawn  by  the  inspired  pen  of  St.  John. 
Plunged  as  are  the  adherents  of  the  Jloinan  see  in  the 
grossest  superstitions,  th?y  have  never  denied  either  the 
Father  or  the  Son :  and  consequently  we  are  not  war- 
ranted in  stigmatizing  their  (."hurcli,  however  corrupt 
and  apostafical  it  may  be,  with  the  appellation  of  Anti- 
christ. The  pretended  imiversc.l  Bishop,  that  man  of 
sin  who  sits  in  the  terii[)ieof  God,  shewing  himself  that 
he  is  God,  has  indeed  been  the  precursor  of  Aniichristy 
as  Gregory  justly  remarked  ;  but  he  is  not  An'ichrist 
him'<elf. 

To  complete  the  character  of  the  infidel  king.  Daniel 
adds  three  other  particuUrs,  all  of  whicii  correspond  vvith 
the  conduct  of  atheistical  France-,  no  less  than  the  bolder 
outlines  of  his  p'cture. 

1.  The  king  was  to  cause  Vie  iipholders  or  champions 
of  his  tutelary  deiiiesy  t  .gdiiier  with  the  strange  god 
U'liom  ht  acknowledged,  to    rule  over  nianij — Since  the 

*  It  was  in  this  same  Pantheon  that  a  pt-ostitiite  personated  Human  Ftason, 
and  in  tiijit  capacity  received  uje  woiahip  buih  of  Llie  Convention  and  of  the 
people.  (Sew  llist  the  Iai<.-rp  Vol  ii.  p  ioJ  )  It  is  not  unwo;  ihy  jf  nonce, 
that  ihe  adoration  of  Ceris  lias  been  revived  even  by  name  ;  a  siatue  having 
been  erected  to  her,  and  a  festival  appointed  in  honon-T.f  Iir      [bid.  p.  .  42- 

f  It  has  otVnbeen  observed,  that  piopliecy  is  desitjncdlv  obscure  till  it  re- 
ceives its  accomplishment.  This  is  remarkably  the  case  with  th^-  p.-rseni  pre- 
diction It  appears  perfectly  contradictor),  that  up'rjur,  which  maijnifievi  it- 
self above  ^iv  ^  {jod,  true  as  welias/ii/«',  sliouKl  nevciiholess  venerate  c7  nv.ungc 
god  zxiA  txihlaru  deities :  yet  sucli  Ijas  been  precisely  the  conduct  of  Frun(,e. 
Had  the  people  of  that  nation  adored  thrn-f.,yeigik^'o<ls,  really  iielieviiig^lhem  to 
he  gods,  they  would  not  liave  fulfilled  the  pru|ihecy  ;  because  it  ileciaies,  that 
the  kiuff  should  not  regard  ai:u  god  :  yet,  if  iliey  had  not  honoured  foreign  jjods 
in  some  maiimr,  they  would  equally  have  failed  in  acconiplisluiig  the  p!Oj)iie- 
cy,  because  it  dechires  that  tlu-y  shou  d  iionour  them.  Wiiai  then  has  b'  en 
the  conduct  of  F  vmce !  Witli  pVi.f  ssion-i  of  athcis:n  in  lier  mouth,  she  has 
.iclored  certain  deities,  whom  she  neveiihttcss  disbiliC-vis  to  be  deities  ;  and 
has  thus  worshippedyorri^?"  p-ods  v.ithoat  regarding  ay  god. 

•i 


24  i. 

strange  god  is  LiUrtij,  and  since  the  olher  tutelary  gfids 
arc  tl)e  var/oies  allegorical  deifies  of  the  infidel  republic, 
their  chainpions  m!(St  undoubtedly  mean  f he  propagators 
and svpporUrs of  those  principles  upon  wliicli  the  French 
revolution  was  founded.  These  supporters  then,  toge- 
ther with  liis  favourite  idol,  Libertij,  the  king  was  to 
cause  to  rule  over  many.  It  seems  almost  superfluous 
to  point  out  the  accuracy  with  which  this  part  of  the 
prophecy  has  received  its  accomplishment.  The  avow- 
ed principle  of  France  has  been  at  once  to  extend  the 
empire  of  her  turbulent  children,  those  indefatigable 
chavipions  of  her  Mahirzzim  ;  and  to  cause  the  whole 
world  to  bow  down  before  the  shrine  of  that  imaginary 
deity,  wliich  they  misname  Libert}).  "  The  citizen  and 
the  legislator  ought  to  acknov/ledge  no  other  w^orship 
than  that  of  Liberty^  no  other  altars  than  those  of  their 
country,  no  other  priests  than  the  magistrates."  For  the 
purpose  of  more  widely  diffusing  this  system,  a  decree 
of  fraternity  to  all  rebels  against  their  lawful  sovereigns 
was  formally  passed  by  the  national  convention  r*  and 
it  was  determined  that  the  system  itself  should  be  ex- 
tended to  all  countries  occupied  by  their  armies.! 
Wherever  the  infidel  tiiraiit  has  prevailed,  he  lias  caused 
his  strange  god,  and  the  upholders  cf  his  Mahuzzim,  to 
rule  over  many  ;  and,  in  every  region,  where  he  has 
been  victorious,  he  has  uniformly  planted  the  tree  of  his 
idol  LibertU'  In  short,  it  was  by  a  war  of  extermina- 
tion to  the  enemies  of  his  plans,  that  he  meant  univer- 

•  In  the  sitting  of  the  Jacobins,  Aug.  27, 1792,  Afanuel  caused  an  oath  to  be 
taken,  that  every  exertion  should  be  used  to  purge  the  earth  of  the  pest  of 
royalty. 

f  "  You  talked  of  nothing  but  liberty,  but  every  one  of  your  actions  strove  to 
enslave  us.  Cm  you  deny  it  ?  AH  )our  words  were  orders  ;  all  jour  counsels 
were  the  mandates  of  a  dei-pot.  We  weie  promised,  at  least  verbally,  by  the 
agent,s  of  ilie  great  nation  that  no  French  troops  siiouid  enter  our  canton; 
that  not  a  sous  should  be  demanded  of  us  :  yet  the  very  reverse  happened. 
They  had  the  impudence  to  exuct  from  us  three  millions  of  livres  ;  they  had 
the  cruelly  to  march  troops  into  our  canton,  without  the  least  previous  appli- 
cation, to  exhaust  our  poor  innc  cent  country.  In  other  words,  thty  f'-vcid 
'upon  us  tilt  libcrtij  ftf  suffering  cnrselves  to  be  Ktripped  of  all  rational  freedom. 
Open  thine  eyes,  great  nation,  and  deliver  us  from  this  libcrttj  nf  liell."  (La- 
vater's  letter  to  the  Executive  directory  of  the  French  Uepublic,  dated  tiic 
iirst  year  otilehetic  shivery.)  Similar  to  this  was  the  conduct  of  Frarce  in 
every  country  where  her  arms  prevailed  "  A  la  place  du  supplice,  Madame 
Koland  s'inclmadevant  la  statue  de  la  Liberie  et  pronon^a  ces  paroles  memo 
)-ablcs  :  ()  LUnr/e  !  que  tie  crimes  on  commel  en  ton  novi  .'"  Appel  a  I'impartia- 
lejposterite,  cited  by  Kelt. 


S45 

sally  to  establish  the  power  of  the  advocates  for  demo- 
crac ;'  and  atheism. 

The  pernicious  pliilosophy,  upon  which  the  revolution 
was  founded,  affords  the  only  satisfactory  key  to  the  ac- 
tions which  it  has  produced.  One  of  the  hidden  max- 
ims of  that  philosophy  is,  first  to  gain  a  firm  footing  by 
fraud-,  and  afterwards  to  propagate  itself  by  brutal  force  ; 
adopting  the  words  reason-,toleralion-,  and  humanity .orAy 
'  as  a  signal  and  call  to  arms.  Such  accordingly  are  the 
instructions  given  to  the  initiated  by  the  hierophant  of 
the  lUuminati.  *' Serve,  assist,  and  mutually  suj  port, 
each  other  ;  augment  our  numbers ;  render  yourselves  at 
least  independent,  and  leave  to  time  and  posterity  the 
care  of  doing  the  rest.  When  5^our  numbers  shall  be 
augmented  to  a  certain  degree,  when  you  shall  have  ac- 
quired strength  by  your  union,  hesitate  no  longer,  but 
beg'n  to  render  }fOur  self  poxcerjul  and  formidable  to  the 
wicked.'^  The  very  circumstance  of  your  being  suffi- 
ciently numerous  to  talk  offorcd  and  that  you  really  do 
talk  of  it-,  that  circumstance  alone  makes  the  profane  and 
wicked  tremble.  That  they  may  not  be  overpowered  by 
numbers,  many  will  become  goodj  of  themselves,  and 
will  join  your  party.  You  will  soon  acquire  sufficient 
force  to  bind  the  hands  of  your  opponents,  to  subjugate 
them,  and  stifle  wickedness  in  embryo.  Extend  and  mul- 
tiply the  children  of  light,  until  force  and  numbers  shall 
throw  power  into  our  hands. ''%  So  again :  "  Nations  must 
be  brought  back  to  the  noraade  state,  by  whatever  means 
are  conducible  :  peaceably,  if  it  can  be  done  ;  but  if 
not,  then  by  force,  for  all  subordination  must  be  made  to 
"vanish  from  the  earths  ^ 

These  doctrines  were  faithfully  acted  up  to  by  the 
French  demagogues,  when  they  had  taken  the  reins  of 
government  into  their  own  hands.  Such,  as  refused  to 
subscribe  to  their  diabolical  creed,  and  to  worship  their 
Mahuzzim,  were  inhumanly  persecuted  as  fanatics  by 
these  philanthropic  lovers  of  toleration  ;  and  were  adjudg- 
ed to  be  worthy  of  death,  because  they  were  suspected 

*  That  is,  in  plain  English,  all  -who  are  unijillin^  to  s^valloiu  their  blasphcmous^ 
absurdities. 

t  Ang-lice,  <7Mem?.  i  Barruel's  Mem.  of  Jacobin.  §  Ibid. 


of  being  suspicious  persons  J^  "  In  different  parts  of  the 
country,  niariy,  who  declined  taking  the  o<iih,  were  kill- 
ed at  the  doors  of  the  churches:  and  in  Brittany  several 
priests  are  said  to  have  been  hunted  through  the  forests; 
where,  after  enduring  every  extremity  of  hunger  and  fa- 
tigue, they  perished  miserably ;  and  their  mangled  car- 
cases were  afterwards  found  torn  by  briars,  and  half  de- 
voured by  beasts  of  prey."t  It  was  altervvards  decreed, 
that  all  ecclesiastics,  who  had  not  taken  the  national 
oath  should  be  transported,  and  that,  if  any  commotion 
be  stirred  uo  in  favour  of  fanaticism,  all  the  clergy  sh-uid 
be  imorisoned.  It  was  further  resolved  that,  since  the 
peo;)lo  of  Paris  acknowledge  no  otiier  worship  than  that 
of  Iie:ison  and  Truth,t  all  the  churches  and  temples  of 
difTerent  religions  and  worship,  which  are  known  to  be 
in  Paris,  shall  be  instantly  shut  ;  and  that  every  person, 
requiring  the  opening  of  a  church  or  temple,  shall  be 
put  under  arrest  as  a  suspected  person  ^  In  short,  "  the 
greatest  hostility  to  the  ministers  of  the  church  prevailed, 
to  the  service  of  the  church,  to  all  celebration  of  devo- 
tion, to  any  profession  of  Christianity,  or  even  reverence 
of  the  name  of  the  Supreme  Being.  The  churches  were 
plundered  ;  the  name  of  God  was  blasphemed  ;  the  cler- 
gy were  declared  to  be  capable  of  every  crime,  and  made 
responsible  for  every  tumult ;  and  t/ie  will  of  ilio  e  per- 
son zcas  ordered  to  be  particularlij  respected,  xvlw  re- 
TiouncedallworJilpid'cept  thdofthe  republican  'virtucs.'^W 
Not  content  with  exercising  this  tyranny  over  her  own 
inhabitants,  France  has  bowed  beneath  the  same  i  on 
yoke,  Holland,  Switzerland,  Piedmont,  and  a  consider  a- 


•  Soiip9onnds  d'etre  suspects.  +  Hist,  the  Inter.  Vol.  ii.  p.  229- 

i  Tlie  Froiicli  republicans  sei  m  to  use  Iteason  and  Truth  much  in  the  same 
sense  us  Liber.  1/  ;  meaning,  I  sup()Ose,  to  insinuate  that  t/ieir  Lihtrii/  was  tlie 
natural  oftspring-  of  Rtui^o.i  ,-  of  Iteason,  as  it  wtre,  in  the  c»ne<ete.  Hence  we 
fnidit  rrcommeudcdia  the  Convention  with  much  inock  solemnity.that"  tlie  will 
of  such  sections  should  be  respected,  which  have  renounced  all  religioiis  wor- 
ship, except  that  of  Reason,  Liberty,  and  the  RepiiMican  Vit'tucs ;  in  other 
words,  tliat  of  the  stratije  j^od,  and  liin  l-tinlrcd  JMahuzzim. 
§  Hist  Intcrp.  Vol  ii  p.  '234,  239 
(I  W.  Kett  adduces  tlies*  facts,  to  prove,  that  iufdeWy  and  rcvolutlonnry 
France  are  t/ic  npocali/fjtic  txvo-honwd  beiisi  and  his  image.  Tlinugh  1  cannot 
think,  that  either  r Ac' Aemf  or  hi»  image  has  the  slightest  connection  with 
French  atlicism  and  lepublican  tyrannu  ,-  yet  the  fact*  are  not  on  tliat  account 
tlie  less  valuable,  as  facts.    Hist,  the  lot.  Vol.  ii.  p.  244r. 


^47 

hie  pari  of  what  once  Was  Germany  ;  perpetually  c"hang- 
ing,  with  worse  than  childish  capricioiisiiess,  both  tlieir 
religious  and  their  civil  establishments  :  and,  if  she  has 
failed  in  ex^^cuting  all  the  antisocial  and  antichristiaii 
projects  of  the  illuminized  conspiracy,  it  has  rather  beea 
from  want  of  power  than  of  will. 

Thus  has  the  khig  caused  h>s  tutelary  deities  and  their 
upholders  to  rule  over  many :  those  deities,  whom  he 
him?=elf  has  honoured  instead  of  the  God  of  heaven. 

2.  The  king  was  moreover  to  honour  his  Mahvzzim, 
toge'ner  niih  his  foreign  grd,  with  gold,  and  silver.,  mid 
precious  stones,  and  desirable  things — This  part  of  the 
prophecy  has  b'  en  accomplished  by  Infidel  France  both 
indirectly  and  directly,  both  .broad  and  at  home.  When 
Italy  wvis  plundered  of  the  fmest  specimens  of  the  aits 
by  the  modern  advocates  of  freedom,  and  when  the  dec- 
orations of  her  palaces  were  transported  to  France  and 
declared  to  be  the  sole  property  of  the  sovereign  people  ; 
Liberty  was  the  deity  thus  honoured  with  desirable 
things,  for  Liberty  was  that  which  sanctioned  every  vio- 
lation of  private  rights  When  the  ornaments  of  the 
churches  were  either  confiscated,  or  rapaciously  carried 
off  by  the  infuriated  mob  ;  Liberty,  Reaoon,  and  the  He- 
publican  Virtues,  were  the  Mahuzzim  thus  honoured  with 
gold,  and  silver,  and  precious  stones.*'  When  the  noble 
church  of  St.  Genevieve,  profusely  decorated  by  all  the 
skill  of  architecture,  was  desecrated,  under   the  name  of 

*  "  By  an  edict  of  the  constituent  assembly,  there  was  a  general  sale  of  all 
ecclesiastical  property  ;  and  every  kind  of  property,  connected  with  church- 
es or  charities,  was  confiscated."  (Hist,  the  Inter.  Vol.  ii.  p.  232,  233.)  "  In 
liovember,  a  deputation  from  the  societies  of  Versailles  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  loaded  with  chalices,  crosses,  and  other  ornaments  from  their  churclies. 
The  priest  of  the  Roman  church,  said  tliey,  the  Bishop  of  the  department  of 
Seine  and  Oise,  is  dead.  Will  you  sufier  a  new  one  to  be  elected  ?  Will  \ou, 
who  have  overturned  the  throne,  sufier  the  pontifical  canopy  to  remain  ?  Will 
you,  who  have  broken  crowns  and  sceptres,  preserve  their  proud  riv;ils.  the 
mitre  and  the  cross  ?— The  citizen  and  tlie  legislator  ought  to  acknowledge 
no  oUier  worship  than  that  of  Liberty,  no  other  altars  than  tliose  of  their  coun- 
try, no  other  priests  than  the  magistrates,  iJo  you,  legislators,  like  that  of 
the  Hebrews,  come  down  from  the  mountain,  break  in  pieces  the  golden  calf, 
and  let  the  ark  of  the  constitution  be  the  only  idol  of  the  French  '"'  (Ibid  p. 
239.)  ♦' The  Sans  culottes  considered  themselves  as  authorized  to  plunder 
everyplace  of  worship,  public  and  private  ;  and  divided  with  the  Convention 
large  heaps  of  shrines,  figures,  and  vessels,  hitherto  used  in  the  offices  of  re- 
ligion, while  the  commissioners  from  the  Convent  on  aided  the  s;ici  iiegious 
pdbge."  (Ibid,  p  240,241.)  All  these  enormities  have  been  exnresslv  per 
petrated  m  the  name,  and  for  the  honour,  of  X;(^e;7f^ 


345 


the  Pantheon,  to  the  tutelary  gods  of  Infidelity;  the  tri- 
iimj)h  of  I.Vi'rty  was  complete,  Ike  joreign  god  and  his 
kindred  Mahuzzim  had  received  the  highest  honours 
which  the  atheistical  /ansr  had  it  in  his  power  to  bestow. 

3.  The  ki.g  was  li/awise  to  divide  the  land  for  a  price. 
He  A\as  to  take  it  from  its  former  possessors,  and  divide 
it  among  his  adherents,  the  champijns  of  his  Mahuzzimy 
on  the  CO  nsi<ie  ration  of  being  paid  by  them«  certainprice 
for  it — This  peculiarity  in  his  character  at  once  shews 
that  he  cannot  be  either ///e  Pope  or  the  Constantinopoli- 
tan  Empire,  and  }x»ints  out  with  singular  exactness  the 
poner  which  he  was  designed  to  prefigure.  The  con- 
querors of  foreign  nations  have  not  unfrcquently  divided 
tlie  lands  of  the  conquered  among  their  victorious  troops  : 
but  such  a  division  bears  no  resemblance  to  that  which 
the  infdel  king  should  contrive.  Successful  invaders 
rarely  ^e?/^  the  lands,  which  they  have  seized:  but  this 
kingdom  OY  power  WHS  not  merely  to  divide  the  land;  it 
was  to  divide  ft  Jor  a  p'ice.  It  was  first  to  declare  the 
land  exclusively  its  own  property,  and  then  to  sell  it  for 
money  to  the  champions  of  its  Mahuzzim.  Exactly  such 
has  been  the  conduct  of  the  atheistical  republic  :  nor 
will  it  be  easy  to  point  out  any  state,  which  ever  adopt- 
«d  a  similar  line  of  conduct,  certainly  none  since  the  era 
of  the  Reformation,  when  we  are  taught  by  Daniel  to 
expect  the  appearance  of  the  infidel  king.  The  French 
Revolution  has  differed  from  all  others,  not  only  in  pro- 
ducing a  change  of  government,  but  likewise  in  effect- 
ing a  complete  cliange  of  landed  property.  My  a  deep- 
laid  stroke  of  policy,  and  with  a  view  to  preclude  for 
ever  the  possibility  of  a  counter-revolution,  the  lands, 
both  of  the  crow  n,  the  church,  and  the  nobility,  were 
taken  awa}'  from  their  lawful  owners,  and  declared  to  bo 
the  sole  property  of  the  nation.  This  preparatory  step 
having  been  taken,  the  lands  were  next,  as  it  is  well 
known,  sold  at  a  low  price  to  the  partizans  of  anarchy 
and  atheism;  by  which  master-stroke  of  Machiavelian 
villany  an  insurmountable  barrier  was  raised  against  any 
future  attempt  to  re-establish  the  Bourbons,  for  it  was 
made  the  direct  interest  of  every  lajidholdcr  throughotit 
France  t«  oppose  their  return. 


549 

Since  it  has  been  our  fate  to  behold  with  our  own  eyes 
the  rise  of  this  wonderful  power,  it  will  net  be  uninter- 
esting to  inquire  in  what  manner  the  way  was  prepared 
for  its  developement.     As   for  the  principles  of  ^7iti- 
chrisU   they  were  working  even  in  the  apostolic   age : 
but,  would  we  learn  the   real  cause  of  his  nlibriate  suc- 
cess in  propagating  so  widely  his  blasphemous  opinions, 
we  must  turn  our  eyes  to  the   corruptions  of  Popery. 
Daniel  places  the  atheistical  tyrant  aker  the  era  of  the 
Reformation^  and  consequently  after  the  period  of  thick 
intellectual  darkness  which  overspread  the  Roman  world 
during  the  middle  ages.     Here  then  we  are  to  look  for 
the  rise  of  the  monster  ;   and  history  will  abundantly 
point  out  to  us  the  steps  by  which  he  did  rise.     "  When 
the  revival  of  letters  enabled  men  to  see  the  mass  of  ab- 
surdities, contradictious,  and  impieties,  whicli  were  taught 
by  the  Church  of  Rome  to  be  essential  parts  of  Chris- 
tianity, scepticism  was  the  natural  result  of  this  discov- 
ery.    Reason,  just  risen  from  her  slumber,  seized  the 
truths  presented  to  her  view  with  all  the  eagerness  which 
novelty  could  excite.     Disgusted  with  surrounding  bi- 
gotry and  superstition,  irapatiejit  of  control,  and'daz- 
zled  with  the  light  though  glimmering  which  now  broke 
through  the  darkness  of  the  middle  ages,  she  too  seldom 
distinguished  religion  from  the  gross  corruptions  with 
which  it  had  been  loaded  ;    and,  usurping  the  seat  of 
judgment,  she  often  decided  upon  subjects  not  amenable 
to  her  tribunal."* 

As  the  period  of  the  last  days  gradually  drew  nearer, 
tliey  of  the  Apostacy,  utterly  ignoi-ant  of  the  genuing 
Gos})el  of  Christ,  and  having  refused  to  embrace  the 
blessed  truths  of  the  Rejormation,  were  fully  prepared 
to  be  carried  about  by  every  v/ind  of  doctrine,  and  to  be 
deceived  by  those  false  teachers,  who  'privilyf  brought 
in  damnable  heresies,  even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought 
them.       Plence  they  became  the  easy  dupes   of   Anti- 

*  Hist,  the  Interp.  Vol.  ii.p.  124. 
T  ^0  precept  is  so  often  repeated  by  Voltaire,  as  "  Strike,  but  cc?;cm/ your 
hand."  ,S'ecre<  societies  were  tlie  main  enpine  of  the  anticliristirtn  conspira- 
tors. By  means  of  tliese  t!ie  ])upils  df  the'llluminnti  were  almost  impercepti- 
bly led  n-om  one  degree  of  wickedness  to  another,  till  at  leng-th  th«v  were 
plung-ed  111  all  the  horrors  of  undisguised  atheism.  See  Kelt's  His.  the  Inter, 
ot  Proph.  Vol.  II.  p  152—194. 

VOJ..  T.  .'^O 


^50 

christ ;  and  were  snon  led  from  scepticism  even  into  ab- 
solute arhcism.  in  short,  as  it  luitii  been  most  justly 
observed,  "  to  Popery^  to  the  errors  and  defects  of  Pope- 
ry-, we  cannot  but  impute,  in  a  great  degree,  tlic  origin 
of  that  re\ohitionary  spirit,  which  has  gone  so  far  towards 
the  sul)version  of  the  ancient  estal)lishments  of  rehgion 
and  civil  governmejit.  I  sliould  be  sorry  to  give  pain 
to  any  one  of  the  unhappy  victims  of  the  French  revo- 
lution :  I  most  truly  sympathize  with  their  sufferings; 
but  we  inust  not  allow  our  charity  to  injure  our  princi- 
ples, or  to  pervert  our  judgment.  The  heavy  blow, 
which  has  been  struck  at  the  very  existence  of  Christian- 
it}^  must  be  charged,  as  1  said,  in  a  great  degree,  to 
many  erroneous  opinions,  and  some  pernicious  institu- 
tions of  that  form  of  religion,  from  which  the  wisdom  of 
our  ancestors  sej^arated  our  national  church.  The  main- 
tenance of  opinions,  unfounded  on  the  authority  of  the* 
Gospel,  and  inconsistent  with  its  purity,  has  given  occa- 
sion to  minds,  perhaps  naturally  averse  to  religion,  to 
reject  the  most  valuable  evidences  of  Christianity.  By 
the  abuses  of  religion,  such  minds  have  been  led  into  ali 
the  extravagances  of  deism  and  atheism,  of  revolution 
and  anarchy.  They  had  not  the  discernment,  or  the 
candour,  to  distinguish  between  Christianity,  and  its 
corruptions.  The  conspiracy  against  the  religion  of 
Christ,  which  originated  in  these  delusions,  burst  on  the 
devoted  monarchy  of  France;  and  involved  that  unhaj)- 
py  country  in  such  scenes  of  blood,  rapine,  and  ungo\- 
ernable  excess,  as  revolt  every  principle  of  justice,  ever;^ 
feeling  of  humanity."* 

What  may  in  some  sense  be  called  tlie  abnrtive  off- 
sprrng  of  Poperi^  has  been  made  an  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  God  to  visit  the  iniquities  of  its  parent.  The 
blood  of  those,  who  repented  not  of  the  works  of  their 
hands,  their  idolatry,  their  murders,  their  sorceries,  theii 
spiritual  fornication,  their  pious  or  rather  impious  frauds, 
"  has  been  prodigally  shed :  and  it  is  very  remarkable, 
that  the  French  anarchists  have  introduced  the  horrors 
of  war  principally  into  popish  coujitries  ;  as  if  those  na- 

*  Bp.  of  Darliam's  Cha'-g'e,  1801.  p.  2, 3: 


251 

tions,  which  profess  the  purity  of  the  protestant  religion, 
were  providentially  preserved  from,  dinger."* 

Not  that  all  protestant  countries  have  escaped.  The 
mere  name  oi  pv^lcstantism  is  of  little  importance,  when 
its  stint  is  no  more.  They,  who  have  apostatized  from 
the  religion  of  their  fathers,  must  exp:ct  to  partake  of 
the  vials  of  God's  wrath.  Th'".u.o;h  Antichrist  has  reared 
his  head  in  a  popish  country,  and  though  he  has  prevail- 
ed most  in  regions  once  devoted  to  the  j)aprd  supersti- 
tion, yei  the  Apostacy  was  not  to  be  his  otilij  stage  of 
action.  His  princi'^Aeshave  tainted  numbers  even  under 
protestant  governments,  agreeably  to  the  sure  word  of 
prophecy,  that  the  false  teachers  of  the  last  day  should 
*'  allure  through  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  through  nuicli 
wantonness,  those  that  were  clean  escaped  from  them 
wdio  live  in  error :"  upon  which  the  \postle  :eniarks, 
"  It  had  been  better  for  them  not  to  have  known  the 
way  of  righteousness,  than,  alter  they  have  known  it,  to 
turn  from  the  holy  commandment  delivered  unto  them."t 

IL  It  will  be  proper  for  me  now  to  consider  an  objec- 
tion,  which  may  possibly  be  urged  against  the  foregoing 
interpretation  of  the  character  of  the  infidel  king  :  Che 
French  people  have  at  present  thrown  aside  tlieir  alheidi- 
cal  haired  to  Christianity^  and  have  jonce  more  avoived 
ihemselves  Papists. 

1.  To  this  it  might  be  sufficient  to  answer,  that,  al- 
thougli  Popery  be  once  more  established  in  France,  it  is 
evidently  a  mere  political  puppet,  as  little  regarded  by 
the  people  as,  by  their  rulers. %     Tiie  fiat  of  a  convention 

*  Zouch  on  Prophecy,  p  62,  63.  f  -  Peter  ii.  1,  IB,  21. 

\  We  may  form  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  present  state  of  religion  in  France  by 
attending  to  the  confessed  machinations  of  the  chief  of  tlie  Ijiimiinaii.  "  All 
the  German  scliools,"  says  this  indefatigable  propag'at or  o^  .Vthcism  ;  "  and  the 
benevolent  Society,  are  at  last  luvier  our  ilirection — Lateln  -we  have  got  jjosics- 
eio7i  of  tlie  Barthol'jinc-.v  Institution  for  young-  cL-rgvinen,  having  secured  dU  tJitir 
supporters  Through  this  we  sliali  be  able  tosu[>pJv  iJavaria  v,ith  ft  prieits — 
"We  must  acquire  the  direction  oi'  c.luCiiiou,  oi'  ckurc/L  mcmage'itent,  oi  the  profis- 
sorial  chair,  and  of  t/u:  pulpit.  We  must  preach  tiie  warmr  st  concern  fur  hu- 
manity, and  make  peoi)le  indifferent  to  all  other  relations.  We  m.nst  gain  the 
reviewers,  and  the  journalists,  and  the  ljookseli«rs."  (Hist,  tlie  Inter.  Vol. 
ii.  p.  194,  195  )  Accordingly,  wiien  Christianity  was  nf,:isir.aUy  at  lea-^-t  restor- 
ed in  the  year  1793  by  the  repeal  of  tlie  laws  of  intoleration.  pastoral  letters 
were  published  by  the  revolutionary  bisliops,  those  meet  successor.'?  of  Judas 
m  the  Apostolical  college,  in  which  tlie  Gospel  is  represented  a.s  bein.c;  th'^ 
original  declaration  of  tlie  rights  of  man,  and  in  whicli  the  union  of  the  throne 
and  the  altar  is  stated  to  beliiemost  anticlu-istian  of  political  or  reliijious  initi- 


Q5Q. 

or  oi  an  usurper  may  set  up  ct  form  of  rcli<;lon  ;  but  it  is 
not  so  easy  a  matter  to  eradicate  tlie  work  of  years,  to 
weed  out  of  tlie  minds  of  the  governed  those  principles 
of  a'heism  and  inftdeJitij  whicli  have  long  been  so  indus- 
triously disseminated  among  thcm."^  Hopeless  indeed 
must  be  the  task  of  converting  a  whole  nation,  when  it 
is  undertaken,  as  at  present,  by  one  who  has  alternately 
professed  himself  an  Atheist^  a  Mohammedan^  and  a 
FalHst. 

2.  Perhaps  however  a  more  weighty  answer  than  this 
may  be  furnished  to  the  objection  now  under  considera- 
tion. Humanbj  speaking,  and  judging  from  the  existing 
political  appearance  of  Europe,  the  concurring  prophe- 
cies of  Daiiicl  and  St.  John,  relative  to  the  duration  of 
the  great  ylpostaci/,  would  not  have  received  their  com- 

tutions.  "These  bishops  WCVe  commonly  reconmie?!  Jed  frcm  the  great  mother  clvb 
at  Paris"  (the  united  club  of  atheistical  .facobins  and  German  llhiminati,  wlio 
had  now,  accordinj^  to  the  vily  advice  of  their  founder,  acquired  the  vhole 
•management  of  the  church,  and  would  doubtless  take  cai-e  to  supply  France  with 
^C  pi  iests,J  '*  to  the  affihatcd  societies,  and  by  their  means  elected.  Of  course 
tlie  only  (juallfication,  regarded  in  prelates  so  chosen,  was  the  orthodox} ,  not 
of  their  re  Ug-ious,  but  political  creed,  ^'cry  few  indeed  of  the  new  rectors 
and  vicars  were  men  of  ciiaracter;  and  as,  after  all,  many  were  still  wantinp^  for 
tlie  vacant  currs,  many  of  the  laity  were  ordained  witti  litlle  or  no  inquiry. 
W^c  may  judge  wiiat  a  horde  of  banditti  tiiese  republican  cUrtry  are,  since  the 
coiistitutio?ial\'icuT  i^eneral  to  the  new  15isliop  of  I'trigueux  has  had  the  gr.-xce 
to  acknowledge  that  even  he  is  ashamed  of  them.  Witli  much  truth,  I 
doubt  not,  he  represents  them  as  a  set  of  "  vagabonds  and  libertines,  who 
had  not  found  admittance  into  civilized  society"  He  seems  however  for  a 
moment  to  have  forgotten,  that  such  were  the  fittest  subjects  for  the  rrrom- 
■mcndaiion  of  the  great  mother  club  at  Paris,  tlie  very  men  after  Voltaire's  and 
AVeishaupt's  own  hearts.     Hist,  the  Interp  Vol.  ii.  p.  ^55,  256,  2-57. 

*  Let  an  eye-witne.ss,  and  certainly  no  prejudiced  eye-witness,  be  heard  upon 
this  point  "  When  I  was  myself  in  France,"  says  the  late  Dr.  Priestley,  "  in 
the  year  1774,  1  saw  suflicient  i*eason  to  beliirve,  that  hardly  any  person  of 
eminence  in  Church  or  State,  and  rsi)ecially  in  a  great  degree  eminent  in  phi- 
losophy or  literature  (who.se  opinicms  in  all  countries  are  sooner  or  later  adopt- 
ed by  others),  were  believers  in  Christianity  ;  and  no  person  will  suppose, 
that  there  has  been  any  cliange  in  favour  of  Christianity  in  tlie  last  twenty 
years.  A  person,  I  believe  now  living,  and  one  of  the  best  informed  men  in 
the  country,  assured  me  very  gravely,  that  (paying  me  a  conipliment)l  was 
the  first  person  he  had  ever  met  with,  of  whose  uiulerstanding  be  had  any 
rpinion,  who  pretended  to  believe  Chri.stianity.  To  this  all  tiie  company  as- 
sented. And  not  only  wore  Uie  philosophers,  and  other  leading  men  in 
France,  at  that  time  unbelievers  in  Christianity  or  Deists,  but  Atheists  deny- 
ing the  being  of  a  God."  (I'riestley's  Fast  Sermon,  1794.)  The  sect,  of 
V'hich  I)r  Priestley  was  so  strenuous  an  advocate,  received  as  whimsical  a 
compliment  from  Voltaire,  as  the  Doctor  himself  did  from  the  ^rave  person 
mentioned  by  him  in  the  preceding  citation.  The  philosopher  ol  Perney  was 
willing  to  tolerate  the  Socmians.  during  his  war  with  Christ,  "  hecau^e,"  says  he, 
**  Julian  would  have  favoured  them  ,-  and  I  hate  whu!  Julian  would  have  ha- 
ted, and  d'jspisc  what  Jtili:in  ^vould  have  despised." 


S53 

plete  accomplishment,  had  not  Antichrist  become  the 
avowed  supporter  of  it.  If  we  cast  our  eyes  over  a  map 
of  the  world,  we  shall  perceive,  that  protestantism  is  se- 
curely planted  in  the  North  of  Europe  and  America, 
and  in  most  of  the  numerous  colonies  of  the  English ; 
that  the  Greek  churchi  under  the  powerful  protection  of 
Kussia,  occupies  all  the  East  and  North-East  of  Europe  : 
and  that  the  southern  regions  of  that  continent,  with 
their  dependent  foreign  possessions,  alone  acknowledge 
the  supremacy  of  the  Pope.  Now  it  is  an  undoubted 
truth,  that  tl^e  whole  oi  those  southern  regions,  with 
the  solitary  exception  of  the  Austrian  states  and  those 
debilitated  and  dispirited  by  a  long  and  unsuccessful  war, 
are  to  all  intents  and  purposes  mere  provinces  of  France, 
trembling  at  her  nod  and  subservient  to  all  her  tyranni- 
cal schemes  of  aggrandisement/^'  This  being  the  case, 
where  would  have  been  the  papal  Apostacy^  had  France 
persevered  in  her  profession  of  atheism  :  and  had  she  fur- 
ther determined,  according  to  the  original  plans  of  the 
Jacobinical  Illuminati,  that  all  her  vassals  should  be 
atheists  likewise  ?  She  laboured  under  no  physical  ina- 
bility of  overturning  the  Papacy^  and  had  once  actually 
to  all  appearance  entirely  subverted  it  ;  but  her  blind 
fury  w^as  restrained  by  Him-,  who  with  equal  ease  can 
calm  the  troubled  ocean,  and  still  the  madness  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  end  wsLS  not  yet:  the  10,60 years  had  not  ex- 
pired :  and  the  Apostacy  had  to  run  that  part  of  its 
career  which  w^is  contemporary  with  the  reign  of  Anti- 
christ. Hence,  rather  than  one  jot  or  one  tittle  of  all 
God's  word  should  fail,  the  infidel  king  has  become,  by 
the  overruling  providence  of  God,  a  supporter  of  the 
very  superstition  which  he  had  once  laboured  to  destroy. 
3.  The  last  and  most  conclusive  answer  however,  which 
may  be  given  to  the  objection  is  this.  AA  hen  thorough- 
ly examined,  the  objection  in  question  will  be  found  in 
reality  to  afford  an  argument  yb?-  the  present  mode  of 
interpretation,  instead  of  an  m^gument  against  it.  Un- 
less Antichrisf,  at  some  period  or  another  of  his  exist- 
ence, had  actually  leagued  himself  with  tlie  Papacy,   the 

*  This  observation  is  even  more  true  at  present  (March  Co,  1806},  than  when 
it  was  originally  made. 


f54 

prophecies,  which  relate  to  the  great  events  that  are  a- 
boiit  to  take  place  at  the  termination  of  the  lQ(iO  ycrrs, 
could  not  have  been  fully  and  exactly  accomplished. 
At  the  t: me  of  the  end y  the  infidel  kingy  as  we  are  taught 
by  Daniel,  is  to  enojage  in  some  zvar  of  a  rfligiow^  milure, 
is  to  invade  Palestine,  and  is  eventually  to  perisii  be- 
tween the  leas.  At  /he  sa>/x  time  of  (he  end,  a  grand, 
covfideracn,  as  we  are  informed  by  St.  John,  of  Mc  beast, 
the  f'/ilse  prophet,  and  the  kin^s  of  the  earthy  is  to  be 
overthrown  with  dreadful  slaughter  at  J\I  g'ddo :  which 
is  a  town  of  Palestine,  situated,  agreeably  to  Daniel's 
prediction,  between  the  seas.  St.  John  further  marks  the 
country  where  this  is  to  happen,  by  describing  it  as  ex- 
tending 1^00  stadia,  which  is  found  to  be  precisely  the 
measure  of  tiie  holy  land.  At  the  self -same  time  of  the 
end  likewise,  as  we  are  assured  by  Joel,  war  shall  he 
sanctijied:  but  the  impious  wretches,  who  thus  dare  to 
profane  the  holy  name  of  religion,  shall  be  destroyed 
between  tiie  seas.  Lastly,  at  this  very  time  of  the  end,  a 
time  of  unexampled  trouble,  the  restorotion  of  the  Jews, 
as  Daniel,  Joel,  and  Zechariah,*  all  concur  in  allir.-iing 
will  conm\ence.  Now  from  coniparijig  these  different 
prophecies  together  it  appears,  that  the  war  f  the  infidel 
king  in  Palestine  at  the  time  of  the  end  must  n-cessarily 
be  1  lie  same  as  the  war  of  the  beast  in  the  same  country 
and  at  the  same  period :  audit  further  appears,  that  the 
reason,  why  this  war  will  be  styled  by  him  a  holy  war., 
will  he  his  union  with  the  false  prophet:  in  other  words, 
it  will  be  a  war  undertaken  by  him  either  against  the 
protestants,  or  the  Jews,  or  both,  upon  popish  principles 
of  extermination;  it  will  be  a  war  begun  under  the  pre- 
tence of  advancing  the  honour  of  religion.  Thus  it  is 
manifest,  that  the  late  re-establishment  of  Popery  in 
France  is  so  far  from  being  any  objection  to  the  present 
mode  of  interpreting  the  character  of  the  infidel  king, 
that  it  abundantly  confirms  the  propriety  of  it:  for,  un- 
less the  atheistical  power,  at  some  time  or  another,  re- 
united itself  with ///c  head  of  the  papal  Aposlacy,  it  cer- 
tainly  could   not  engage  in  a  holy  war  along  \\\\\\t}ic 

*  Such  indeed  is  the  declaration  of  all  the  ancient  prophets,  insomuch  that 
>t  is  impossible  to  treat  of  tAc  rcstoratton  oj  the  Jcxvs  wilhyut  Ukev.isc  treating 
df  i/tc  destruction  n/  Antklirist. 


965 

false  prophet,  as  we  are  plainly  taught  that  it  hereaftet 
shall  do  at  the  close  of  the  10,60  years. ^ 

At  present  therefore  we  may  pronounce  the  Hn^  to  be 
a  motley  monster,  compounded  of  Atheism  and  Poperv  - 
imvardly  an  atheist,]  outwardly  a  papist  ;  still  doiiicr  ac- 
cordmg  to  his  will,  and  exalting  himself  ;  still  insultino- 
and  tyrannizing  over  his  weaker  neighbours ;  and  stilt 
scourgmg  the  members  of  that  J  post  acj/,  which  he  now 
professes  to  venerate  and  uphold.  In  this  state,  or  in 
some  state  similar  to  it,  he  will  continue  to  the  end  of 
the  I  m  years,  and  till  the  commencement  of  the  res- 
ioratwnofthe  Jews ;%  when  like  his  brethern  in  fraud 
violence,  and  iniquity,  -■  he  shall  come  to  his  end,  and 
none  shall  help  him."  Meanwhile,  whatever  mav  be  his 
ostensible  creed,  he  is  still  the  same  tyrant,  as  iVhen  he 
began  his  demoniacal  career.  The  laws  of  nations,  and 
the  hitherto  umversally  acknowledged  rights  of  ambas- 
sadors, he  violates  with  the   same    contempt  of   every 

•  This  subject  will  be  fully  discussed  hereafter.  We  have  already  had  a  sne- 
cmen  of  the  holy  zeal  with  which  the  present  usurper  of  the  throng  of  France 
espouses  the  cause  of  Popery.  From  a  p.ous  regard  no  doubt  for  the  soul  of 
his  brother,  he  has  caused  the  soverei.srn  pontiff  to  pronounce  a  divorce  be- 
twee>i  Inm  and  lus  wiie.  on  the  ground  forsooth  of  her  being  a  Aer../c  What 
may  not  be  expected  hereafter  from  such  an  auspicious  beginning  ' 

tit  IS  unreasonable  to  suppose,  that  all  the  people  of  France,  even  fickle 
andvoladeas  Uiey  are,  should  suddenly  have  turned  with  st^cerky  f^om 
Athu.m  to  Popery  From  what  can  be  learned  of  the  state  of  U.at  cluntr?, 
Ath.^sm  and  Ivrehgton  seem  to  be  little  less  prevalent  tlian  ever  they  were    ^ 

>/«/^J  (Dan.  xu  06)  and  that  at  ^.^  um,  of  the  e«d  he  shall  undertake  the 
e^onl  th  J^''  .''1  V'''"''"'^'  '\  ^'^  destruction.  Thus  is  it  doubly  poinT 
inth  w'.  f  w  ^"  ^  permitted  to  prosper  till  the  end  of  the  12o0  ^fears  .■  for 

tfin  rr^'f  '^/"^''°"'"''"^^''  ^^  ''''  Peculiar  seaL  of  the  rL^natVol 
iS  finished,  when  tho.e  years  terminate.  Mr  Mede,  in  a  manner  nS  verv 
consistent  even  with  his  own  interpretation  of  the  prophecy! TupposesS 
the  ind,^natton  was  accomplished  when  the  Roman  empire  ceiU  to  be  pu.Si 
under  Constantine.(Apost  of  Utter  times,  Part.  I.  C  17)  Bn.  Newton  oaUie 
Tr\Z'^r?'  thinks  that  r/.e  indlgnauon  will  not^e'accom^she'l  ti^ 
butfmf  h^r  t^'  k'''.'^'^'^^  '"^  consequently  till  the  end  of  the  r  60  u.aT: 
"  the  ki  .n  r  ,'  '"^^'^^"  ^he  period  of  the  indignation  means,  as  he  sup^poses 
Jews  "  rn?.l  .  vvTr"".'''^"  ""^  ^°^^  indignation  against  his  people  the 
Jews.       (Dissert.  XVU.)     It  seems  to  me  to  be  plainly  the  same  as  the  period 

(nit  xh' fi'rS  ""^''\l'  '"  '"^'*  '^  expiration  of  tl  three  ti.ues  and  a  Zff 
which1«=;v',  ^  •■  '"  ""'''^^  ''"'/'''  "^'^  '"'"^  *"  '■''  /'er/oJo/  the  1260  yeari 
rounto'fthr  rPr''"''^f '^^'P"'^''''^J  season  of  £od's  indignation  on  ac- 
of  Daniel's  tisFn^.fT/'"'^  degeneracy  of  his  Chu-ch.  Hence  the  latter  part 
,re,7onof  S  °^''';^ '•^^"\"'"^^/'^  \'Soat,  which  treats  oi' the  desolati,:^  tLs- 
frea  n^oftJl  f'T/'"";  "^""'"^  '^'  '~^^  i'''^^^^'  is  represented  as  likewise 
propXtA"^^^^^^^^  -^^i-,,,/,,,  o,!   as  it  might  be  more 

properly  translated,  the.  ^ucces,:^,  the  cmtimt*nce,  of  the  indignation.    Dan. 


256 

principle  of  justice  aud  lionour,  as  he  heretofore  overleap- 
ed the  laws  of  his  country,  and  trampled  upon  the  rights 
of  individuals.  The  privileges  of  neutral  states  are  dis- 
regarded by  him,  when  he  conceives  that  his  interests 
may  be  promoted  by  the  murder  of  a  Bourbon.  In  line, 
despising  the  petty  villanies  of  a  private  robber,  betakes 
a  bolder  flir^ht  of  rapacity:  and,  while  with  high  vault- 
ing ambiiion  he  extends  on  every  side  the  limits  of  his 
dominiojis,  he  distributes  among  those,  who  are  base 
enough  to  concur  with  him  in  his  schemes  of  plunder, 
"whole  provinces  of  a  once  independent  empire  under 
the  specious  name  of  iiulemnities.*  But,  gigantic  as  m^y 
be  his  projects  of  universal  domination,!  the  time  is  rap- 
idly approaching  when  "  the  Son  of  man  will  come  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven,"  and  establish  the  last  universal  sover- 
eignty, that  of  the  symbolical  mountain.  Then  shall  '■'■  the 
fourth  beast  be  slain,  and  his  bod}'-  destroyed  :"  then  shall 
each  of  the  little  honis  be  broken  ;  then  shall  tJie  infidel 
tyrant  ^'^  come  to  his  end  :"  and  then  shall  tlie  victorious 
Word  of  God  receive  from  his  Almighty  Father  "  domin- 
ion, and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations, 
and  languages,  should  serve  him ;  his  dominion  is  an 
everlasting  dominion  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his 
kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed." 

III.  It  appears  from  the  remainder  of  the  pro})hecy 
relative  to  the  atheistical  kingi  that  toward  the  close  of 
bis  career,  he  should  meet  with  a  most  [wwerful  oppo- 
nent in  a  rnightij  king  of  the  IVorthy  and  with  a  less  vig- 
orous re.sistence  from  a  king  of  the  South.  "  At  the  time 
of  the  end  shall  a  king  of  the  South  butt  at  him  ;  and  a 

*  The  dignified  and  princely  conduct  of  Sweden  at  the  present  juncture 
forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  pitiful  behaviour  of  most  of  the  continental  so- 
vereijfns.  It  is  a  relief  to  tlie  mind  to  turn  from  tlic  degraded  and  enslaved 
South,  and  to  contemplate  a  line  of  conduct  worthy  of  better  times  in  the 
more  free  and  manly  North,     May,  IBUi. 

Since  this  notr  was  written,  avast  coalition  has  been  formed  against  France, 
and  has  been  broken  almost  as  soon  as  formed.  Kn^^land,  Sweden,  .and  Rus- 
sia,  are  now  the  only  independent  powers  of  Europe.  Kvery  passinij  event 
serves  to  sliew  that  tlie  counsels  of  God  are  rapidly  hastening  to  maturity. 
March  26,  1806. 

■\  It  may  not  be  improper  to  remind  tiic  reader,  that  I  speak  of  the  actions 
of  Buonupaile  c/;j/»  as  being  a  porti(m  of  the  actions  of  ihe  iiijUcl  iinifJom. 
Neither  Ac,  nor  any  other  j«(/;t7u'i<(i/,  is  Inleniicd  by  t'lit  ivfiilcl  Aroi^"  or  king- 
dom, ;  but  France  alone  from  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  to  tlic  ter- 
mination oi'i/tc  l'^60 1'eavs  and  the  beginning  of  r.';c  :imc  of  the  c"d. 


^57 

king  of  Ihe  North  shall  come  against  him  like  a  whirl- 
vv^ nd,  with  chariots,  and  with  horsemen,  and  with  many 
ships.     Yet  he  shall  enter  into  the  coiuitries,  and  shaJl 
over/low,  and  shall  pass  over,>iiid  shall  enter  into  the  glo- 
rious land,  and  many  countries  shall  be  overthrown  :  'but 
tliese  shall  escape  out  of  iiis  hand,  even  Edora,an(l  Moab, 
and  the   chief  of  the  children  of  Ammon.      He   shall 
stretch  forth   his  hand  also  upon  the  countries  :  and  the 
land  of  Egypt  shall  not  escape.      But  he  sliall  have  pow- 
er over  the  treasures  of  gold  and  of  silver,  and  over  all 
the  p.recious  things  of  Egypt  :  and  tlie  Libyans  and  the 
Ethiopians  shall  be  at  his  steps.     But  tidings  out  of  the 
East  and  out  of  the  North  shall  trouble  hJm :  therefore 
he  shall  go  forth  with  great  fury  to  destroy,  and  under 
the  pretext  of  religion  to  devote  many  to  utter  destruc- 
tion.    And  he  shall  plant   the  curtains  of  his  pavilions 
between  the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain  :  yet  he 
shall  conie  to  his  end,  and  none  shall  helj)  him.     And 
at  that  time  shall  INTichael  stand  up,  the  great   prince 
which  standeth  for  the  children  of  thy  people  :  and  there 
shall  be  a  time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was,  since  there 
was  a  nation  even  to  that  same  time  :  and  at  that  time  thy 
peo])le  shall  be   delivered,  every  one  that  shall  be  found 
written  in  the  book." 

North  and  South  are  mere  general  and  relative  terms. 
At  th€  beginning  of  this  last  prophecy  of  Daniel,  the  kings 
of  the  North  and  the  South  ai'e  undoubtedly  the  Aings  of 
Syria,  and  Egypt :  but  their  power  has  long  since  been 
broken :  consequently  the  kings  of  the  North  and  the  South 
at  the  latter  end  of  the  prediction  are  entirely  different 
potentates  from  those  mentioned  in  the  earlier  part  of  it. 
Bp.  Newton,  as  we  have  seen,  supposes,  that  the  king, 
who  was  to  magnifij  hims.lf  above  every  god,  is  the  Pope 
zn  the  IFest,  and  the  Constantinopolitcm  Emperor  in  the 
East:  and  mice  one  error  m  the  exposition  of  a  strictly 
chro7iologn:al  prophecy  necessarily  introduces  w^mwoZ/z- 
er*,  he  imagines  with  JNIr.  Mede,  that  the  kin^  of  the 
^outh  and  the  king  of  the  North  are  the  Saracens  and 
tlielurks:^     Impressed  with  this  idea,  he  attributes  the 

mv  ve^nTraSfrli?!'!?""'  observing,  ^yl.at  seems  to  luve  escaped  the  notice  of 
my  veneiable  prec!ece^so.:s,  Mcde  and  ^J^vtOil,  thut,  i1  tlie  king-  of  Ihe  SQutfh 


2AS 

conquests  of  iiie  hijidcl  kivg  to  the  norihcrn  hmtr  of  ihs 
T"r/{s  ;  and  siipposts  thai  it  was  litf  wiu)  was  to  enter 
into  the  giorious  huid,  to  stretch  lf)rth  his  iiand  upon  the 
couniries,  and  to  make  himscli  master  of  I\g}pt.  The 
fact  however  is,  astheconiext  sinTicicntly  shews,  that  it 
is  not  the  hfiig  of  the  North  who  is  to  invade  tlie  glori- 
ous laud,  and  the  land  of  I^'gypt,  but  his  rival  the  infidel 
king.  Daniel  is  not  writing  a  history  either  of  Ihekivg 
of  the  North,  or  of  llic  Airg  of  the  iSouth,  but  of  the  king 
who  was  to  mngiufif  liiniself  above  everij  god.  Accord- 
ijigly,  he  faithfully  details  tlie  whole  if  this  /,i??g's  event- 
ful h/stnn/,  from  its  origiiird  comnieiicanciit*  to  its  final 
(erniination.^  His  adveisaries,  the  king  of  the  North  and 
the  king  of  the  South,  are  only  mentioned  as  inferior  act- 
ors in  tliis  great  drama.  Notwithstanding  the  rapid  at- 
tack of  the  northern  sovereign  and  the  appa'eutly  more 
feeble  eflbrts  of  the  southern  prince,'l  this  infidel  king  is 
jievei Ihelcss  to  overJIow  and  pass  over,  to  enter  into  the 
glorious  land,  and  to  seize  upon  the  land  of  Egypt. 
Such  appears  to  me  to  be  the  most  natural  mode  of  ex- 
plaining the  prophecy:  for,  unless  a/l  these  erploits  be 
attributed  to  the  infidel  king,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  ac- 
knowledge, that  Daniel  has  given  only  a  veiy  imperfect 
account  of  that  power ;  an  account  extremely  dillerent 
from  the  several  histories  of  the  tivo  little  liorns.  In  both 
those  histories  we  have  a  regular  and  continued  narra- 
tive, conducting  us,  step  by  step,  ivom  the  rise  io  the  de- 
struction of  each  horn  :  but  here)  according  to  the  scheme 

Ac  the  Sni-accnic  empire,  it  is  very  singular  that  so  litth  should  be  said  about 
lUm,  and  so  much  about  the  Jtiit^  of  the  jYorth  whom  they  suppose  to  denote 
t/te  Turlinh  tmpirc.  The  exploits  ol"  t/ic  ,Suracttis  were  at  least  as  wonderful 
aethost:  of  the 'I'lirhs  ,-  and,  in  addition  to  their  otlier  amazinply  cxten5i\Tp' 
conquests,  they  likewise,  no  less  tlian  the  Turks,  made  thembelves  masters  of" 
tl»c  j^l»rious  holy  land.  \i  ihi:n  the  kings  of  tht  South  and  .WrA  denote  /'» 
>S(i:actrie  ,ind  Turkish  empiiti,  is  it  not  somewhat  sing'ular  that  so  much  should 
be  said  about  :hr  laltir,  and  so  -Mry  little  about  thfjurmei-  .•'  According  to  tlie 
sciienie  which  L  venture  to  oppose,  aithou^di  sanctioned  by  the  eminent  names 
of  Mcde  and  Niwtou,  all  that  is  said  of  the  Sitrucinji  is,  "  A  king  of  the  south 
siiall  butt  at  him  •"  while  «/.i-  long  vtisia,  with  the  exception  of  these  fe* 
worda  (in  liie  original  oniyy^ur  uort/*,)  arc  exclusively  dc\oled  to  the  Turks. 
"Whereas,  according  to  7;iy  scheme,  thtir  due  degree  of  importance  is  given 
to  the  kings  of  ihi  Hotiih  and  thr  .Vorth  ,-  whde  the  JkJIiUI  ktr.tf  ai)pcars,  from 
beginning  to  end,  llie  con»ibtint  hero  of  the  drama. 

•  Vcr.  r.e.  4  Ver.  45. 

i  The  word,  by  which  the  attack  of //j<r  ioittheni  kir.^  is  described,  is  J)32' 
which  sipiitivs  l3  iftltt  or  strike  iHc  a  ram. 


059 

of  Mr.  Mede  and  Rp.  Newton,  we  liave  only  a  mutilated 
account  oU/ie  vijid el  fang,  conimcnci:  g  'indend,  but  al)- 
Tupilu  brf^akiiig  off:  and,  instead  of  teaching  us  what 
shall  be  the  endoflhat  monster,  only  informing  us  of  the 
destruction  of  tlie  nortiicrn  prince,  who  had  not  been 
previously  represented  as  having  commi'ted  any  particu- 
lar crime  against  Heaven,  but  on  the  contr^iry  as  being 
laudably  engaged  in  opposing  with  all  his  forces  the  out- 
rageous tyranny  of  tlicj  alhci'.iical p'Aentate, 

But,  even  supposing,  (what  I  think  the  context  will 
hy  no  means  warrant)  that  the  Idvg  of  the  nortii  and  not 
the  infidel kivg,  is  to  invade  Palestine;  still  the  clironol- 
ogy  of  tlje  prophecy  will  ahuncUmtly  shew,  that  the 
whole  interpretation  of  iNlr.  Mede  and  Up.  Newton  must 
be  erroneous.  TJiehing,  wlw  magnified  Intnself  above  ev- 
ertj  god;  was  to  spring  up  after  tiie  reformation  ;  conse- 
quently all  his  exj)loits  must  be  after  the  reformation 
likewise  :  but,  it  his  wars  with  tlie  king.^  (f  the  Soutk 
and  the  North  are  to  be  after  i\\i\t  [)e)iod,  they  cannot 
allude  to  the  contests  of  the  Eadern  Emperors  with  the 
Saracens  and  Turks,  which  were  before  it.  So  again  : 
the  ])rophet  carefully  inlbrms  us,  that  all  these  events 
are  to  take  place  at  tlie  time  of  the  end,  and  that  they  are 
to  be  conteraj->orary  with  the  restoration  ot  the  Jews. 
But  i/ie  time  of  the  end  commences  at  i/ie  termination  of 
t lie  i9,QQ  uears  :  consequently,  by  no  ingenuity  of  inter* 
pretation  can  it  be  carried  hixckio  tlie  X!ery  bcgimung  of 
Uiose years ;  that  is  to  say,  to  tlie  year  ^"-^d,  in  which 
the  Saracens  first  attacked  the  Roman  empire,  and  which 
is  no  more  than  twenty  Xhxec  years  posterior  to  the  year 
6*06,  whence,  as  I  have  already  shewn,  the  1260  years 
ought  most  probably  to  be  dated.*  So  far  is  this  period 
from  l:)cing  the  time  of  tlie  end,\  the  time  ap))ointed  for 
i^ie  restoration  of  tlie  JjiJVs,X  that   near  tivelve  centuries 

*  The  first  war  between  the  Saracens  and  the  Romans  commenced  in  the 
year  629      Hist  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p  21- 

\"  Jit  the  time  rf  t/ip  end  a  kincf  of  the  south  shall  butt  at  him." 

i  "  Jit  that  time  rhy  people  shall    be    deliveied."     (IJan    xii    1.)     It  :\ft(ii-- 


4:iushcd."    "\"er.  5,  t>. 


2f)() 

have  now  clapped  from  it,  and  still  we   behold  the  Jews 
scattered  over  tlic  lace  of  tlie  earth. 

Tiiis  however  is  by  no  means  all.  Granting];  for  a  mo- 
ment, merely  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  Ihf  time  of 
the  cndw.eixns  llie  wJiolc  1'2G0  vears,  i\vdi  the  king  of  tlie 
North  is  the  Tnrky  and  that  the  prophecy  has  l^een  ac 
coinplished  as  far  as  to  the  end  of  th:;  45(1  verse,  which 
is  all  that  ]\Ir.  IMcdoand  J>p.  Newton  suppose  :*  still  the 
44th  and  'ioth  verses  will  remain  3^et  to  be  accomplish- 
ed, and  these  never  can  be  acconip-lished  in  'he  Turk 
consistently  with  another  prophecy  which  tortells  his 
destruction.  I  will  s.iy  nothing  of  the  extreme  improb- 
ahilitu^  that  tlic  Ottoman  power.,  now  fast  verging  to  de- 
atiuction,  should  ever  go  loitii  with  great  fury  to  devote 
many  to  utter  extermination  on  a  religious  account, 
should  succeed  in  planting  the  curtains  of  his  pavilions 
between  the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain,  and 
should  there  finally  be  overthrown  :  of  the  Uviei  impraha' 
bilJtyni  all  this  1  will  say  nothing  ;  because  I  pretend 
not  to  the  gift  of  pro})hecy,  and  am  not  prepared  p  si- 
tivelij  io  assert  that  such  an  e^ent  is  absolutely  impossi- 
ble. 13ut  this  T  will  iealessly  nssert,  that  the  time  as- 
signed for  the  destruction  of  /he  power  \\'\\\c\\  (according 
to  Daniel)  will  come  to  its  end  in  Palestine,  let  it  be  the 
one  kino  or  let  it  l)e  tlie  other  king,  cannot  be  made  to 
quadrate  with  the  time  assigned  by  St.  John  for  the  over- 
throw of  the  Ottoinmi  poiver  :  ihereiore  the  pan  er,  that 
comes  to  its  end  in  I'alestine,  cannot  be  the  Ollowan 
power.  Let  us  compare  together  the  two  prophets. 
"  And  at  the  time  of  the  end  a  king  of  the  south  shall 
butt  at  him  ;  and  a  king  of  the  north  shall  come  against 
him  : — and  he  shall   cHlcr   into  the  countries  ; — and  he 

*  *•  It  is  true,  vliich  you  gut  s;^,  that  1  incline  to  apply  the  kingnf  the  noilii't 
govq  fo'-th  (xip'ji  the  tidings  fi  <,m  th.  cist  (ind  the  iio'thj  ,n  a  funj  to  (1ei:to>i, 
and  to  that  pin /us  to  plant  the  tabe'naclc.i  nf  his  pahtccs  in  the  ^'inriou.i  mountain 
of  holinrsn,  ti.thc  Jews'  letui  ii,  und  i/ic  eapiJttii  h  oj  G  ,g  ad  ,Magog  i  'o  the 
hoh/ Itiful  *  ( Mcde's  Works  B.  iv.  Kpiht.  54. )  I  think  Mr.  Meile  wronp  in 
his  clironoloi;)  of  thf  e.rptditi',n  'J  (ifi,q  und M:i^o;r,  as  I  a.tt-mpt  to  prove  at 
larg;e  in  tin"  work  whicli  I  have  now  in  hand  concerning  the  Jicxtormion  of 
Jsrocl  and  iht  ovcihrov}  ij  the  ..Inti  christian  eonf  rirracy  .■  blithe  pluinl}  con- 
biders  the  two  last  verses  of  n;m  xi.  as  yet  unfuKillcd.  which  was  tlu'  pur- 
posp  for  which  I  made  this  citation  Up  Xewtoii  is  oftlit- same  opinion.  'The 
two  next,  wliirh  iirc  the  two  l;ist  vciscs  of  this  chapttr,  I  conccivc,  i'(;znai)\ 
yet  to  be  fultilleu.'    Dissert,  xvii-  in ioc 


e6l 

•• I 

sliP-11  plant  the  curtains  of  his  pavilion';  between  the  seas 
in  ihe  glorious  holy  mountain  :  yet  he  shall  come  to  his 
end,  and  none  shall  help  him.  And  at  that  time  shall 
Michael  stand  up,  the  great  prince  which  standeth  for 
the  children  of  thy  people  :  and  there  shall  be  a  time  of 
trouble  such  as  never  Vv'as  since  ther^?  was  a  nation  even 
to  that  s  me  time  :  and  at  that  time  thy  peoole  shall  be 
delivered."  Here  let  us  pause,  and  ask,  At  what  time  ! 
The  expression  at  that  thiie  can  only  refer,  either  to  the 
time  of  the  end-,  ox  to  the  period  wheii  thepoxver  xvhich 
had  occupieu  the  holy  mountain  is  d.strojed  To  the  07iey 
or  t}]C'  other,  it  must  refer.  I  believe  it  raj^self  to  refer 
to  the  t.meof  the  end  ;  because  I  believe  the  time  of  the 
c/jfi^  to  commeiLce,  when  the  1 260 3/e<2r-9  terminate.  To 
the  present  argument  however  this  is  immaterial  :  and, 
since  Mr.  Mede  and  Bp.  Newton  of  course  will  not  refer 
it  ioihe-ime  oj'  the  end,  they  must  refer  it  to  the  lime 
when  'hepoiver  in  q^'eslio?? perishes  *  This  power  tiiey 
suppose  to  be  the  king  of  the  iXorth-,  vi^ho  according  to 
their  idea  is  the  (,'itoman  empire.  Therefore  the  Ottoman 
em  ire  will  j^erish  at  the  time  when  Michael  stands  up, 
and  when  the  people  of  Dan. el  or  the  Jews  begin  to  be 
delivered.  7~^he  Jezvs  however,  as  Daniel  afterwards  in- 
forms us,  will  cease  to  be  scattered  when  all  the  zvonders 
of  the  1Q60  days  shall  be  finished  :  but  all  those  zvonders, 
he  says,  will  be  iinished  at  theend  of  the  tliree  times  and  a 
half:  therefore  the  Jexos  w'lW  cease  to  be  scattered,  or 
begin  to  be  restored,  at  the  same  time.  But  we  had  al- 
ready arrived  ?.t  the  conclusion,  that  the  fall  of  the  Otto- 
man empire  and  the  restoration  of  the  oezvs  were  to  be 
contemporary.  Thereiore  the  j alt  of  the  Ottoman  empire, 
if  the  principles  of  Mr.  Mede  and  ISp.  Newton  be  just, 
which  I  den}' ,  must  take  place  at  the  end  of  the  three  times 
and  a  half,  or  the  IQ^QO years.  And  how  does  this  accord 
with  St.  John !  He  teaches  us,  that  the  confederacy  of 

*  So  accordingly  Mr.  Mede  does  refer  it.  See  the  last  citation  from  him. 
15p.  Newton  does  the  same.  "  Befwventhe  seas  in  the giurious  holy  mjuiitaiti 
must  denote  some  part  of  the  holy  land.  There  the  lurk  shall  encamp  with 
all  his  power,  yet  he  shall  come  to  his  end,  and  none  shall  lielp  him  Th* 
same  timt-s  and  the  same  events  seem  to  be  presi,c:nified  in  this  propliecy,  as 
in  that  of  Ezekiel  concerning  Gog  of  the  Ian-;  of  Magog— He  shall  come  up 
against  the  people  of  Israel  in  tlie  latter  days  afier  their  return  from  captivi- 
ty—He shall  slso  fall  upon  the  niQuntaios  of  Israel."    Dissert-  XVU  in  loc. 


^2 

the  beast,  the  false  propheti  and  the  kings  of  the  earthy 
shall  be  broken  at  Arinageddoii,  in  Faieslinc,  or  the  land 
which  extends  I6OO  furlongs,  under  the  seventh  vial, 
which  plainly  begins  to  be  poured  out  at  the  end  of  the 
1260  I/ears.'^  And  he  likewise  teaches  us,  Mr.  Mede 
himself  being  the  interpreter,  that  the  waters  of  the  Eu- 
phrates shall  lie  dried  up,  or  that  the  Ottoman  empire 
shall  be  overthrown  under  the  sixth  vial,  at  some  indefi- 
nite period,  before  the  conjideraey  begins  to  be  even 
gathered  together  to  Armageddon,  and  consequently 
much  more  at  some  indefinite  period  before  that  confed- 
eraex)  is  destroyed  at  Armageddon.  According  to  the 
scheme  then  which  I  am  opposing,  St,  John  tells  us, 
that  the  Ottoman  empire,  under  the  name  of  tJie  Euphra- 
tes, will  be  subverted  at  some  indeiinite  period  be/ ore 
the  expiration  of  the  1260  1/ ears,  and  consequently  be- 
fore  the  commencement  of  the  resiorafion  (f  the  Jews, 
but  a  period  long  enough  to  allow  of  the  gathering  to- 
gether of  the  bestial  co)?Jederacy  and  their  subsequent 
expedition  into  Palestine  :  while  Daniel  tells  us,  that 
the  Otlomdu  empire,  under  the  name  of  a  king  oj  the 
North,  will  be  destroyed  in  Palestine  after  the  expiration 
oi  the  l^QO years,  because  contemporaneously  with  the 
restoration  oJ  the  Jews.  Thus  tloes  the  scheme,  wliich 
makes  the  king  of  the  North  to  be  the  Turk,  set  Daniel 
and  St.  John  at  direct  variance  :  and  hence,  even  sup- 
posing that  the  king  of  the  North,  and  not  the  wilful 
king,  is  to   perish  in  Palestine  at  the  end  of  the  P2()0 

*  Such  is  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Mede  He  supposes  the  first  blast  of  the  sc- 
I'rnth  t)umpct  and  the  first  effusion  nf  the  seventh  vial,  which  he  juslly  calls  t/ie 
i:inl  of  coJisiimmatiijU,  exactly  to  synchronise  ;  and  he  maintains,  that  at  this 
era  the  three  times  and  a  half  terminate.  Though,  as  I  have  already  observed, 
1  prefer  Up.  Newton's  arrangen'Cnt  ol"  the  seventh  tyumjxt,  I  tiiink  Mr.  Mede's 
opinion  indisputable  that  the  126(»  days  expire  when  the  vial  nf  consummation 
is  poured  out,  because  the  contents  of  that  vial  plainly  shew  tliat  it  relates  to 
the  lime  of  Cod^s  great  controversy  -uiith  the  nations.  But  this  great  controversy, 
this  period  of  unexampled  trouble,  synchronizes,  according  to  the  unanimous 
testimony  of  all  the  prophets  wlio  treat  of  the  subject,  with  the  restoration  of 
the  Jews;  which  restoration  commences,  according  to  Daniel,  at  t  he  chise  of 
tfie  three  times  and  a  half:  therefore  the  conti^mporary  period  of  n:iexatnplcil 
rroj/A/f  must  commence  at  the  close  of //ir  three  times  and  a  half ;  and  conse- 
quently the  effusion  of  the  sevn.th  rial,  which  treats  of  that  period,  must  like- 
wise commence  at  the  close  of  f/if  f/irfpr/»ics  <i;i(/ n  Art./".-  in  other  words,  the 
seventh  vial  must  begin  to  be  poured  out,  so  soon  as  the  thi-ee  times  and  a  half 
nr  the  1260  day.'^  cxi)ire  ;  which  was  the  point  asserted,  (jompure  Mt-de's 
Clav.  Apoc.  I'ur.  Alt.  S)nch.  4,  5.— Comment.  Apoc.in  Tub.  vii.  el.  Pliial.  vil— 
an^  the  plate  at  the  end  of  his  duris. 


B63 

yedrs,  it  is  plain  tliat  tiie  power  vvliich  perishes  after  to 
exi)!ration  of  that  period  cannot  be  the  Ottoman  emvirc 
which  (according  to  St.  John)  will  be  subverted  before 
the  expiration  of  it. 

Yet  even  this  is  not  all.  Two  expeditions  into  the 
very  same  coiintrij,  attended  with  exactly  the  same  cir- 
cumstaiires,  can  scarcely  be  contemporary.  But  we  have 
abundant  reason  to  believe,  as  will  be  stated  at  large 
hereafter,  that  the  Rommi  confederacy  of  tlie  beast-,  ike 
false  prophet,  and  the  kivgs  of  the  earth,  will  undertake 
such  an  expedition  into  Palestine,  as  is  here  described 
by  Daniel,  at  the  close  of  the  IQGO years.  Plow  then 
can  the  Turk  undertake  exactly  such  another,  and  ex- 
actly at  tho  same  time  ?  Perhaps  it  may  be  said,  the  tjvo 
expeditions  will  form  only  one  allied  expedition.  How- 
then  can  this  allied  expedition  have  two  commanders  in 
chief?  In  the  Apocalypse  the  beast  imder  his  last  head, 
which  most  commentators,  though  1  think  very  errone- 
ously, have  supposed  to  be  the  Papacy,  is  the  command- 
er in  chief;*  and  not  a  hint  is  given  of  any  co-operation 
on  the  part  of  the  Turk  :  as  indeed  how  should  there, 
when  St.  John  has  told  us,  that  the  Ottoman  empire,  or 
the  mystic  Euphrates  had  been  previously  destroyed  ? 
In  Daniel,  the  king  of  the  N'orih  (still  arguing  according 
to  Mr.  Mede's  and  Bp.  Newton's  reference  of  the  expe- 
dition against  Palestine  to  the  king  of  the  Noj^th  and  not 
to  the  wilful  kingyj  whom  they  suppose  to  be  the  Ttrk, 
is  the  commander  in  chief;  and  not  a  hint  is  given  of 
any  co-operation   on  the  part  of  the  beast :  when  yet, 

*  Tlie  reader  will  perhaps  be  inclined  to  thin.k  from  the  present  aspect  of 
aflfuirs,  that  the  probability  of  th.  Pope  being  commander  in  chief  of  a  vast  e.v- 
peditio7i  against  Falcntine  is  much  on  a  par  witli  the  probabdity  of  the  Turk  be- 
in^  commander  in  chief  of  a  contonporaneuus  expedition  against  the  sa)7ie  coun- 
try. Yet  does  this  expectation  necessarily  result  from  t!)e  belief  that  tlie  ten- 
hot  ned  apocaluptic  beast  is  the  Papacy  .•  for  that  beast  is  plainly  represented,  as 
not  merely  taking  an  /?z/er/or  part  in  the  co^ifederacv  of  the  Latin  kings,  but  as 
aiiiinating  and  lieading  it.  According  to  tlie  light  in  which  /  view  that  yet 
nnaccomphshed  prophecy,  the  Pope  and  his  hie-archy,  orthe  false  prophet  who  is 
the  same  as  the  second  apocalyptic  bea^t,  will  be  more  or  less  indeed  co7?€enif  J  and 
intcresiedin  this  expedition  against  the  land  that  extends  IGOO  furlongs  :  nay, 
with  Mr.  Whitaker,  I  even  think  it  not  improbable,  thp.t  Jerusalem  may  final- 
ly be  the  seat  of  the  apostate  vian  of  sin  :  but  the  po-a-er,  tliat  will  f)rm  the  con- 
federacy of  vassal  kings  and  head  the  expedition  into  P;Jestine,  nome.ly  the 
Jicman  beast  wider  his  last  head,  I  cea'tainl)  believe  to  be  a  very  different  power 
irom  the  Papacy.  Jiut  this  matter  will  be  discussed  at  large  hereafter,  when 
I  consider  the  character  of  the  t-n-o  apocalyptic  bensis. 


261. 

according  to  St.  John,   that  very  Turk  was  no  longer  in 
existence. 

Since  then  the  hing  of  the  Nnrlh  plainly  cannot  be 
the  7>/r/f,  and  since  consequently  the  actions,  which  Mr. 
Mode  and  I3p.  Newton  ascribe  to  the  king  or  th-  Xurth, 
cannot  have  been  performed  by  the  Turk;  since  more- 
over, as  /will  venture  to  affirm,  if  the  actions  ascribed 
to  the  ki}g  of  (he  North  were  not  performed  by  the  Tiirky 
they  were  never  performed  liy  anij  king  of  the  Nf)rth, 
and  if  not  by  <77?j/king  of  the  North  certainly  not  hy  any 
power  which  may  be  deemed  the  antitype  of  the  wilful 
king:  it  will  follows  that  all  these  actions,  whether  per- 
formed by  the  wilful  ki??gas  /suppose,  or  by  the  king  of 
the  Nrrlh  as  ]Mr.  Mede  and  Bp.  Newton  suppose,  are 
still  future  ;  which  will  bring  me  back  to  the  point 
whence  I  set  out,  namely,  that  the  period  to  which  they 
are  ascribed  is  future  likewise  ;  in  other  words  that  the 
time  of  tlie  tW  denotes  some  future  period,  which  (as  I 
have  already  attempted  to  shew)  there  is  reason  to  think 
commences  when  the  \Q,GO years  terminate. 

In  fact,  the  only  expedition  undertaken  against  Pales- 
tine at  the  close  of  the  IQ60  years  and  contemporane- 
ously with  the  restof^a'ion  of  the  Jcivs,  an  expedition  no- 
ticed by  almost  every  prophet  that  treats  of  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Jews,'*  is  plainly  the  expedition  undertaken 
by  the  Rnrnan  coajederacy  of  the  be  sty  the  false  prophetj 
and  the  kings  of  the  Latin  earth.  Hence,  since  Daniel 
predicts  an  expedition  undertaken  against  the  same  coun- 
try and  at  the  same  time  either  by  the  infidel  Icing,  or  by 
the  king  of  the  Xorth,  this  expedition  must  be  the  same 
.is  that  mentioned  in  the  Apocalypse  :  consequently  it 
must  be  undertaken  by  that  king  w  ho  may  be  considered 
as  the  dominant  Ji'oman  power.  But  the  king  oj  the  North, 
unless  I  greatly  mistake,  is  not  a  llonian  power  :  whereas 
the  wilfnl  king,  according  to  wy  interpretation  of  his 
character,  is   the  greatest  of  the   Roman  powers.      For 

*  Tills  point  is  fully  considered  in  my  Jinpnbllshcd  work  on  the  reitovation 
vf  Israel  iinii  the  dcanuction  of  Jlaiichritl.  Tl>e  Jewish  Uulibies  tht-niselves  have 
collected  irom  their  own  prophets,  that  llw  rtitoralioii  of'  their  rutiutrt/men 
will  synchronize  with  the  destruction  nf  the  /iomaii  povier  in  iln  ioc'  J'unn  ;  and 
they  scruple  nut  to  niuintain,  that  the  Eiium,  whose  overthrow  is  represented 
as  being  contemporary  wltl>  the  return  of  the  clio^en  people,  denotes  that  potoer. 
(See  Isaiah  l.\ii.  Ixiii.)    I  believe  them  to  be  perfectly  rig-ht  in  their  opinion. 


Q65 

these  various  reasons,  deduced  from  a  general  survey  of 
the  context  of  this  and  other  propiiecics,  I  conclude, 
that  the  expedition,  certainly  will  be  undertaken,  not  by 
the  hi  gof  the  North,  but  by  the  infidel  king  :  and  I  ap- 
prehend it  was  from  some  such  general  survey  of  the 
di'ierent  prophecies,  which  treat  at  once  of  the  resiora- 
tiou  of  the  Jews  and  the  contfiiiporaneous  destruction  of 
some  great  enemy,  of  God  in  Pnltst  lie y  that  the  ancient 
fathers  believed  that  Antichrist  was  destined  to  perish  in 
that  country  ;  an  opinion,  which  Bp.  Horsley,  and  I  think 
very  rightly,  judges  to  he  well  founded.^ 

But  it  may  be  said,  if  I  maintain,  that  the  infidel  king 
is  atheistical  France,  that  the  predicted  expedition  into 
Palestine  will  be  undertaken  by  the  infidel  king,  and  that 
this  predicted  expedition  about  to  be  undertaken  by  th(^ 
ivfidel  king  is  the  same  as  the  contemporaiy  expedition 
•about  to  be  undertaken  into  the  land  that  extends  I6OO 
furlongs  by  a  confederocy  of  the  beast  under  his  last  head, 
the  false  propliet,  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  :  if  I  main- 
tain these  various  connected  positions,  it  will  necessa- 
rily follow,  that,  at  the  time  of  the  expedition,  the  infi- 
del king  must  have  become  the  same  as  tiie  beast  under 
his  last  head.  Such  appears  undoubtedly  to  be  the  con- 
sequence of  this  train  of  comparative  reasoning.  I  must 
at  present  however  decline  saying  any  thing  more  on  the 
subject,  as  I  purjDOse  to  resume  it  after  I  have  discussed 
the  character  of  the  seven-iieaded  apocalyptic  beast,  and 
when  I  treat  of  the  events  foretold  under  the  last  vial. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  remark,  that,  whenever  the 
mystic  Eiipiir  ate  an  waters  are  exhausted  under  the  sixth 
apocalyptic  vial,  or  in  other  words  whenever  the  Ottoman 
empire  is  overthrown,  it  will  greatly  assist  us  in  explain- 
ing both  the  present  prophecy  of  Daniel,  and  another  of 
Ezekiel,  which  many,  though  I  believe  erroneously,  have 
thought  to  be  parallel  to  it.  Both  Mr,  Mede  and  Bp. 
Newton  suppose,  that  the  events  predicted  in  Dan.  xi. 
44,  45,  which  they  refer  to  tJie  king  of  the  North,  are  the 
same  as  those  predicted  in  Ezek,  xxxviii,  xxxix ;  and 
they  both  equally  suppose,  that  those  two  prophecies 
will  be  accomplished  in  some  j^et  future  expedition  ol 

•  lietteron  Isaiah  xviii.  p.  107. 
VOL.1.  ^4 


266 

the  Turk  into  Palestine  at  the  era  of  the  restoration  of 
the  Jews.  I  havr  just  explicitly  avowed  my  total  dissent 
from  them,  and  Jfiave  very  fully  given  my  reasons  for 
such  dissent  :  according  however  to  all  appearances, 
though  I  presume  not  to  say  ho7V  soon,*  not  many  years 
will  elapse  before  the  question  is  decided  l^etween  us  for 
ever.  If  the  Ottoman  empire  fall,  as  I  myself  lirmly  be- 
lieve it  ;r//7  do,  without  undertaking  the  predicted  expe- 
dition into  Palestine  contemporaneously  with  the  return 
of  the  Jews  ;  we  shall  then  be  sure,  that  it  cannot  be  the 
subject  of  either  of  the  two  prophecies,  whether  the  two 
relate  to  the  same  event  or  n(^t  to  the  same  event.  And, 
if  it  should  prove  not  to  be  the  subject  of  the  prophecy 
contained  in  Dan.  xi.  44,  45,  which  of  course  it  cannot 
be  unless  it  fuHil  that  prophecy  by  undertaking  the  ex- 
pedition into  Palestine  ;  then  neither  can  it  be  the  sub- 
ject of  the  prophecy  contained  in  Dan.  xi.  40 — 4-5,  And, 
if  ii  be  not  the  subject  of  that  prophecy  ;  then  it  cannot 
be  Ihc  /ting  of  the  iVorthy  to  whom  the  entering  into  the 
countries  and  all  that  follows  is  ascribed,  erroneously  in- 
deed 1  believe,  by  Mr.  IMede  and  J3p.  Newton.  And, 
if  the  Ottoman  power  be  not  the  king  of  the  North  ;  then 
neither  can  the  Saracenic  power  be  the  king  of  the  South. 
In  short,  unless  the  now  debilitated  Turk  shall  perform  at 
some  future  |ieriodall  that  is  predicted  in  Dan.  xi.  4i-,  45, 
which  both  Mr.  Mede  and  lip.  Newton  allow  to  be  yet 
unaccomplished;  their  whole  exposition  of  Dan.  xi.  o() — 
45,  will  be  untenable. 

•  The  Tvrkish  empire  seems  at  present  to  exist,  balanced  as  it  were  betHceo 
the  je.ilousy  of  France  and  liussia  ;  and,  v  lial  i«  ninrc,  its  crisis,  so  far  as 
liuman  foresight  can  calculate,  seems  very  rapidly  approachinp.  The  usur- 
per is  claiming  .ill  the  Turkish  provinces  that  ever  Ixlon.ijed  to  the  \ cnetian 
rcpui)lic  ;  and,  it' France  and  Jiu^sia  seriously  nieasuro  their  strength,  it  will 
most  probably  bf  upon  Ottoir.an  ground.  Can  an  em])irc,  w  liich  totters  to 
its  veiy  base,  and  which  is  faintly  struggling  with  oi>en  rebellion,  stand  the 
sliock  of  two  such  conflicting  rivals?  Unless  1  grcuily  mistake,  the  route  of 
Jlntichrist  or  the  inftkl  iing  to  J'aUstine  will  be  through  the  norlhorn  provin- 
ces of  Turkey  and  \lsia  minor.  Here  the  king  of  the  S.uth  will  l)Mtt.  at  him  : 
and  here  the  more  mighty  king  "f  '/«'  ^^orth  will  come  against  him  like  an 
jmpetuous  whirlwind^  not  only  with  land  forces,  but  with  m.iny  ^htjis  to  pre- 
vent his  crossing  the  Constantinopolitan  strait.  Vet,  in  despite  ol'lliis  reniit- 
ancc,  he  shall  overflow  the  countries  like  a  torrent,  and  safely  "  pass  over."' 
Wonvlcrfnl  is  the  concurrence  of  facts  witi>  prophecy!  Even  now  we  behold 
the  mo.'islPi"*  ^vho  at  one  period  seemed  effectually  excluded  from  Turkey  by 
the  powe.'"fid  intervention  oi  Austriu,  hanging  upon  the  frontiers  oi  the  Onrtptcu 
emjfire,  anO  devouring  by  anticipation  his  devoted  prey.    June  3, 1806. 


367 

Since  then  the  infidel  Icing  is  to  spring  up  after  the  re- 
formation and  to  continue  to  the  time  of  the  end,  wheri 
he  is  to  undertake  an  expedition  against  Palestine,  we 
must  look  for  his  two  antagonists,  the  Icings  of  the  South 
and  the  North,  after  the  reformation  also.  And  here  ic 
may  be  observed,  that,  since  the  king  of  the  Xorth  is  no 
where  said  to  be  a  horn  of  the  fourth  beast,  we  may  seek 
him  either  wi/to  or  without  i\\eYm\\i^  oi  the  ancient  Ro- 
man empire,  according  as  we  are  directed  by  existing  cir- 
cumstances. The  same  remark  applies  with  equal  force 
to  the  king  of  the  South.  Now,  when  we  consider  that 
near  twelve  cetituries  have  elapsed  since  the  rise  of  the 
great  Apostacy  in  the  year  QOQ,  and  consequently  (if  this 
be  the  true  date  of  it)  that  it  has  to  continue  but  little 
more  than  QO  years  ;  when  w^e  next  recollect,  that  the 
king  of  the  North  is  to  be  contemporary  with  the  infidel 
king,  whose  priinary  rise  must  be  dated  from  the  year 
1789  when  the  French  revolution  commenced,  who  was 
fully  revealed  in  the  year  1792,  when  the  reign  of  athe- 
ism and  anarchy  began,*  and  whose  overlhroza  will  begin 
to  take  place  at  the  end  of  the  IQ60  years  ;  when  from 
this  circumstance  we  obviously  deduce,  that  the  king  of 
the  North  is  iobe  the  imst  powerful  noi^thern  sovereignty 
of  Europe  that  shall  be  in  existence  between  the  years 
1789  and  186(3,  at  which  last  period  the  1260  years  ter- 
minate if  they  be  dated  from  Me  j/cY/r  6o6  ;  and  when  we 
lastly  advert  to  the  existing  and  probably  future  state  of 
the  great  European  common v/ealth,  we  can  scarcely 
doubt  but  that  the  Icing  of  the  North  is  the  colossal  mon- 
archy oi  Russia.  What  state  is  meant  by  the  king  of  the 
South,  is  not  quite  so  easy  to  determine. 

As  for  the  predicted  wars  of  the  infidel  poxoer  with 
tliese  two  sovereigns,  none  of  them  have  yet  received 
their  accomplishment.  The  prophet  begins  his  account 
of  them  with  declaring,  that  they  shall  happen  at  the 
time  of  the  end.  The  time  therefore  is  not  yet :  for  the 
IQ.60  years  have  not  yet  elapsed,  consequently  the  time 
of  the  end  is  not  yet  come.  Assuredly  however  will  An- 
tichrist hereafter  invade  Palestine  in  conjunction  with 

*  These  dates  will  be  fully  dispussed  hereafter. 


2^8 

the  false  prophet  ^\^^  the  kings  of  the  ^  atin  earth  :  and, 
though  tul.iigs  )iit  li"  ihe  East  aiid  on:  )f  riie  Xcjrth* 
may  trouble  him,  will  succeed  in  planting  the  cnrta'ns 
of  his  pa  i lions  betzceen  the  seas\  in  the  glorious  holy 
mountahi :  yet,  notwithstandinor  the  tenipo'a.y  pro^^per- 
it .  (  i  ins  aflairs,  he  shall  come  to  his  end,  and  none  shall 
help  him.  The  series  of  events,  which  terminates  'a  tth 
the  desi ruction  of  the  monster  and  his  confederated  host, 
will  be  c<^nteniporary  with  the  resturcuion  oj  the  Jews. 
At  the  close  of  the  IQi^O years,  and  at  the  commence- 
ment of  that  int^ermediate  period  styled  by  Dtiniel  he 
time  oJ  the  end-,  Antichrist  will  undertake  ihc  exped  tion 
uiiich  will  terminate  in  his  destruction  ;  and  at  the  same 
period  the  Jexvs  will  begin  to  be  restored. J  Yew  there- 
fore of  1  ho  present  general  ion  can  expeci  to  bchoid  even 
the  begin  fling  of  the  expedition  :  none  can  hope  to  wit- 
iiess  ii,s  pre(]icted  invasion  of  Palestine-  his  capMire  of 
Jerusalc?n,  \\\^^  tronendrus  destruction  b>  txveen  the  t7vo 
seas.^     Awful  as  ihe  scenes  have  bten,    vhicii   we  lu've 

*  Daniel  teaches  us,  that  he  will  hear  these  tidiness  out  of  the  East  and  out 
of  the  North,  while  engaged  in  the  ci -iqui-st  oi  Egypt.  Now  we  have  .easoii 
to  iielieve,  that  a  large  l)c»J.'  ofllie  Jetvs  will  be  restored  in  a  C(  nveitcd  state 
by  some  great  inamimc  puve  .  Suppose  then  that  these  Jewish  converts  and 
their  protectorb  should  land  \n  Paus'.in  ,  while  .'i  7f /ir/j<  was  in  /'^'l'0^  the 
tidi'igs  of  such  a  circumstanre  must  undoubtedly  com<;  to  fiim  out  ci  the 
liaM  and  out  of  the  Xuith  But  the  series  of  evt  nts,  here  detailed  by  Danit!, 
are  considerfd  at  large  in  the  work  which  i  am  now  |)ieparing  for  die  )..v  siS 
on  thf  restoratiu'  of  !s)\ul  and  the  dcst,  uctioi:  (/.  intich-itt.  To  thai  work  1  beg 
to  refer  the  readei. 

f  The  I)i.ad  sea  and  the  Medittuauean  cea,  between  wliich  Jerusalem  is  sit- 
uated 

i  Dan  xi.  40  xii  1,  6,  7.  That  tlie  declaration  contained  in  tht-se  two  Isst 
verses  relates  lo  the  connticnccvicnt  and  not  to  ilie  uccoiitj.l'xlinunt  of  the  roio- 
ration  of  Judah,  in  other  words,  tlia.  Jiulah  will  i>iV\  begin  U)  be  restored  at 
the  end  of //i<-  three  times  and  a  half  is  nianitest  from  Uie  fi>llov.ing  statement. 
AVe  are  taught  in  Dan.  xii  1.  tha;  he  Jcu  swill  be  Cehvered  at  the  same 
time  (according as  we  understarui  thf  passage.)  either  witli  the  conrnienctment 
ot  the  infidti  king's  expedi' ion  in  lian.  xi  4'J.  or  with  liis  oi«".7irr  «  in  Dan  xi. 
45.  The  Ills  sujipositiun  is  lorl)idd«ni  by  other  par  lilcl  jrupijecieii,  which 
repivsent  the  Jews  as  being  Uiieudi/  in  ih.'ir  own  lai  <i  at  the  liiii'  that  the  .\n- 
tjchribtian  conf' deracy  is  broken  :  consequently,  th<y  must  ha\e  ^r^i/M  t(<  ha 
restored /)r«'7.o».  to  its  being  thus  br- ken.  Th-  /iz-vr  supposition  ili«  refore 
inusi  be  adi'j-  e.i  ;  whence  it  will  fijlh'V  ,  th.a  tiie  Jews  Zx^-i/i  to  he  resto.ed 
contemporaiicoush.  with  •hecoHr;;nrHit'mf»iM)f  he  ii:fidcl  king's  ••xpedilioii  !lut 
this  expedition  ccmmr.irx  at  tJu-  tnit  of  :he  end  i  Dan  xi.  40.^  :  and  the  Iniie  of 
the  f;i<ye«niniences  at  tlir  expiration  of  f/ic-  KoO //«<;;»:  therefore  the  expedi- 
tion com>»ie»cf.?  It  the  expiration  of  r'je  1:.'60  t/c<:'»  :  and  therefore  the  restora- 
tion ofllie  Jews,  which  commence  a  v  ith  the  eoinntiucevieiil  of  the  expedition, 
TDust  V  ccssarily  commence,  not  be^fr/fc;,./,  at  ihetxpiration  of  the  l>t>0  years 
lik'"vise 

§  1  speak  only  as  supposinfj  my  date  of  ,'/ic  1'.'60  i/rarj  to  be  the  true  one 


Q69 

beheld  as  it  were  with  our  own  eyes,  a  yet  more  drcadr 
fiij  prospect  extends  before  us,  ere  the  blessed  reign  of 
Christ  upon  eartli  shall  coniraence  The  revealing  an- 
gel, who  shews  to  Daniel  that  which  is  noted  in  the  Scrip- 
tf^reof  tnt^h,  concludes  his  prophetic  narrati\e  with  iii- 
foiming  hiiri,  that,  at  the  period  during  which  the  athe- 
istical tyrant  is  destrojred,  and  the  Jews  are  restored, 
*'  tker'  shili  be  n  time  of  trouble-,  such  as  iievcr  was  since 
thtrr  wa  a  nal  ion  even  to  that  same  ii  me"'  Nor  can  Ave 
wonder  '<\vA  that  era  should  bo  marked  with  peculiarly 
horrible  events,  vvhen  we  recollect  that  it  is  to  vvitjiess 
the  dying  stru.tzgies,  not  only  of  Atheism-,  but  likewise  of 
Popery  and  Mnkaynmedism.  It  is  an  era  however,  which 
will  be  terible  only  to  the  enemies  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  Tdose,  who  have  come  out  of  tiie  mjistic  Baby- 
lon-, and  have  refrained  from  })oIiuting  themselves  witli 
the  ^ntichristian  abr.niiuations  of  Ivfidelitijy  will  not  be 
partakers  of  her  l'!St  pagves^^ 

Thus  have  we  seen,  that  this  favoured  servant  of  God 
ha.c,  with  ininitablt;  siiiipliciiy  and  wonderful  accuracy, . 
gi" .  n  us  three  distinct  paiiiilngs  of  th'ce  great  enoturs 
of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  ;  Pvpery.,  Mohanit.-xdi.^in,  and 
French  Athehmi.  The  two  first-,  being  (to  use  Dean 
Prideaux's  expression)  the  t^vo  feet  of  the  great  Aposta- 
cif  With  which  it  trampled  both  upon  the  fiiast  an^i  the 
AVest  during  the  same  period  of  V2Q0 year's,  are  repre- 
sented by  the  kindred  symbols  ot  two  liitU  hnrn'i ;  for 
Popery  and  Mohatmnedism  had  these  features  in  com- 
mon, that  they  were  eacii  a  less  or  a  greater  defeiion 
from  pure  C  hristianity,  and  that  they  each  equally  af- 
fected to  act  x\'^i  contrary  to  the  wifl  of  Heaven,  but  un- 
der its  immediate  sanct  on  :  while  the  last,  being  com- 
pletely a  monster  sui  gei/eris,  the  very  An'ichrisi  pre- 
dicted by  St.  John  ;  t!ie  last,  as  if  no  symbol  c  luld  be 
foi'ud  adequate  to  describe  the  enormous  wickedness  of 
his  character ;  the  last  is  exhibited  to  our  view  by  no 
hieroglyphic,  but  stands  confessed  in  al!  his  native  hor- 
rors, as  a  king  who  should  magnify  hhdStlf  above  every 

Should  I  be  so  mistaken  in  the  date,  as  that  tht  1  oO  ijtcvs  expire  m-j  er  thai^ 
1  expect,  these  awiul  events  will  of  course  take  place  pmpoitionably  earlkv 
likewise. 

*  The  whole  of  this  sribject  will  be  more  fully  discussed  hereafter. 


'270 

god-,  ivJio  sftould  speak  marvellous  things  against  the  God 
of  gods,  ivho  should  neither  regard  the  god  of  his  father  Sy 
(he  desire  of  womeuj  nor  any  god,  but  who^  instead  of  the 
Tj)rd  of  hosts,  should  impiously  Jionour  tutelary  deities, 
and  especially  venerate  a  strange  god  whom  Jus  less  dar- 
ing fathers  of  the  Apostacy  nexer  Imew. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  examine  the  kindred  prophe- 
cies of  St.  John,  wiio,  like  jiis  illustrious  predecessor 
Daniel,  foretells,  \vith  the  addition  of  various  more  mi- 
nute circumstances,  ihni  the  Church  shall  be  in  a  depress- 
ed slate  during  the  \Q()0  years  of  a  great  Apostacy  from 
the  sinipUcity  of  the  Gospel. 


CIIAPTEK,  VI. 

Of  the  four  first  apocalyptic  trumpets 

AS  the  nature  of  my  subject  confines  rae  to 
those  parts  of  the  Apocalypse  which  treat  of  the  IQGO 
years  of  the  great  Apostacy,  I  shall  pass  over  in  silence 
the  contents  of  the  sijc  first  seals,  and  commence  my 
observations  from  the  last  seal,  which  comprehends  all 
the  seven  trumpets. 

"And,  when  he  had  opened  the  seventh  seal,  there 
was  silence  in  lieaven  about  the  space  of  half  an  hour. 
And  I  saw  the  seven  angels  which  stood  before  God  ; 
and  to  them  were  given  seven  trumpets.  And  another 
angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar,  having  a  golden  cen- 
ser :  and  there  was  given  unto  him  much  incense,  that 
he  should  ofTer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints,  upon 
the  golden  altar  which  was  before  the  throne.  And 
the  smoke  of  the  incense,  which  came  with  the  prayers 
of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before  God  out  of  the  angel's 
hand.  And  the  angel  took  the  censer,  and  filled  it 
with  fire  of  the  altar,  and  cast  it  into  the  earth  :  and 
there  were  voices,  and  thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and 
an  earthquake." 

The  prophet  had  already,  under  the  sixth  seaU  pre- 
dicted the  conversion  of  the  Roman  empire  to  Christi- 


271 

anity  in  the  days  of  Constantine,  the  downfall  of  pagan- 
ism, and  the  tranquillity  which  the  Church  enjoyed  for 
a  season  after  her  manifold  troubles  and  persecutions.* 
The  opening  of  the  seventh  seal  is  the  prelude  to  the 
disturbing  of  that  tranquillity,  the  harbinger  of  the  down- 
fall of  the  Western  empire-,  the  herald  of  the  revealing  of 
the  man  of  sin.  The  year  313  was  marked  by  the  fa- 
mous edict  of  Constantine  in  favour  of  Christianity  :  in 
this  year  therefore  the  tranquillity  of  the  Church  com- 
menced. No  great  length  of  time  however  elapsed  be- 
fore the  peace  of  the  Empire  began  to  be  broken  b}^  the 
incursions  of  the  northern  barbarians  about  the  years  3^21 
and  3^3.  At  this  period  1  conceive  the  seventh  seal  to 
have  been  opened,  and  tiie  silence  of  half  an  hour  or  ra- 
tlier  of  half  a  season  to  have  commenced.f  As  the 
seventh  seal  introduces  those  first  incursions  of  the  Goths 
that  took  place  after  the  beginning  of  tJie  Church's  tran- 
quillit}^  incursions  which  were  easily  repelled  by  the 
yet  vigorous  government  of  the  Empire  ;  so  tJie  silence 
seems  to  denote  the  state  oj  mute  and  anxious  expectation 
in  which  the  Church  anticipated,  as  it  were,  from  various 
less  important  invasions,  the  grand  irruption  of  the  Goth- 
ic monarch  Alaric  and  his  associates  under  the  first 
trumpet.  The  period  then  of  the  half  season  describes 
the  affairs  of  the  Church  and  the  Empire  from  about  the 
year  3Q2  to  the  year  395. 

What  the   Church  gained  in  outward  splendour  and 
prosperity  under  Constantine,  she  lost  in  purity  of  manj 

•Rev.  vi.l2 — 17.  vii.  1 — 17.  See.  Bp.  Nev.ton's  Dissert,  in  loc  I  canno 
but  think  however,  tliat  liis  I..ordship  extends  the  seaso?i  of  tranquillity,  pre 
dieted  in  </«(' sexr;/f  A  c/ui/j?er,  much  too  far,  in  supposing  it  to  reach  from  the 
reign  of  Constamine  to  the  death  of  Theodosius,  \\\\q\\  tlw  fmt  trumpet  began 
to  sound.  Such  an  opinion  neitlier  accords  with  facts,  nor  with  the  tenor  ol" 
the  prophecy.  If  we  advert  to  facts,  we  shall  find,  that  the  peace  of  the 
Church  began  to  be  disturbed  even  during  tlie  life  of  Constantine  by  the  he- 
resy of  Arius,  and  afterwards  by  the  apostacy  of  Julian  If  we  advert  to  the 
prophecy,  we  bliall  find,  that  the  scheme  in  question  makes  the  tranquillity  oj 
the  sixth  seal  synchronize  for  the  most  part  with  t/ie  silence  iiUmduced  by  the 
opening  oJ  tht  seventh  seal  Now,  since  the  tranquillity  is  placed  under  the  sixth 
sial,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  tliat  it  is  considered  as  terminating,  when  the 
seventh  sealis  opened,  which  introduces  no  scenes  of  peace,  but  a  mute  and 
anxious  expectation  of  the  calamities  soon  about  to  fall  upon  Uie  Roman  em- 
pire under  the  truvifiets.  History  shews,  that  this  supposition  is  just  ;  lor  we 
can  scarcely  consider  fA«f  as  a  period  of  much  tranquillity  to  the  Church 
which  was  at  once  disturbed  by  tiie  quarrels  of  the  Consubstantialists  and  the 
Arians,  the  mahgnity  of  Julian,  and  the  perpetual  incursions  of  the  (iolhs. 
+1  shall  take  occasiijn  hereafter  to  discuss  the  import  of  the  word  hour. 


575 

iiers  and  docLiinc.  The  holy  simplicity  of  primitive 
Clinstiaiiity  was  no  more,  and  ilie  heresy  of  Arius  in- 
troduced ii  succession  of  crimes  disgraceful  alike  to  hu- 
manit}'  and  religion.  Accordingly,  in  fore  the  sounding  of 
fJir  trmiipds  commences,  tiie  state  of  thn  woild  at  that 
period  is  foretold  by  an  emblem  most  significant  of  the 
corruptions  then  prevailing  ;imong  (  hristians.  AJuch  in- 
cense is  ofTcred  from  a  i^olckn  cemer  along  with  the 
])ra3^ers  of  Lke  Church,  in  order  to  shew  how  much  pu- 
rification those  pra}'ers  required  ere  they  were  meet 
to  be  presented  before  the  throne  of  grace  ;  and  the 
placing  of  this  circumstance  "  immediately  before  the 
sounding  of  the  irinnpcts^  suggests,  that  the  subject  of 
those  prayers  was  the  aversion  of  something  to  be  called 
iov  \^y  those  (rii)n])ets :  and  wliat  could  this  be,  but  that 
of  the  des' ruction  of  the  Ro) nan  cuipirey  for  the  duration 
of  which  we  kjiow  the  ancient  C  hristians  were  wont  to 
pray  ?  It  is  plainly  suggested,  that  the  petition  for  some 
tlclay  would  be  accejited  ;  yet  all  further  applications  on 
that  head  are  discouraged  by  a  most  significant  emblem, 
that  ol  the  cei.str  being  cast  anay  :  while  the  JiUwg  of 
itwith  fire  from  the  aliar^''  the  well  known  symbol  of 
divme  wrath,  "  but  too  plainly  indicates,  that  the  suc- 
ceeding troubles  should  at  least  be  forwarded  by  those 
■jvhojiinnstcr  (d  the  all.Gr  ;  and  the  immediate  succession 
of  voices,  and  thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and  an  earth- 
quake, manifest,  that,  though  the  sounding  of  the  triun- 
j5^/^  should  be  deferred,  yet  some  judgments  should  im- 
mediately follow."* 

Upon  referring  to  history  we  find,  that  the  incursions 
of  the  northern  barl)aiians  gradually  became  more  and 
more  formidal:)le.  Jktween  the  pears  365  and  379,  an 
almost  perp(  iual  war  was  carried  on  between  them  and 
the  Komans  with  various  success  :  and  in  Uielastof  these 
years,  when  tlic  Eiipire  seemed  on  the  point  of  beijig 
completely  overrun  and  dismembered,  Gratian  associated 
with  himself  in  the  imperial  dignity  the  famous  Th-.^odo- 
sius.  ijy  the  successful  valour  of  this  wa  like  prince, 
thesouadijigof  ihejvst  trumpet-,  and  the  impending  ruin 

*  Whitaker's  Comment,  p.  80. 


^73 

•f  the  Efnpire,  were  delayed  for  sixteen  years  :  but  *'  the 
genius  of  Rome  expired  with  Theodosius,  the  last  of  the 
successors  of  Augustus  and  Constantine,  who  appeared 
in  the  field  at  the  head  of  their  armies,  and  whose  au- 
thority was  universally  acknowledo[ed  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  the  Empire."* 

"  And  the  seven  angels,  which  had  the  ^even  trumpets, 
prepared  themselves  to  sound." 

the  four  Jir St  trumpets  describe  the  removal  of  that 
pdzver,  which  m  the  daj^-s  of  St  Paul  letted  or  prevented 
thedovelooement  of  ^/^e  vKni  of  sift,  namely,  the  xvestenv 
imperial  dignity  of  Rome  :  while  the  Ikree  last,  which 
are  awfully  styled  the  three  tvoes,  deisiA  the  history  of 
the  great  fwo-fold  Apostacy  both  in  ti(e  East  and  in  the 
West;  exhibit  the  man  of  sin  in  the  plenitude  of  his 
power,  upheld  by  the  secular  arm,  and  tyrannizing  over 
the  Church  of  Christ ;  predict  his  complete  destruction 
at  Armageddony  in  the  very  act  of  opposing  the  Almigh- 
ty cOijjDintly  with  his  temporal  colleague  the  'en-horned 
beast  ox  revived  Roman  empire  ;  and  finally  bring  us  to 
the  period,  when  all  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  be- 
come the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

"  The  first  angel  sounded  :  and  there  followed  hail  and 
fire  mingled  with  blood,  and  tiiey  were  cast  upon  the 
earth  ;  and  the  third  part  of  the  trees  was  burnt  up,  and 
all  green  grass  was  burnt  up." 

Throughout  a  great  part  of  the  prophecy  of  the  trum- 
pets^ the  Roman  empire  is  denominated  the  third  part 
0]  the  whole  symbolical  universe ^  as  including  ihe  third 
part  of  the  then  known  world,  and  as  teing  seated  prin- 
cipally in  Europe,  which  at  that  time  was  accounted  the 
third  part  of  the  world. f  Had  and  lightning  mingled 
with  blood  denote  a  tremoidous  tempest  of  desolatitio-  war 
and  foreign  invasion.   The  .•tor?n  therefore,  which  is  here 

*  Hist  of  Decline,  Vol.  v  p.  137 
t  See  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert  on  Rev.  viii.  ami  Waple  and  Whiston  in  loc. 
Mr.  Bicheno  conjectures,  tliat  t1ie  expression  the  third  part,  which  occurs  so 
frequently  in  this  portion  of  the  Apocalypse,  is  used  in  allusion  to  the  three 
prefectures  of  the  Roman  empire.  History  however  will  noi  bear  him  out.  We 
do  not  find,  that  one  particular  prefecture  wasaflected  ex..lusively  by  the  blast 
of  one  particular  fru7npet,  which  tbti  adoption  of  such  a  schem-  necessarily 
requires  :  on  the  contrary,  the  miseries  introduced  by  at  least  the  first  trumpet 
extended  more  or  less  to  all  the  three  prefectures.  Signs  of  the  times,  Part.  Hi. 
Pk  1j3. 

VOL.  r.  .  35 


274 

represented  as  falling  upon  the  earth  or  Roman  empii'Cy 
typifies  that  <:^r and  compound  irruption  of  the  barbarous 
northern  nations,  from  the  elrects  of  which  the  Roman 
empire  never  recovered  itself,  as  it  had  done  from  those 
of  the  foregoing  irruptions.  In  the  natural  world  a  storm 
is  frequently  preceded  by  a  calm:  hence  in  the  figura- 
tive wctxldi  the  great  hail-storm  mingled  with  lightning  is 
represented  as  being  preceded  bv  siletice.  This  silence 
however  is  not  so  deep,  but  that  the  latter  part  of  it  is 
interrupted  both  by  thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and  an 
earthquake,"^  the  immediate  harbingers  of  the  hail-storrn. 
Accordingly  we  find,  that  the  fierce  Gothic  tribes  though 
perpetually  at  war  with  the  Romans,  and  though  threat- 
ening to  overwhelm  them  by  repeatedly  violating  the 
long  extent  of  the  northern  frontier,  were  for  a  time  re- 
strained by  the  genius  of  Theodosius  :t  but,  upon  the 
decease  of  this  great  ))rince  in  the  year  395y  the  northern 
cloud,  which  had  so  long  been  gathering,  discharged  it- 
self with  irresistible  fury  upon  the  Empire.  "He  died 
in  the  month  of  January  ;  and  before  the  end  of  the  same 
year  the  Gothic  nation  was  in  arms — The  barriers  of  the 
Danube  were  throwD  open  :  the  sa\'age  warriors  of  Scy- 
thia  issued  from  their  forests  ;  and  the  uncommon  se- 
verity of  the  winter"  (the  season  in  which  natural  hail 
and  snow  are  generated)  "  allowed  the  poet  to  remark, 
that  they  rolled  their  ponderous  waggons  over  the  broad 
and  icy  back  of  the  indignant  river — The  fertile  fields  of 
Phocis  and  Beotia  were  covered  with  a  deluge  of  barba- 
rians, who  massacred  the  males  of  an  age  to  bear  arras, 
and  drove  away  the  Ijeautiful  females  with  the  spoil  and 
cattle  of  the  flaming  villages."  The  whole  teiritory  of 
Athens  was  blasted  by  the  baleful  presence  of  Alaric ; 
and  "  the  travellers,  who  visited  Greece  several  years  af- 
terwards, could  easily  discover  the  deep  and  bloody  traces 
of  the  march  of  the  Goths."J 

Such  were  the  first  effects  oS.  the  symbolical  hoil  storm. 
Having  thus  ravaged  Greece,  it  was  next  carried  into 

•  Rev.  viii.  .5. 
\  "  As  the  impatient  Goths,"     s.iys  Mr.  Gibbon,  "  could  only  be  reitrained 
by  the  firm  and  temperate  char-acter  of  Theodosius,  the  public  safety   seemed 
to  depend  on  the  life  and  abilities  of  a  single  man."     Hist,  of  Decline,  Vol.  iv 
p.  443. 

%  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  v.  p.  ir6— 181. 


Q75 

Italy  and  the  West.  Under  the  guidance  of  Alaric,  it 
passed  over  Pannonia,  Istria,  and  Venetia  :  and  threaten- 
ed the  destruction  of  imperial  Rome  herself.  At  length 
it  was  driven  out  of  Italy  by  Stilicho. 

Yet,  scarcely  was  this  part  of  the  tempest  dissipated, 
when  another  dark  c/oud,-'^  generated  hke  its  fellow  in 
the  cold  regions  of  the  North,  (so  accurately  does  the 
symbol  correspond  with  i is  antitype)  burst  in  the  year 
406  upon  the  banks  of  the  upper  Danube,  and  thence 
passed  on  into  Italy.  Headed  by  Radagaisus,  the  north- 
ern Germans  emigrated  from  their  native  land,  besieged 
Florence,  and  threatened  Rome.  Stilicho  however  was 
again  victorious  ;  but  the  remnant  of  the  vanquished  host 
was  still  sufficient  to  invade  and  desolate  the  province  of 
Gaul.  "  The  banks  of  the  Rhine  were  crowned,  like 
those  of  the  Tiber,  with  elegant  houses,  and  well  culti- 
vated farms.  This  scene  of  peace  and  plenty  was  sud- 
denly changed  into  a  desert  ;  and  the  prospect  of  the 
smoking  ruins  could  alone  distinguish  the  solitude  of  na- 
ture from  the  desolations  of  man.  The  flourishing  city 
of  Mentz  was  surprised  and  destroyed  ;  and  many  thou- 
sand Christians  were  inhumanly  massacred  in  the  church. 
Worms  perished,  after  a  long  and  obstinate  siege  ;  Stras- 
burgh,  Spires,  Rheims,  Tournay,  Arras,  Amiens,  expe- 
rienced the  cruel  oppression  of  the  German  yoke  ;  and 
the  consuming  flames  of  war  spread  from  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine  over  the  greatest  part  of  the  seventeen  provinces 
of  Gaul.  That  rich  and  extensive  country,  as  far  as  the 
ocean,  the  Alps,  and  the  Pyrenees,  was  delivered  to  the 
barbarians  ;  who  drove  before  them,  in  a  promiscuous 
crowd,  the  bishop,  the  senator,  and  the  virgin,  laden  with 
the  spoils  of  their  houses  and  altars. "f 

^Meanwhile  that  part  of  the  storm,  which  was  directed 
by  Alaric,  soon  began  to  beat  afresh.     Afier   the  death 

*  I  have  adopted  the  language  of  the  historian.  Unconscious  that  lie  was 
bearing  his  testimony  to  the  truth  of  prophecy,  he  has  used  the  self-same  al- 
legorical language  as  that  employed  by  St.  Jolm.  "  The  correspondence  of  na- 
tions," says  he,  "  was  in  that  age  so  imperfect  and  precarious,  that  the  re- 
volutions of  the  North  might  escape  the  knowledge  of  the  court  of  Ravenna  ; 
till  >.he  dark  cloud,  which  was  collected  along  the  coast  of  the  Baltic,  burst  iit 
thunder  upon  the  hanks  of  the  upper  Danube."  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall  V»i 
V.  p.  214.  ' 

t  Hist,  of  Decline,  Vol.  v.  p.  325. 


tot  Stiliclio,  tlie  Gothic  sovereign  again  invaded  Italy  : 
and  Konic  Iicrstlf,  alter  three  successive  sieges,  was  sack- 
ed by  the  northern  barbarians.* 

It  is  observable  in  literal  storms  of  ho^U  th<it  their  vio- 
lence app'  ars  for  a  season  to  subside,   and  afterwards  to 
return  with  redoubled  fury.     This  was  exactly  the  case 
with  thtjigurntive  tanpest  of  Oolitic  invasion   predicted 
in   the   Apocalypse.      After  the  exploits  of  Alaric  and 
Radagaisus  had  been  achieved,  the  violence  of  the  main 
body  of  the  hail-slorm  abated,   but  its  o?fts/a'rt;  still  con- 
tinued to  beat   upon    the  more  remote  provinces  of  i/ic 
Western  empire.     In  the  year  40.9,   Spain  was  overrun 
and  ravaged  by  the  Suevi,  the  Vandals,  and   the  Alans  ; 
w^ho  were  afterwards,  in  their  turn,  compelled  to  submit 
to  the  arms  of  the  Goths.f      The  A^indals  however  still 
prevailed  in  Gallicia;  and,  in  order  (as  it  were)   that  no 
part  of  the  Roman  /roW^/ should  escape  the  devastating  in- 
fluence of  tlic  northern  hail-slorm-,  soon  afterwards  in- 
vaded the  African  pro\'ince.     In  the  year  4*29,  they  cross- 
ed the  Streights  of  Gibraltar  under   the   command  of 
Genseric,  invited  by  the  mistaken   policy  of   lioniface. 
At  that  period  the  African  coast  was  extremely  populous, 
and  the  country  itself   so  Iruitful   that  it  deserved  the 
name  of  the  common  granary  of  Rome  and  of  mankind. 
"  On  a  sudden,  the  seven  provinces,  from  Tangier  to 
Tripoli,  were  overwhelmed  by  the  invasion  of  the  Van- 
dals.    War,  in  its  fairest  form,  implies  a  perpetual  viola- 
tion of   humanity  and  justice  ;    and    tiie   hostilities   of 
barbarians  are  inflamed  by  the  lierce   and  lawless  spirit 
which   incessantly  dir.larbs  their  peaceful  and  domestic 
society.     Tlie  Vandals,  where  they  found  resistance,  sel- 
dom  gave   quarter ;    and    the    deaths   of   their  valiant 
countrymen  were  expiated  by  tlie  ruin  of  the  cities  un- 
der whose  walls  they  liad  fallen.     Careless  of  the  dis- 
tinctions of  age,  or  sex,  or  rank,   they  emi)loyed  every 
species  of  indignity  and  torture,  to  force  from  the  cap- 
tives a  discovery  of  their  hidden  wealth.      The  stern  j)ol- 
icy  of  Genseric  justilied  his   frequent  examples  of  mili- 
tary execution  :  Jie  was  not  always  the  master  of   his 

•  Hist,  of  Decline,  A'ol.  v.  p.  184-^29.  +  Ibid  p  350^35J. 


^7 

own  passions,  or  of  those  of  his  followers;  and  the  ca- 
lamities of  war  were  aggravated  by  the  licentiousn<iss  of 
the  Moors,  and  the  fanaticism  of  the  Donatists."* 

Thus  did  tlwjirst  great  storm  of  hail  lay  waste  the  Ro- 
man empire.  Collecting  itself  in  the  North,  it  burst  over 
Greece  and  Italy  ;  ravaged  Gaul  and  Spain ;  and  at  length, 
spent  itself  in  Africa. 

Scarcely  was  the  fury  of  this  tempest  exhausted,  when 
another  no  less  destiuctive  began  to  gather,  as  we  per- 
petually behold  one  storm  of  hail  rapidly  succeed  an- 
other. The  Hungarian  monarch  Attila,  having  united  in 
his  own  person  the  empire  of  Scythia  and  Germany, 
soon  turned  his  arms  against  the  declining  power  of  the 
Romans.  In  the  year  441,  he  irivaded  the  Eastern  em- 
pire. '  "  The  Illyrian  frontier  was  covered  by  a  line  of 
castles  and  fortresses  ;  and,  though  the  greatest  part  of 
them  consisted  only  of  a  single  tower  with  a  small  gar- 
rison, they  were  commonly  sullicient  to  repel  or  to  inter- 
cept the  inroads  of  any  enemy,  who  was  ignorant  of  the 
art,  and  impatient  of  the  dela}^  of  a  regular  siege.  But 
these  slight  obstacles  were  instantly  swept  away  by  the 
inundation  of  the  Huns.  They  destroyed  with  fire  and 
sword  the  populous  cities  of  Sirmium  and  Singidunum, 
of  Ratiara,  and  Marcianopolis,  of  Naissus  and  Sardica  ; 
w^here  every  circumstance,  in  the  discipline  of  the  peo- 
ple and  the  construction  of  the  buildings,  had  been 
gradually  adapted  to  the  sole  purpose  of  defence.  The 
whole  bieadlh  of  Europe,  as  it  extends  above  five  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  Euxine  to  the  Hadriatic,  was  at  once 
invaded,  and  occujned,  and  desolated,  by  the  myriads  of 
barbarians  whom  Attila  led  into  the  field — The  armies 
of  the  Eastern  empire  were  vanquished  in  three  succes- 
sive engagements  ;  and  the  proo;ress  of  Attila  may  be 
traced  by  the  fields  of  battle — From  the  Hellespont  to 
Thermopylae  and  the  suburbs  of  Constantinople  he  rav- 
aged, without  resistance  and  without  mercy,  the  provin- 
ces of  Thrace  and  Macedonia.  Heraclea  and  Hadria- 
nople  might  perhaps  escape  this  dreadful  irruption  of  th^ 
Huns  ;  but  words,   the  most  expressi\e  of  total  extii'pa- 

Hist.  of  De«Vme.  Vol.  vl.  p.  12—21. 


278 

lion  and  erasure,  are  applied  to  the  calamities  which  they 
inflicted  on  seventy  cities  of  the  Eastern  empire."* 

A  pause  at  Icngtii  took  place  in  the  .form.  In  the 
year  446,  the  Constantinf)politan  cm[)eror  concluded  an 
ignominious  peace  with  Attila  :  but,  in  the  year  450, 
the  restless  Huji  threatened  alike  both  the  East  and  tlie 
West.  '*  INIanliind,"  sa3'S  the  historian,  "awaited  his 
decision  with  awful  suspence."  The  storm  however 
now  burst  over  Gaul  and  Italy.  After  ravaging  the  for- 
mer of  these  countries  w^ith  sa\age  barbarity,  Attila  turn- 
ed his  arms  toward  the  seat  of  the  JVestern  empire.  Aqui- 
leia  made  a  vigorous  but  inelTectual  resistance  ;  and  the 
succeeding  generation  could  scarcely  discover  its  ruins. 
The  victorious  barbarian  "  pursued  his  march ;  and,  as 
he  passed,  the  cities  of  Altinum,  Concordia,  and  Padua, 
were  reduced  into  heaps  of  stones  and  ashes.  The  inland 
towns,  \  icenza,  Verona,  and  Bergamo,  were  exposed 
to  the  raj)acious  cruelty  of  the  Huns  ;"  the  rich  plains 
of  modern  Lombardy  were  laid  waste;  and  the  feroci- 
ous Attila  boasted,  that  "  the  grass  never  grew  on  the 
spot  where  his  horse  had  trod."  Rome  herself  escap- 
ed :'  and,  by  the  sudden  death  of  Attila,  his  empire  fell 
asunder,  and  tlie  great  iwrlhern  stonii  of  hail  was  dissi- 
pated.t 

"  And  the  second  angel  soimded :  and  as  it  were  a 
great  mountain  burning  with  fire  was  cast  into  the  sea  : 
and  the  third  part  of  the  sea  became  blood  ;  and  the 
third  pait  of  the  creatures,  which  were  in  the  sea  and 
had  life,  died  ;  and  the  third  part  of  the  ships  were  de- 
stroyed." 

The  death  of  Attila  took  place  in  the  year  453;  and, 
with  that  event,  the  invasions  of  the  Roman  empire  from 
the  Xorth,  aj)tly  symbolized  by  a  storm  of  hail,  were 
brought  to  a  termination.  The  blast  of  the  second  trum- 
pet introduces  a  new  calamity  from  a  directly  opposite 
quarter  of  the  world.  \A'hat  proceeds  therefore  from ///f 
South  canjiot  with  any  proj)riety  be  represented  by  Jiail. 
Accordingly  Me  find,  that  the  contrary  emblem  of /?;•<? 
is  used  to  describe  it.     A  Immiiug  blast  causes  a  great 

•  Hist,  ol'nccline.  Vol.  vi.  p.  45—53.  f  Ibid.  p.  87— IjJ. 


S79 

inoJivtain  to  burst  forth  into  a  blaze ;  and  afterwards, 
heaving  it  from  its  base,  casts  it  ilaniing  into  the  midst 
of  the  sea.  This  imagery  is  manifestly  copied  from  a  pa- 
rallel passage  of  Jeremiah,  which  will  afTord  us  the  best 
explanation  of  what  is  intended  by  St.  John.  Address- 
ing himself  to  Babylon,  the  Lord  solemnly  declares, 
*'  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  destroying  mountain, 
which  destroyest  all  the  earth  :  and  I  will  stretch  out 
mine  hand  upon  thee,  and  roll  thee  down  from  the  rocks, 
and  will  make  thee  a  burnt  mountain."*  It  appears 
then,  that  the  destruclion  of  Babylon  is  symbolized  by 
the  tearing  np  of  a  large  movnlainfroin  its  base-,  and  by 
setting  Hon  fire.  Now  it  is  well  known,  that  Babylon 
is  the  constant  apocalyptic  tj^pe  of  T^owze.  Hence,  in  a 
prophecy  like  that  of  the  trmnpets  which  treats  of  the  fall 
of  the  Roman  emp're-,  the  symbol  of  a  mmmtaiuy  circum- 
stanced precisely  similar  to  the  Babylonian  mountain,, 
cannot  with  propriety  be  interpreted  as  relative  to  any 
power  excepting  that  of  Rome  alone.  In  the  year  455, 
Genseric,  king  of  the  \  andals,  sailed  from  Africa,  and 
suddenly  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber.  Rome,  once 
the  mistress  of  the  world,  was  now  unable  to  resist  the 
arms  of  a  barbaric  chieftain.  During  fourteen  days  and 
nights  it  was  given  up  to  the  licentiousness  of  the  Van- 
dals and  the  jNIoors ;  and  was  plundered  of  all  that  yet 
remained  to  it  from  former  conquerors  of  public  or  pri- 
vate wealth,  of  sacred  or  profane  treasure.  Having  thus 
at  once  satiated  his  rapacity  and  cruelty,  Genseric  set 
sail  again  for  Africa,  carrying  with  him  immense  riches 
and  an  innumerable  number  of  captives,  among  whom 
w^ere  the  empress  Eudoxia,  and  her  two  daughters.  By 
former  ravages  the  power  of  Rome  had  been  greatly 
weakened,  but  by  Genseric  it  w^as  so  completely  brokenj 
that  in  a  little  time  it  was  utterly  subverted.  Hurled 
from  its  base,  and  plunged  like  a  huge  blazing  mountain 
into  a  sea  of  wars  and  tumults,  "  it  struggled  hard,  and 
gasped  as  it  were  for  breath,  through  eight  short  and  tur- 

*  Jerem.  li.  25. 

+  So  completely  was  it  broken  at  this  period,  that  manj',  among  whom  are 
Mr.  Mede,  have  dated  the  fall  of  the  ■uieiteni  empire  from  the  year  455  er  456- 


9S0 

bulent  reigns,  for  Uie  space  of  twenty  years,  and  at  length 
expired  under  Augustulus."* 

**  And  the  third  angel  sounded  :  and  there  fell  a  great 
star  from  heaven,  burning  as  it  were  a  lamp  ;  and  it  fell 
upon  the  third  part  of  the  rivers,  and  uj)on  the  fountains 
of  waters  :  and  the  name  of  the  star  is  called  Wormwood  ; 
and  many  men  died  of  the  waters  because  they  were 
made  l)itter." 

We  have  seen,  that  the  language  used  by  St.  John  in 
describing  the  elfccts  of  theforiner  trumpet  is  borrowed 
from  a  pas^age.of  Jeremiah,  wherein  the  fall  of  Babylon, 
the  apocalyptic  type  of  Rome,  ispiedicted;  this,  which 
is  here  emp!oyr-d  by  him,  is  taken  in  a  similar  manner 
from  Isaiah.  "  Thou  slialt  take  up  this  proverb  against 
the  king  of  Babylon,  and  say,  Movv  hath  the  oppressor 
ceased,  the  golden  cities  ceased  !  The  Lord  hath  broken 
the  stafT  of  the  wicked,  and  (he  sceptre  of  the  rulers — 
How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  O  day  stai-,  son  of  the 
morning  !  how  art  thou  cut  down  to  the  ground,  which 
di'lst  weaken  the  nations:"!  Arguing  then  both  from 
analogy  of  interpretation,  and  from  the  general  tenor  of 
the  present  prophecy,  if  the  viountaiu  of  the  second tr?nn- 
pet  mean  Rome,  the  star  of  the  ih  rd  IriDupef.  must  mean 
the  prince  of  Ro)iie ;  precisely  iji  the  same  manner  as 
the  vioimtain  spoken  of  by  Jeremiah  means  Bahifloiu  and 
the  star  described  by  Isaiah  as  falling  to  the  gnniud 
means  the  prince  ot  Babylon.  In  the  language  of  sym- 
bols indeed  the  shno'ing  of  n  star  from  heaven  to  earth 
signifies  either  ^//f  dowujall  of  a  kiug^  or  the  apnstacy  of 
a  viinister  of  religion  ;  but  in  tiie  present  instance  we 
cannot  hesitate  to  ado[)t  the  secular  interpretation.  St. 
John  is  describing  the  calamtie^  of  ihe  Ro)nan  empire 
in  general,  and  the  downfall  of  the  fVe'^tern  empire  in 
particular:  hejice  it  is  more  congruous  to  explain  the 
symbol  of  the  falling  star  secularly  than  sj)iritually. 
And  this  opinion  is  decidedly  confirmed  by  the  testimo- 

•Bp.  NewloiVs  Dissert  on  liev.  viii.  Mr.  Lowmar.  supposes  Tike  myself, 
that  the  symbol  of  cojf/;;^  «  mountain  it.  f  the  sea,  here  used  by  the  prophet, 
denotes  tlu-  sut>\rvst'in  oj  i  kingdom  hv  hostile  i:iva»inn  "  Great  disorders  and 
coinmo:i»'  s,  tspe  ially  'uhcn  kingUtms  are  viove^:  hy  hostile  invasioim,  arc  expres- 
sed in  tilt-  pro|,lu:iir  style  by  curfffinj  or  casting  mtuntaiiu  into  the  midst  of  the 
iea."    I'aruph.  in  loc. 

t  Isaiali  xiv.  4,  5,  12, 


S8I 

iiyof  history.     At  the  era  of  the  third  trumpet.,  that  is 

to  say  at  the  era  posterior  tf)  the  hailstorm  of  northern 

invasion  and  the  fiery  blast  of  sout!iern  devastation,  we 

find  that  a  great  temporil  star  inmiediateiy  connected 

with  the  blazing  lyiountain  did  actually  fall  frf)ni  heaven  to 

earth  ;   but  we  shall  inva  n,  nt  the  same  period,  look  for 

the  apostacy  of  some  remarkable  spiritual  star.^^     On 

these  grounds,  I  doubt  not  that  tht^  falling   star  of  the 

third  trumet  is  the  line  of  the  Western  Cesar  s,  which 

was  finaiy  hurled  from  the  political  heaven  in  the  year 

476,t     The  last  emperor  INTomyllus  or  Augustulus  was 

deposed  hy  Odorxer  king  of  the  Heruli,  who  put  an  end 

to  the  very  name  of  the  Western  eminrCy  and  caused 

hi  Mself  to  be  proclaimed  king  of  Italy.! 

St.  John   intimates,  that  the  tall  <f  this  star  should 
eventually  be  productive  of  much  bloodshed  among  the 
rivers  and  fountains  or  the  settled  Gothic  gove7vime?2!s  of 
the  IVest   which  now  filled  the  place   formerly  occupied 
hy  tlie  Roman  empire  ;  and  thence  styles  it   fVorynwoody 
as   indicative   of  tlie    bitter  discords  which  its  downfall 
should  occasion.     As  the  union  of  the  nations  of  the 
West  under  one  head  would  naturally  be  the  cause  of 
peace  among  them,  so  their  disunion  under  many  heads 
U'ould  as  naturally  be  the  cause  of  war.     Thus  we  find, 
that  Odoacer  after  a  short  reign  of  sixteen  years  was  at- 
tacked and  slain  by  Theodoric  king  of  the   Ostrogoths  ; 
that  the  Ostrogothic  m'liiarchy  was  m  its  turn  subverted 
by  the  lieut'nants  of  the  Eastern  Emperor  ;  and  that  It- 
aly  was  afterwards  alternately  a  prey  to  the  Lombards 
and  the  Franks.     If  from  Italy  we  cast  our  eyes  over 

*  The  fallen  star  oUhe  third  trumpet  cvinnathe  -4>vj«s,  because  he  died  be- 
fore even  'he first  t<  umpet  bejjan  to  sound.  His  opinions  were  started  about  the 
year  318,  and  continued  to  agitaie  the  fi^st  till  about  the  ijear  361.  The  kail- 
storm  of  the  first  trumpet  had  long  I)etn  collecting  ;  but  it  did  not  burst  till  t/ie 
year  395 

t  Mr  Lowman  most  justly  obsen-es  respecting  this  Symbol,  that  "  the  most 
natural  interpretation  uf  it  seems  to  be  this  :  that,  as  the  nsmj  of  a  star  de- 
notes  :h<f  •  ise  uf  some  new  poi»er  or  imihvritu,  so  th  fall  of  a  star  f ram  heaven 
Signifies  the  fiiii  of  some  kin^dr.'n  or  empire r  (.PuVaph.  in  loc.)  He  would 
navfc  expressed  himself  however  with  more  accuracy,  had  he  snid  the  f^,'  of 
some  king  or  emperor 

^  Vlr.  Mede  aijplies  the  ahootin^  of  this  star  to  the  downfall  of  the  fTjs/ern 
t«nrs  .•  and  thence  lak.s  occiision  to  style  it  H  sperut,  or  the  'evening  star  of 
the  ffest.  I  perfectly  agree  with  him  in  his  interpretation  of  the  symbol  ;  but 
tluiik  11  right  to  obst^i-ve,  tiiut  lu-  has  no  warrant  for  denominating  tiie  star 
He.pe.  us     In  the  Apocalypse  it  is  simply  called  a  freal  star. 


Q82 

Gaul,  we  shall  behold  the  same  spectacle  of  war  atiii 
discord  in  the  contests  of  Clovis  with  the  Alcmanni,  the 
Burgujidians,  and  the  Visigoths  :  while  the  period  of  the 
fallen  star  was  marked  iji  Britian  by  the  establishment 
oi  the  Saxon  Heptarchy,*  and  the  subsequent  never 
ceasing  wars  between  the  princes  of  the  Saxon  blood.f 

"  And  the  fourth  angel  sounded  :  and  the  third  part 
of  the  sun  was  smitten,  and  the  third  part  of  the  moon, 
and  the  third  part  of  the  stars  ;  so  as  the  third  part  of 
them  was  dar'rened,  and  tlie  day  shone  not  for  a  third 
pa) tot  it,  and  the  night  likewise." 

■'/'his  trumpet  drs.  rihes,  under  the  symbol  of  an  eclipse 
of  the  *hird  or  Jioman  part  of  the  political  luininarics  of 
the  world,  the  elTects  produced  u[)on  the  empire^  consid- 
ered as  one  i^reat  whole,  by  the  sounding  of  the  three 
first  trumpets.  When  all  the  })rovinces  of  the  West  were 
occupied  by  the  northern  invaders,  when  Rome  herself 
became  a  mere  appendage  to  a  Gothic  kingdom,  and 
when  the  line  of  the  Italian  C'esars  had  ended  in  the  {^er- 
sonof  Augustulus  ;  then  commenced  the  great  eclipse 
of  lite  fourth  trumpet.  The  Roman  sun,  shorn  oi  his  rays, 
no  haiger  emitted  his  pristine  splendor  ;  the  figurative 
moon,  ox  the  body  of  the  people  subject  to  his  influence, 
shone,  by  the  defalcation  of  the  western  pro\inc.^s,  with 
scarcely  more  than  half  her  wonted  lustre  ;  ami  the  figu- 
rative stars,  or  the  governors  of  provinces,  experienced  a 
proportionate  diminution.     "  The  day  shone   not  for  a 

*0r,  according  to    Mr.  Turner,  Octarchy.    See  his  H'ist.  of  the  Anglo-Sax- 
OFis,  B.  ii.  O  6 

t  'rlic  slate  of  f/ie  lioman  world,  when  its  siimboUcal  rivers  and  Jhantaina  be- 

Jan  to  bf  tintr^^d  with  -Mormivnd  by  the  downfall  of  the  iVistern  empire,  is  thus 
esci  ibed  by  Mi  Gibbon.  "  I  have  nc^w  accomplished  the  laborious  narra- 
ti\e  of  the  tl  .chne  and  fall  of  the  Uomuu  empire,  from  llie  fortunate  age  of 
TrsjsiM  and  the  Antonints,  to  its  total  exlin(Aion  in  the  West,  about  five  cen- 
turicH  after  the  Christian  era.  At  that  T.ihapjiy  period,  the  Suxons  lierccly 
stru.';gka  with  lii'-.  natives  for  tlie  possession  of  Uritian  :  (ianl  and  Spain  were 
diviciftl  between  tlie  powfrfiil  mnnarchics  (;f  the  Franks  and  the  Visigoilis, 
and  the  dc|<endcnt  kmgdoms  of  tlie  Snevi  and  llurgundi.ans  ;  Africa  was  ex- 
posed to  tiu;  rruel  persecution  of  the  Vandals,  and  the  savage  insults  of  the 
Moora  ;  Rome  and  Italy,  as  fir  as  the  b.viks  of  the  Dannbc,  were  .ilHicted  by 
an  »rmy  of  babari:u>  mercenaries,  wliose  lawless  tyranny  was  succeeded  by 
the  reigt,  ot  r.heodoric  the  Ostrogoth.  All  the  subjects  of  the  cmjiire,  who. 
by  tlu  UiC  of  tlie  Latin  langna;:p.  more  parliculavl)  deserved  the  n;iinc  and 
priviiej^s  of  Iwomans,  were  cj)pressed  b)  the  ('sgruce  and  calamities  of  fo- 
reij;!^.  -^  nqucsts  ;  and  the  vicLorious  nations  of  (Jermany  establisheil  a  new 
systi  ..)  of  manners  and  government  in  tlw  wcsicrn  countries  of  Europe."  His'- 
of  Decline,  Vol.  vi.  p  404. 


ass 

third  part  of  it,  and  the  night  likewise."  While  "  the 
victorious  nations  of  Germany  established  a  ne-.v  system 
of  maimers  and  government  in  the  western  countries  of 
Europe,  the  majesty  of  Rome  was  faintly  represented  by 
the  princes  of  Constantinople,  the  feeble  and  imaginary 
successors  of  Augustus.  Yet  they  continued  to  reign 
over  the  East,  from  the  Danube  to  the  Nile  and  Tigris ; 
the  Gothic  and  Vandal  kingdoms  o,f  Italy  and  Africa 
were  subverted  by  the  arms  of  Justinian  ;"*  nor  did  the 
long  line  of  the  Cesars,  become  finally  extinct  till  Con- 
stantinople fell  a  prey  to  the  niartial  fanaticism  of  the 
Turks. 

Thus  wsiske  that  htted  removed  out  of  the  xvay,  and 
thus  was  an  opening  prepared  for  the  man  of  sin,  and  the 
ivestcrn  Apostacy.  Constantine  quitted  the  ancient  cap- 
ital for  the  city  of  which  he  claimed  to  be  the  founder; 
Honorius,  the  first  of  the  divided  Italian  Cesars,  fixed  his 
residence  at  Ravenna ;  and  at  length  the  Western  empire 
w\as  completely  overthrown  in  the  person  of  Augustulus. 
Nothing  now  impeded  the  growth  of  the  littU  horn  ex- 
cept the  three  Gothic  kingdoms  which  were  destined  to 
he  plucked  up  by  the  roots  before  it.  During  their  erad- 
ication it  gradually  increased  ;  and,  before  it  had  attain- 
jed  the  summit  of  its  temporal  power,  the  saints  were  de- 
livered into  its  hand,  and  it  became  a  Qnighty  spiritual 
persecuting  empire.  Then  was  the  man  of  sin  revealed, 
that  son  of  perdition,  whose  tyrannical  reign  and  final  de- 
struction is  described  at  large  under  the  three  last  trum- 
pets. 

As  I  have  materially  varied  from  Bp.  Newton  in  the 
preceding  interpretation  of  the  first  four  trumpets,  it  is  a 
mark  of  respect  only  due  to  so  excellent  a  commentator 
to  state  the  grounds  of  my  differing  from  him.  Accord- 
ing to  liis  Lordship's  exposition,  "at  t/ie  sounding  of  the 
first  trumpet,  Alaric  and  his  GotJis  invade  the  Roman 
empire,  twice  besiege  Rome,  and  set  hre  to  in  in  several 
places.  At  the  sounding  of  the  second  trumpet,  Attila 
and  his  Huns  waste  the  Roman  provinces,  and  com})el 
the  Eastern  emperor  Theodosius  the  second,  and  the 
Western  emperor  Valentinian  the  third,  to  submit  to 

*  Hist  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  vi.  p.  434- 


284 

tilianicfultcrms.  At  tlie  sounding  of  Ihe  third  inimpet, 
Genseric  and  his  Vandals  arrive  from  Africa,  spoil  and 
plunder  Rome,  and  set  sail  again  with  immense  wealth 
and  innumerable  captive?.  At  the  sounding  of  the  fourth 
frumpet,  Odoacer  and  the  Heruli  put  an  end  to  the  very 
name  of  the  JVc stern  empire T'^' 

All  the  subsequent  errors  of  this  interpretation  may 
be  traced  up  to  an  erroneous  curtailment  of  the  effects 
produced  by  the  first  irumpet.  The  northern  hailstorm, 
according  to  the  most  natural  explanation  which  can  be 
given  of  it,  must  mean  all  the  invasions  of  the  Roman 
€771^  ire  by  way  of  Germany,  Scythia,  and  the  North ; 
Avhether  conducted  by  Alaric,  Kadagaisus,  or  Attila ; 
Avhcther  executed  by  the  Goths,  the  Vandals,  the  Suevi, 
the  Alans,  or  the  Huns.  If  once  we  attempt  to  separate 
these  kindred  expeditions  from  each  other,  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  divide  them  not  merely  between  tivo  trumpets 
as  I3p.  Newton  has  done,)  but  among  all  the  seven. 
Proceeding  as  they  universally  did  from  the  same  quar- 
ter of  the  world,t  the  region  of  litci^al  haiU  they  must 
jointly  be  considered  as  constituting  only  w  77iany  d'ffer- 
ent  showers oj' one greaf  symhoitcal  hail-storm,  I  conceive 
i3p.  Newton  then  to  be  perfectly  right,  in  supposing  that 
the  first  trumpet  relates  to  Alaric  and  his  Goths;  but 
perfectly  wrong  in  placing  Attila  and  his  Huns  under  tiie 
sec()7id  trumpet-,  instead  of  under  the  first.  Such  an  ar- 
rangement, in  fact,  proves  itself  to  be  erroneous  ;  for  it 
has  led  the  Jiishop  to  a  complete  violation  of  the  princi- 
ples of  symbolical  language  in  his  remarks  both  upon  tlie 
second^  tlie  third,  and  the  fourth  trumpet.  He  interprets 
for  instance  the  burning  mountam  to  mean  Attila  ;  the 
falling-star,  to  mean  Genseric ;  and  the  eclipse  of  the 
sun,  7?wnv,  and  star  ,  to  mean  the  eitinr/iou  of  the  impe- 
rial dignity  in  the  person  of  Augustuliis,  and  the  e(  li])se 
of  the  senate  and  consuls  under  the  government  ol  the 
Gothic  sovereigns  of  Italy.  The  symbol  however  ol  a 
mountain  set  cnjire,  torn  rioleutlij  from  its  base,  a7ul  hurl- 

*  T:ihlf  of  contents  to  Disseii  xxiv. 

t  Tli«' Hums  orij^inally  inl^-raied  from  the  borders  of  China.  The  Gothic 
tribes  Wen  likewise  of  Asiatic  cxiraclion.  Utit  they  all  equuily  invuded  tlie 
Jiomnii  empnt  Worn  the  northern  r.  gions  of  bc\tliia,  M«  sia,  and  Germany. 
Hv  lice  I  Conceive  thtm  all  to  be  alike  intended  by  the  huii-storm  of  the  Jin:'. 
trnv'J'fi . 


Q85 

ed  into  the  sea,  must  surely  mean,  agreeably  to  the  par- 
allei  passage  in  Jeremiah,*  not  a;  'victorious prince,  but 
a  subverted  empire.  So  again  :  the  sj^mbol  of  a  J  alien 
5/d!r  denotes  either  a  king  hurled  from  the  summit  of  his 
pozvery  or  ati  apos'att pastor  :  hence  it  is  plainly  impossi- 
ble, that  the  falle7i  star  ot  the  th<rd  trumpet  should  be 
Genseric  ;  for  he  was  not  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  he 
■was  a  ^rvimphant  instead  of  being  a  vaiiquislied  sovereign. 
Lastly  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  cannot  be 
fairiy  interpreted  to  mean  an  extinction  of  the  sun,  and 
only  an  eclipse  of  the  other  luminaries  :  yet  does  the 
scheme  of  Bp.  Newton,  by  leading  him  to  view  the  West- 
ern Empire  as  something  altogether  distinct  from  the 
Eastern  Empire,  instead  of  considering  the  fourth  trum- 
pet as  affecting  ^he  xvhole  Empire  in  general  by  producing 
the  downfall  of  its  JVestern  half,  constrain  him  to  adopt 
this  incongruous  explanation  of  its  imagery.! 

On  these  grounds,  I  have  ventured  to  bring  forward  a 
different  interpretation,  which  at  once  harmonizes  with 
the  symbolical  language  of  prophecy,  and  which  shews 
how  a  way  was  prepared  for  the  developement  of  the 
great  Apostacy, 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Of  the  three  last  apocalyptic  trumpets,  or,  as  they  are 
peculiar lij  styled,  the  three  zvoe-trumpets, 

HE  t  hat  letted  being  now  removed,  the  prophet 
commences  the  history  of  the  great  Apostacy  which  he 
details  under  the  three  last  trumpets,  usually  denominat- 
ed the  three  woe  trumpets.  He  begins  with  an  account 
of  the  Eastern  branch  of  the  Apostacy  under  the  two 

*  Jerem.  li.  25, 
t  Whatever  objections  are  here  made  to  the  scheme  of  Bp.  Newton  apply 
with  equal  force  to  that  of  Mr  Whitaker,  who  has  throughout  followed  the 
Bishop,  enlarging-  only  very  considerably  upon  the  brief  remarks  of  his  pre- 
decessors. I  am  indebted  to  him  for  some  useful  hints  in  the  elucidation  of 
the  hail-storm  of  the  JVorth, 


986 

first  wde-trumpets.  He  next  proceeds  to  tlie  parall-^l  his- 
tory of  the  Ifesiern  branch  of  the  Apostacy,  which  he 
igives  at  large  uiiacr  the  tico  first  icoetrumpets-  and  more 
briefly  under  the  third :  and,  in  order  that  his  nar- 
rative may  be  unbroken,  and  tlia*^  all  confusi'^n  may  be 
prevented,  he  throvs  the  vvliole  history  of  the  7ccs/ejm 
A]mtaq/y  under  all  the  three  trvrupeU^  and  during  the 
enl  ire  period  f  {9.^0  years,  mio  o  til  tic  book,  or  c^licil 
to  the  larger  book  of  the  Apocal\  pse.  And  lie  iinall}^  de- 
tails at  last  the  operation  of  the  last  7voe-irump€t.j  which 
contains  within  itself  the  seven  vials  both  in  the  East 
and  in  the  IFest. 

Concerning  the  three  woe-trumpets  themselves  it  may 
l^riefly  be  observed  in  general :  that  the  first  describes 
the  rise  of  the  twofold  Apostacy  ;  the  second  represents 
'ki\n  the  zenith  of  its  powtTy  till  the  primary  and  only 
partial  manifestation  of  Antichrist  ;'*  and  the  third exhi- 
bits  its  downfall  displaying  at  the  same  time  the  nml- 
tiplied  horrors  oithe  harvest  and  vintage  of  the  Lord,  or 
the  unronirolled  reign  of  the  atheistical  king  and  his  sub- 
sequent destruclion  alcnig  with  all  the  other  enemns<f 
God,  and  at  length  conducting  us  to  that  happy  period 
when  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall  become  the 
ivingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  jhis  Christ. 

*  The  French  Revolution  in  tlie  year  1789.  It  professed  to  establish  a  limited 
monarchy,  respecting  at  once  the  prcrog'atives  of  a  lawful  prince,  and  the 
jliberties  of  tlie  people  This  only  partial  revelation  of  .  inticlmst  deceived 
numbers,  and  led  them  to  form  tiic  romantic  idea,  that  France  was  become 
(to  use  the  detestable  cant  of  the  day)  a  regtmratcd  kingdom.  Four  ye.vts 
however  were  not  suffered  to  elapse  from  the  commencement  of  th«  revolu- 
tion, ei'c  the  streets  ofParis  andtiie|ii"ovincial  towns  streamed  with  the  blood  of 
innumerable  victims,  ere  the  sovereign  himself  was  brought  to  the  scuflbid, 
ere  religion  was  abolished  and  a  sort  of  jumble  of  atheism  and  idolatry  was 
established  in  its  stead.  In  thejirst  i/ear  of  Ga/lic  liberty,  Antichrist  was  par- 
tially revealed  :  in  the  fourth  year  oj"  liberty,  and  tiiejirst  yeoi'of  equaiit;  (Aug. 
12,  1792)  he  threw  ofhis  mask  of  toleration,  candour,  an  '  universal  philan- 
thropy ;  and  stood  openly  revealed  in  all  liis  native  deformity  His  lamb-like 
pretensions  to  rea£on,  moderation,  and  humanity,  vanished  as  the  fleeting 
clouds  of  the  morning  ;  and  the  astonished  world  suddenly  behcl..  th.  exis- 
tence of  an  "  execrable  power,  which  alone  has  st.  tied  the  hearts,  of  its  vo- 
taries against  every  feeling  of  nature  :  has  dared  to  sanction  treason,  parri- 
cide, lust,  and  massacre  ;  and  to  infuse  into  I'lc  breasts  of  its  subieci-multi- 
tudes  a  new  passion,  which  has  sunk  them  beneath  the  levnl  of  the  brute  cre- 
i;tion:  a  passion  for  Uic  sight  of  their  fcllow-cri:itiir(  sin  the  agonies  of  dealh^ 
and  a  littral  thirst  for  human  blood."    Jlist.  the  Inter.  Vol  ii.  p.  21-5,  iil6. 


m 


CHArTEI^  IX.  ^ 

Concerning  the  effects  of  the  ttvo  first  ivoe-trumpels  in 
•  the  East. 

THE  efTects  of  the  two  first  woe-trumpefs  in  the 
East  have  been  so  fully  and  satisf actor ilj'  discussed  by 
the  excellent  Bp.  Newton,  that  1  shall  do  nothing  more 
than  abridge  his  remarks,  with  tjie  exception  of  noticing 
a  single  error  into  which  I  conceive  his  Lordship  to  have 
fallen. 

At  the  sounding  of  the  fifth  tinim'pet,  f  the  first  o^  th&. 
three  xvoe-tnimpetsj  a  star  which  hadfallen^tron)  heat-en 
to  earth, o\'.ened  the  bottoailess  pit  and  let  out  a  vast  swarra 
of  locus' s  with  their  leader  Apoliyon  at  their  head.  The 
commission  of  these  locusts  was,  not  to  hurt  the  grass  of 
the  earth,  nor  any  screen,  thing,  nor  any  tree;  but  only 
those  men,  M'ho  had  not  the  seal  of  Cod  in  their  fore- 
heads ;  and,  in  point  of  time  it  was  limited  to  five  pro- 
phetic months,  or  150  na/ural  i/ears.  As  for  the  locusts 
themselves,  they  were  like  horses  prepared  unto  bat- 
tle ;  their  crowns  were  of  gold ;  their  fiices  were  as  the 
faces  of  men  ;  they  had  hair  as  the  hair  of  women  ; 
their  teeth  were  as  the  teeth  of  lions  ;  their  breast  plates 
were  like  breast  plates  of  iron  ;  they  had  the  tails  of 
scorpions,  armed  with  deadly  stings  ;  and  the  sound  of 
their  wings  was  as  the  sound  of  chaiiots  of  many  horses 
running  to  battle.f 

Bp.  Newton  supposes  the  fallen  star  iohe  the  impostor 
Mohammed  ;  and  yet  afterwards  represents  the  locust 
sovereign  Apcllyon  as  being  Mohammed  likewise.  To 
say  nothing  oi  so  plain  a  repetition,  t'le  prophet  evident- 
ly describes  the  star  and  tlit  king  as  being  two  entirely 
different  persons.  The  fallen  *//zr  opens  the  door  of  the 
bottomless  pit,  and  let?  out  Ap'dl\foa  with  his  locusts  : 
consequently  Apoliyon  \^as  coniined  in  the  pit,  till  he 
was  let  out  by  the  star  :  therefore  Apoliyon  and  the  star 

•  Such  is  the  proper  translatioa  of  ^sTrlay.ola,  as  Mr.  Whitaket  rightly  ob- 
serves.   Comment,  p.  116. 

+  Rev.  is.  I— 11. 


(288 
t 

Cannot  both  be  Mohammed.  Moreover,  independent  Of 
this  circumstancj^,  tfie  Arabian  iniposter  can  with  no 
more  projniety  be  symbolized  by  a  fallen  stary  than  the 
Vandal/ c  monarch  Gen^fric.  Mohammed  never  was  a 
star  in  the  sense  of  a  Christian  pastor  ;  and,  when  he 
afterwards  became  a  sovereign^  so  far  from  falling  from 
his  high  estate,  he  was  uniformly  successful  in  all  his 
enterprises.  We  must  look  out  therefore  for  some  other 
character,to  vvhom  the  hieroglyphic  of  a  fallen  star  is  more 
ap})licable. 

I  conceive  then,  that  the  fallen  star  of  the  first  woc- 
tnimpet  is  no  other  than  the  apostate  A^estorian  monk 
Sei'gius  or  Baheira  ;  who  assisted  Mohammed  in  the 
forging  of  his  imposture,  and  who  infused  into  it  all  the 
antitrinitarian  venom  of  hi6  own  sect.  The  Mussulmans 
assert,  that  he  first  noticed  the  prophet  while  yet  a  boy  : 
when  he  observed  a  luminous  cloud  around  his  head, 
which  preserved  him  from  the  too  intense  rays  of  the 
sun;  perceived  the  dry  trees,  upon  which  he  sat,  in- 
stantly to  put  forth  branches  clothed  witii  verdant  foli- 
age, to  serve  him  for  a  shade  ;  and  discovered  the  seal  of 
prophecy,  impressed  between  his  shoulders.*  But,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Prideaux,  "  the  truth  of  the  matter  is, 
Mohammed  did  not  fall  acquainted  with  him  till  along 
while  after,  when  he  was  projecting  his  \\  ickcd  design  in 
his  head;  in  order  to  the  better  forming  of  which,  being 
very  desirous  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  religions,  he  was  very  inquisitive  in  examining 
into  them,  as  he  met  with  those  who  could  inform  him. 
And  in  one  of  his  journeys  into  Syria,  either  at  Bostra 
as  some  say,  or  at  Jerusalem  as  others,  lighting  on  this 
Baheira,  and  receiving  great  satisfiiction  from  him  in 
many  of  those  points  which  he  desired  to  he  informed  in, 
he  did  thereon  contract  a  particular  friendship  with  him. 
And  therefore,  not  long  after,  the  monk,  for  some  groat 
crime,  being  excommunicated  and  expelled  his  monas- 
tery, iled  to  Mecca  to  him  ;  and,  being  there  entertained 
in  his  house,  became  his  assistant  in  the  framing  of  that 
imposture   wliich   he  afterwards  vented,   and  continued 

•  M<Jd«rn  Uiuv.  Hiat.  Vol.  i.  p.  26. 


289 

with  him  ever  after  ;  till  at  length  the  impostor,  having 
no  Im  ther  occasion  for  him,  to  secure  the  secret  put  him 

to  death."*  '  ♦ 

In  //le  ijear  606,  Mohammed  committed  the  first  overt 
act  of  his  iiripostiire  by  retiring  to  the  cave  of  Hera; 
conse'quently  then  it  v\'as,  that  the  falen  star  Sergius 
opened  ihe  door  of  tlie  bottomless  pit.  7/te  locusts  how- 
Q\evi\.n(\  their  leader  6\Axvoi  immediately  issue  forth,  or 
publicly  disclose  themselves :  their  open  manifestation 
was  to  be  preceded  by  the  smoke  and  fames  of  the  false 
religionwhich  they  were  about  to  propagate.  Accord- 
ingly Mohammed  emerged  fr'im  his  solitary  retr^atf 
about  ^!/^<?  year  609,  and  began  to  excite  that  smoke 
which  soon  darkened  all  the  eastern  heaven.  *'  Three 
jtiirshe  sitenfljj  emploijed  in  the  conversion  of  fourteen 
pr  selytes,  the  lirst  fruits  of  his  mission.^  But,  in  the 
}o!frt  hi/car,""  or  the  year  6lQy  '*  he  nssffmed  the  prophetic 
ojjue,  and  resolved  to  impart  to  his  family  the  light  of  di- 
vine truth."^  In  this  year  6l'2,  then  Mohammed  and  his 
discipl'^Sy  or  ApoUyon  and  his  loc?(sts,  may  be  considered 
as  issuing  from  the  i)ottoniless  pit,  which  the  J  alien  star 
Sergius  had  been  the  main  instrument  of  opening.  Con- 
sequently the  Jive'  prophrtic  months,  during  which  the 
locusts  were  allowed  to  torment  mankind  expired  in  t/ie 
yerr'76'2;  when  the  caliph  Aimansor  built  Bagdad  as 
the  future  seat  of  his  empire,  and  called  it  the  city  of 
2)euce.     At  this  period  the  Saracens  ceased  from  their  lo- 


*  See  Pridcaux's  Life  of  Mohammed,  p  47. 

t  Mr  Whitaker's  coiijcctu  e,  tliat  the  b  ttoinless  pit,  or  the  cave  of  the  abys^, 
(which  no  doubt  is  ihe  lite;  al  translation  of  the  original  expression)  alludes 
to  the  care  vf  He  a,  (caves  beint'  often  considered  by  pagan  superstition  "  as 
the  sea's  of  oracles  and  sources  of  inspiration,")  has  the  merit  of  possessing 
much  inij<-!uiij  ;  but  I  am  not  perfectly  satisfied  how  far  it  may  be  deemed 
&{A\u  In  I i  c  Jirst  pl(  ce  it  does  Mot  ap|)ear  that  we  i.re  wan  anted  in  taking 
sijnib  Aic'.i  Uniguag:-  m  a  literal  sense,  unless  it  be  wacvcdly  Cesc.  iptive  ;  as,  f«r 
inst^'hce,  vvl\ei)  tin  Euphrai^an  army  is  said  to  consist  of  hursevicn,  and  to 
^■-K-m  asxi'vLinii  vgjie.  and  hrims'ont,  and  smoi:<  ;  and,  i:t  the  second  place, 
IViohamme.i  .'j/t.u/y  issue!  fiom  the  cave  of  Heru  about  the  yeat  6u9,  which 
will  nor.  agree  with  that  part  of  ihe  pioptiecy,  which  speaks  oi tke  locus:s  tor- 
men.ing  mt-njivt'  months.     Whitaker's  Commeut.  p.  123. 

%  Dr  Pridoaux  makes  th  impostor  t  merge  from  his  cave  in  theyear  608, 
and  tpend./o!('  yectrs  in  ihi;  private  exercise  of  his  assumed  function  Tin;,  ar- 
rani^'-mtau  hf;\ve\er,  no  ies..  ihan  tliat  ef  Mr.  Gibbon,  equally  brings  us  t«  the 
yeci-di:      Lite  of  M'>hamiiii:d,  p   15. 

§  Hist  of  Dtjcbne  and  ir'all.  Vol  ix.  p    84. 
VOL.  I.  37 


f290 

cust  devastations,  and  became  a  settled  people.  Hence- 
ibrththey  no  longer  made  such  rapid  conquests  as  they 
}iad  formerly  dfeiie  ;  but  oidy  engaged  in  ordinary  wars 
like  other  nations.  The  Jive  months,  or  \50i/earSy  being 
now  expired,  Mohammedism  was  firmly  established  ;  al- 
though the  power  of  its  particular  votaries,  the  Saracens, 
began  to  decline,  in  order  to  make  room  for  its  new  pros- 
elytes, described  under  the  next  triunpei.^' 

A  command  was  given  to  Apdlyoji^  and  his  symbolical 
locusts f  that  tliey  should  not  hurt  the  grass  of  the  earthy 
nor  any  green  t/i/rg,  nnr  any  tree. — Accordingly  it  was 
the  special  injunctions  of  Abubeker  to  the  Saracens,  that 
they  should  destroy  no  palm-trees,  nor  burn  any  fields 
of  corn ;  that  they  should  cut  down  no  fruit  trees,  nor 
injure  any  cattle  except  such  as  they  killed  to  eat. 

The  commission  of  the  locusts  extended  only  to  hurt 
those  meji  who  had  not  the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads  j 
andy  though  they  were  permitted  to  huxt  tltem,  their  war- 
rant gave  them  no  .mihority  to  ^iWthem — Now  it  appears 
from  history,  that  in  the  countries  invaded  by  the  Sara- 
cens a  very  great  defection  from  primitive  Christianity 
had  taken  place ;  for,  before  they  began  their  ravages, 
the  transgressors  (to  use  the  language  of  Daniel)  were 
come  to  the  full,  the  \vill-\\  orship  of  saints  and  martyrs 
liad  extended  itself  far  and  wide,  and  tlie  great  Apostacy 
of  1260  days  h..d  commenced.  Hence  we  find,  that, 
when  they  a])proached  Savoy,  Piedmont,  and  the  south- 
ern provinces  of  France,  which  had  been  but  little  taint- 
ed with  the  gencial  disease,  and  which  were  afterwards 
the  seat  of  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenscs,  they  were  de- 
feated with  great  slaughter  by  Charles  Martel  in  several 
cngagenicnts.  They  were  however  only  allowed  to  tor- 
vientihe  great  body  jjolitic  of  the  apostate  empire ;  they 
were  not  permitted  to  kill  it.     Accordingly,   they  were 

•  I  cannot  assent  to  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  supposition,  that  the  prophet's  re- 
petition of  t/ic/r?  7;;o7i/ A*,  in  two  f//^trt7i/  vei-bcs,  implies  ttn  months,  or  300 
xjcirs.  Hac!  St.  John  meant  to  convey  this  idea,  lie  would  h.ive Joined  the  tint 
periods  of  five  vionlks  ciu/i,  by  a  coiijunrtion  copulatiw,  in  the  a avie  vtrse  f 
as  thus  :  tiitir  power  was  lo  torment  men  hvc  months  ajul  live  monUih  "  The 
illustrious  commentator  does  not  seem  to  have  heen  aware,  that  upon  the 
s.imcprinciple,  we  must extendthe  persecution  of  t/n-  ( hutch  from  1260 year: 
to  ivice  12GU  years  ;  for  the  period  is  ruucf  mentioned  in  the  niu^'/e  prophecy 
of  the  •womaiCsfit^ht  into  the  ■iviklcniess.    Compare  Ktv.  xii.  6.  witU  ver.  14.- 


391 


never  able  to  take  Constantinople,  or  to  subvert  il<! 

monarchy,    though    they    frequently   atte.npte     i       i  ' 

task  of  g,v,ng  thefat.l  How  te  its  dechn  ng  povve r  bek,! 

2-eserv-ed  for  their  successors  the  Turks.  ^ 

ThesjjmhoUcallocustswere  like  horsesprepared  for  thr- 
oat tie  :  the  strength  of  the  Saracens  co.Qfed  cMyl^ 
then-  cava  ry- /■/,,/„„„,,  /,,„/,„  ,/,^..  /,         ^fl^ 
crowns  hicc  gold:  the  Arabs  have  constantly  wo  „  tm' 
bans     and  even  boast  that  they  wear,  as  thdr  comrno  . 
attne,  those  ornaments  which  among   other  people    ,re 
'    he  peculiar  badges  of  roj.Xiy-Theheusts lalteeZ 
the  faces  of  men,  and  hair  as  the  hair  of  women     the  4 
rabs  as  Phny  testifies,  wore  then-  beards,  or  a     e^st  th^^ 
n^"stach|os,  as  men ;  while  their   hair   was   flowin "  o 

ZlZ\^l      ,        "J  5   '""''■  '■'"  «''i>f'^ssion  frequently 
uscdin  Scripture  to  denote  great  strength  ;*  the  soufd 

ques  s of  Iti      '    "  Tf '"'  *'  '"'^'-  "'«  4iJ  con- 
quesLSoi  the  Saracens,  and  then- proverbial  skill  in  horse 

"^^^^H^fandtlu-yhadstingsintLirtailslihesZirioT- 

to  s.g„,fy  that  they  should'carry  along  with  ttm  ^       c'- 

At  thTi™'  •'^.""'f^some  and  deadly  superstition  f 

At  the  conclusion  ol  the  prophecy  respec  iii<r  the  vL- 

acemc  locusts,  it  is  added,  "  One  woe  is  ,   ,?"     Nr 

^."oewe  had  already  been  informal    that,.' pow«  5 

oing  mischief  was  limited  toy.Ve  months,  0     5(11° 

atUie'^nroV/rlKo'^''-^'""^-'^^^^ 

760     f/ r  "h        ^^^""-'1  or  "1  the  year  of  our  Urd 

Zt     ''/"'■  h^''-  ^PI'e.->rs,  that  a  cons  derabie  period  of 

"   a^'T  H  "T'  '^«'"-- ''-  •=" J  of  tl,e first  i^trut 
pel,  and  the   beginning  of  the  second :  for  the  pro,  let 

Hereafter  ;     whereas,  at  the  conclusion  or  the  seronrJ  -,n. 
Reasserts   "behold  the  third  .voe   cometh  '  S;'-;^^' 

."iven     ™   n";''''"°  "/  '^'  *■'■"'  ""i-'"'-  •■•  co".maiKl  tas 
o»en  hin,  to  loose  the  Jour  ano-cls  wliich  are  bound  in 

^•.  e  sh»ll  f,„<l  i„  n,  ,„j,„,  ^1,^,,  ,,,.^  ,,^^^  ^^^^ 


9§^2 

i he  (Treat  river  Eu^Jiratcs,  ready  prepared  to  9lav  the 
ili'ird pa  t  of  nieH\o\- an  houry  ami  r,  do y  ami  a  month, 
and  a  ycr.  Thus  iibevaled  from  their  coiilinemeni,  the 
Jou  a  ii^eh  issued  forth  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  tliou- 
eand  tliousand  horsemen.  The  warriors  themselves  ap- 
peared to  he  prophet  to  wear  breast-plates  of  fire,  and  iiy- 
acinth,  and  ])rimstone ;  and  from  the  lion-like  heads  of 
their  hors'^s  seemed  to  proceed  lire,  and  smo'  e,  and  !>rim- 
stone.  By  these  destructive  flashes  a  third  yart  of  men 
were  killed.  Tlie  horses  of  the  Euphri'teancavtlrr,  \\:e 
the  Saracfu'ic  locn.st.s,  had  power  no  less  in  their  Tails  than 
in  t!i(  ir  nioulhs  :  lor  '*  their  tails  were  like  serpents,  and 
liad  heads,  and  with  them  they  do  hurt."  Notwith- 
standing the  death  ef  the  thi'-dpart  oj  ?nen,  the  prophet 
informs  us,  that  those,  who  had  escaped  the  e  txvo  svc- 
rc.ssvcc  plagues,  still  hardened  their  hearts,  and  repented 
not  of  their  idolatiy,  their  sorter}',  and  their  lornieation.* 

Tiic  four  angels  are  the  four  sultanics  o''  the  Turks  ; 
the  caj/itals  of  which  were  Bagd  d,]  P.'amas<  us,  Aleppo, 
and  Jconiunit  These  were  long  restrained  from  extend- 
ing their  conquests  beyond  the  territories  immediately 
adjoijiing  to  the  river  l''.U[)hrates,  by  the  instrumen^ahty, 
in  the  course  of  Goers  jjrovidence,  of  the  crusttdes.  Jiut, 
^vhen  the  (  hristifins  abandoned  Syria  and  Fgypt  at  the 
latter  end  oi'  the  fhirtea  th  cent  ry,  then  the  four  ani^els 
onlhcrixer  Kuphiates  were  loosed.  Ortogrul,  dyijig  in 
the  year  1'288,  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Othman  ;  who, 
in  the  year  1*?99,  founded  a  nca'  empire  composed  of  the 
rcnjiins  (^i  jhefour  Turkish  sulta/iies. 

Ujider  thejifth  trumpet,  we  have  seen  the  men,  wlio 
had  not  the  seal  of  (-od  in  their  foreheads,  tormented 
but  not  killed.  We  now  find,  under  the  si.vth  trumpet, 
that  the  third  part  of  men,  or  the  Roman   eupire  tlion 

,v 

*  i:?v.  ix.  13— "1. 

+  L:itc  tlie  proud  seat  of  Saraceoic  domination. 

i  The  iuimtji.r/-Mr  twice  occurs  in  tlic  c.irl}-  history  «if  Ihc  Turks,  no  less 
thnn  in  ilie  precise  number  of  their  SuUanii  ..  SoUmnn  Shall  was  drowned  iii 
attempt  inj^-  to  cross  tin  Kuphrate.s  wiih  lils  t/ircr  son.  ,■  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
vounpest  i>(n  Orto^rul,  wiio  had  likewise  titiee  sons.  I  tbink  howncr,  that  the 
fair  SuUai.tis  are  pLCubavly  meant;  for  prophecy  usually  spekks  of  states, 
ratlu.r  than  oi  iidividuah.  Hut,  \n  whatever  manner  the  ]irtdiction  ui  tUc  Jour 
Iluplitti-t-iin  (iiif^'cls  be  understood,  it  is  accurately  accomplisUcd  in  the  fur- 
i'VYZ":  oi't.'.e  'i'ttrkisU  Lin^-irc. 


593 

represented  by  the  Constaiitinopolitan  mnnarch),  is  to  be 
slaiiu  and  not  merely  tormented  by  the  EuphraCean 
horsemen.* 

The  space  of  time,  allotted  for  the  entire  completion 
of  this  great  enterprize,  is  wi  hour,  and  a  daij,  andamonth, 
and  a  year  ;  or  391  natural  years  and  15  days.  The  ac- 
curate accomplishment  of  this  numerical  prophecy  is  sin- 
gularly remarkable.  The  Turks,  under  Ortogrul,  gained 
their  lirst  victory  over  the  Greek  empire  in  the  year  1281, 
by  the  conquest  of  Cutahi  :  m  the  year  1357,  they  cross- 
ed over  into  Europe:  n\  the  year  1453,  they  took  Con- 
stantinople ;  and  the  remaining  provinces  of  the  empire 
soon  followed  the  fate  of  the  capital:  m  the  year  1669, 
thoy  made  themselves  masters  of  Crete:  SiXi^m  the  year 
1672,  they  wrested  Cameniec,  their  last  conquest,  from 
the  Poles.  If  now  we  compute  391  yeai^s  from  the  year 
I'i^Sl,  they  will  exactly  brmg  us  down  to  the  year  1672. 
Upon  this  wonderful  coincidence,  IBp.  Newton  further 
remarks,  *'  if  more  accurate  and  authentic  histories  of 
the  Ottomans  were  brought  to  light,  and  we  knew  the 
ve'-y  day  wherein  Cutahi  was  taken  as  certainly  as  we 
know  that  wherein  C  amenicc  was  taken,  the  like  exact- 
ness might  also  be  found  in //<!ey///e(?7«  r/<Tr?/^."  Since  the 
time  of  their  last  conquest,  the  Turks  have  had  various 
•wars  with  the  European  powers,  and  with  various  suc- 
cess ;  but  they  have  never  made  any  fresh  territorial  ac- 
quisition, and  now  in  all  human  probability  never  will. 

The  cavalry  of  tlw  Euplirafcan  warriors  is  described  as 
consisting  of  myriads  upon  myriads  :  and  they  are  repre- 
sented as  ) rearing  hreast-pWes  of  fire.,  of  hyacinth.,  and  of 
hrhnstone ;  or^  in  other  words,  red-,  blue,  and  yellow. 
The  Turks  brought  immense  armies  into  the  field,  com- 

*  I  have  already  stated,  on  A\Iiat  grounds  (IteEoman  empire  is  represented  as 
a  third  part  ai'  t.'ie  symloUcal  universe.  It  may  not  be  imprcperhere  to  observe, 
that  the  death  of  a  beast  and  the  death  of  a  eommunitii  do  not  mean  the  same 
thinij.  The  diiithof  a  beazt  dcnoXtsthf  extinction  of  those  idolatrous  principles 
which  cause  a  pigan  empire  to  he  sy.nbohzed  by  a  beast:  whereas  th.^  death  of  a 
communiiv  denotes  i.s  siibrersion  Hence  we  do  not  find  it  said,  that  the  Jio- 
iiianbeast  was  slain  hy  the  Euphratean  horsemen,  becanse  snch  phraseolop^y  would 
not  have  conveyed  the  intended  meaning  of  the  prophet  ;  but  that  the  third 
part  of  men,  or  the  body  politic  nf -what  remained  of  the  origiiial  empire  was 
slam  According-ly,  in  |>'rf\.ct  agreement  witli  this  distinction,  the  Roman 
beast '^UW  continued  to  exist,  and  will  exist  to  the  very  end  of\'/;c  1£60  years, 
UOtvvilhstandiiTjj  t!te  political  death  oi  the  third  part  of  men. 


S94 

posed  chiefly  of  horse  ;  and,  from  tbe  first  time  of  their 
appecarance,  have  been  occuharly  attached  to  the  colours 
of  blew,  yellow,  and  scarlet — 'J 'lie  heads  of  their  horses 
^ere  as  the  heads  of  lionSy  to  denote  their  great  •  ire.  gtli 
wid  fierceness :  out  of  their  months  seemed  to  issue  Jire, 
ivnd  arnahct  and  hrimslone  :  aiidhf  this  seuibkincc  of  ii^ht- 
ni?igy  tlie  prophet  observed,  that  ilie  third  port  of  men  trere 
/cilled.  This  is  a  manilef^t  allusion  to  artillery  and  gun- 
powder, which  weie  invented  under  the  ixtli  trviiipdy 
anil  were  the  main  engines  used  by  the  Turks,  in  ^nh- 
verting  the  Greek  empire — Tlie  horses  moreover  had 
power  to  do  hurt  hi)  their  iaih->  as  well  as  by  their  mouthsy 
their  tails  being  like  unto  serpents,  and  having  hedds.  The 
Turks,  like  the  Saracens,  were  not  merely  secular  con- 
querors, but  were  animated  with  all  the  wild  fanaticism 
of  a  false  religion.  They  profess  and  propagate  tlie  same 
imposture  ;  they  injure  no  less  by  their  doctrines,  than 
])y  their  conquests  ;  and,  wherever  they  estal)lish  their 
dominion,  the  Koran  triumphs  over  the  Gospel. 

Yet,  notn'itlistanding  the  signal  overthrow  of  the  Con- 
stanfinopclita?i  vionarchih  the  rest  of  men,  who  were  not 
Pilled  by  these  plas^nes,  repented  not  of  their  idolatrous 
worship  of  inediatorjj  saints  and  angeh,  nor  of  their  spirit- 
ual sorceries  and  fomicalion — Accordingly  we  find,  that  in 
the  papal  clinrch  idolatry  was  at  its  height  during  the 
sounding  of  the  si xlli  trumpet ;  in  the  same  manner  as 
Mnhaminedism  attained  to  the  zenith  of  its  glory  l)y  the 
subversion  of  the  Greek  empire.  Previous  to  this  period, 
(he  Greek  church  had  struggled  successfully  with  ///<• 
Roman  church  for  independence  and  equality  ;  but  the 
downfall  of  Constantinople  effectually  humbh d  both  tlie 
ecclesiastical  rival  of  Poperij,  and  tlie  tempo. al  antago- 
2iist  of  Mohammedism.  In  the  days  of  the  Saracens, 
the  Arabian  m/;o.y«;r  triumphed  over  the  pioufl  UT^nar- 
chyof  Persia;  but  was  only  able  to  torment  the  declin- 
ing remains  of  the  once  formidable  empire  of  RomL\  In 
the  days  of  the  Tu:ks,  it  beheld  ihe  c;ty  oi  C'onstantine 
prostrate  at  its  feet,  as  well  as  the  ca;,ital  of  Chosrocs. 
Still  however  did  tiic  Chnrch  oj'  Jl, me  cnntiinic  hvv iri- 
umj)hsovcrs  Misc,  humanily,  and  religion.  I'nawed  by 
the  signal  punishniejit  of  her  sister  of  Constanlinoplc... 


Q95 

she  resolutely  set  her  face  against  the  reformation  which 
commenced  under  tliis  tnniipety  and  persecuted  th-^se 
who  protested  against  her  su})erstition  and  appealed  to 
Scripture:  a  more  tremrndou.K  power  ihertiore,  than  ei- 
ther tJie  Saracens  ox  the  Turks,  w'lW  be  summoned  against 
her  by  the  blast  of  the  third  woe  ;  which  nevertheless 
will  afterwards  perish,  united  with  her. 

It  is  observable,  thcat  the  precise  duration  of  the  second^ 
wot-tnnnpet-,  is  not  marked  by  St.  John  in  his  pro};hecy 
of  the  Eupliratean  ho^seviev.  The  Turks  were  prepared 
for  thf;  slaughter  ol  the  third  part  of  men,  an  hour,  and 
a  d-y,  and  a  month,  and  a  year  ;  or  391  naiural  years y 
and  io  days:  consequently  the  second  woetnnnpet  be- 
gun to  sound  at  the  commencement  of  tliose  391  years, 
or  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1*281  ;  but  it  does  not  termi- 
nate\\\\  the  great  earthquake  in  the  West  has  taken  place, 
and  till  a  tenth  of  the  Jio.iian  city  has  fallen.^  Then  we 
are  informed,  that  "  the  second  woe  is  past,  and,  behold, 
the  third  woe  cometh  quickly.". 

*  Rev.  xi.  13. 


END  OF  VOL.  I. 


DISSERTATION 


PROPHECIES, 

THAT  HAVE  BEEN  FULFILLED,  ARE  NOW  FULFILLING,  OR  WILL 
HEREAFTER  BE  FULFILLED, 

RELATIVE    TO     THE 

GREAT  PERIOD  OF  1260  YEARS ; 

THE   PAPAL    AND    \IOHAM.Mr>DAN   APOSTACIES ; 
THE  TYRANNICAL  REIGN  OF  ANTICHUIbT,  OR  THE  INFIDFL 

POWER ; 

AND 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWS. 

TO    WHICH     IS    ADDED, 

AN  APPENDIX. 


BY  THE  REV.  GEORGE  STANI.l'.Y   F.VBER,    B.  D. 
VICAft  or  STOCK  I  ON-UPOM   TEES. 


Seco7id  American  from  the  second  London  Edition. 
IN  TWO  VOLUxMES. 


"  Shut  up  ilie  Words,  and  seal  the   Enok.  even  to  the  time  of  the  erifl :  many 
shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  he  increased."     dan.  xii.  * 


NEW -YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  JT,  AND  W.  WARD,    AND  EVERT    BVYCKIKCK. 
Gesrge  I^oiig,  punter. 


CONTENTS. 

VOL.  IL 


CHAP.  X. 

Contenta  of  the  little  book — History  of  the  Western  Afiostuty  under 
the  three  ivoe-trianfiets. 

THE  little  book  comprehends  the  eleventh,  twelfth,  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  chapters  of  the  Revelation,  p.  9— These  chapters  in 
point  of  chronology,  run  parallel  to  each  other,  p.  9. — And  they 
ibrm  a  complete  history  of  the  Western  Apostacy,  p.  10.— -The  con- 
tents of  the  little  book  may  be  properly  divided  into  five  sections  :  1. 
The  prophesying  of  the  witnesses  ;  2.  The  war  of  the  dragon 
with  the  wonran  ;  3.  The  history  of  the  ten-horned  beast  of  the  sea; 
4.  The  history  of  the  two-horned  beast  of  the  earth  ;  5.  The  colla- 
teral history  of  the  true  Church,  of  the  Reformation,  and  of  the  hai> 
vest  and  vintage  of  God's  wrath,  p.  12. 

SEOT.  I. 
Concerniv^  the  jirofihesijing  of  the  tivo  ivilnesses. 

The  little  book  commences  with  the  jxar  606,  or  with  the  begim- 
nin^'  of  the  first  woe-trumpet,  p.  12.— What  is  meant  by  measuring" 
the  temple,  and  not  measuring  the  outer  court  of  the  gentiles  p. 
io. — The  two  witnesses  are  not  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  p.  14. 
— Bp.  Newton  is  perfectly  right  in  the  spirit,  though  not  quite  accu- 
rate in  the  letter,  of  his  interpretation  of  their  character,  p.  15. — 
They  are  certainly  two  churches,  p.  15. — Throughout  the  whole 
Apocalypse,  the  idea  of  a  tAvo-fold  Church  of  Christ  is  constwitly 
preserved  :  the  Church  before,  and  the  Church  after,  the  advent  of 
our  Lord,  p.  15. — The  two  witnesses  literally  represent  these  two 
Churches,  forming  jointly  the  taithful  Church  general :  but  s/nri.ualiy 
they  mean  the  mystic  children  of  the  universal  Church,  those  that  are 
Israelites  indeed,  p.  16. — The  circumstance  of  their  being  said  t« 
firofihciy  is  no  objection  to  the  supposition,  that  they  symbolize  all 
God's  faithful  witnesses  during  the  prevalence  of  the  Apostacy,  p.  17. 
— In  what  sense  they  shut  up  heaven,  and  smite  the  earth  with  plagues, 
during  the  time  of  their  prophesying,  p.  17. — In  what  sense  they 
are  said  to  have  only  one  mouth,  p.  18. — How,  and  when,  the  two 
witnesses  were  slain  by  the  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit,  p.  21. — Our 
Lord  was  literally'  crucified  within  the  limits  of  the  great  city,  p.  22. 
— In  what  manner  the  wiuicsses  lay  dead  three  days  and  a  half,  p.  24- 
— The  meaning  of  the  word  //our,  p.  S2. — At  what  period  we  are  to 
divide  the  first  woe -trumpet  fix)m  the  second  woe-trumpet  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Western  Aix)stacy,  p.  35. — At  the  close  of  the  second 
•woe,  the  great  earthquake  of  the  French  Revolution  throws  down  a 
tenth  part  of  the  Roman  city,  p.  40. — At  the  sounding  of  the  seventh 
trumpet,  or  third  woe-trumpet,  the  limited  monarchy  of  rcvohuiona- 
jy  France  is  dissolved  ;  and  the  roign  of  openly  established  AniU'cliy 
jond  Atheism  commences,  p.  42. 


SECT.  II. 
Conccrnini^  the  roar  of  the  dragon  with  the  ivovian. 

The  proj)hccy  of  ihc  war  between  the  dragon  and  the  woman  can- 
not rflalc  lo  the  days  of  Constuntine  ;  both  because  it  is  contained  in 
tlic  little  book,  and  because  it  twice  declares  itself  to  be  connected 
%vilh  the  126J  vears  ol  the  Apostacy.  p.  51. — The  woman  is  the  spirit- 
\\\ii  C'l.iuxh  of  true  believers,  as  contradistint^uished  from  the  nom- 
inal heiitvcrs  of  the  outer  court,  p.  58. — The  draj^^on  is  the  devil  act- 
ing tiu-ou^h  the  instrumentality  of  the  seven-headed  and  ten-horned 
beast,  p.  58. — DiU'icuUy  of  inteipreiinj^  the  symbol  of  the  man-child, 
p.  60. — What  is  meant  by  the  full  of  the  dn.i^on  from  heaven  to  earth, 
p.  64. — The  war  between  Michael  and  the  dragon  is  the  spiritual 
contest  between  the  witnesses  and  their  enemies  during;  the  whole 
period  of  the  1260  years  :  but  the  particular  victory  of  Michael,  here 
mentioned,  was  achieved  at  the  era  of  the  Reformation,  p.  64. — In 
•what  sense  the  devil  hath  but  a  short  time  upon  earth,  p.  66. — An 
attempt  to  trace  the  steps  of  the  dragon,  after  he  was  casi  out  of  the 
symbolical  heaven  by  the  Riibrmation,  p.  66. — The  meaning  of  the 
flood,  wh.ich  he  vomited  out  of  his  mouth  against  the  woman,  p.  73. — 
In  what  manner  the  cart'.i  swallowed  it  up,  p.  74. — How  the  dragon 
Avill  go  forth  to  make  war  with  the  woman  and  the  rcmiuuit  of  her 
iiced,  J).  75. 

SECT  III. 

Concerning  the  tvn-horncd  beast  of  the  sea. 

The  seven-headed  and  ten-horned  beast  of  the  sea  is  not  the  same 
as  his  own  little  hoi-n  mentioned  by  Daniel,  or  the  Papacy,  p.  78.— 
On  the  conlrary,  he  is  the  same  as  Danii  I's  ten-horned  beast,  of  w  l.om 
ihc  little  Papui  horn  was  only  a  .'single  member  :  that  is  to  say,  he  is 
tlic  temporal  Roman  Empire,  p.  86. — In  what  sense  St.  John  beheld 
the  rise  of  the  ten-horned  licast,  p.  88. — How  the  len-horned  beast  is 
tiaid  lo  continue  or  to  practise  42  months,  which  is  the  same  period 
as  the  reign  of  his  own  little  honi,  p.  88. — In  v.Iiat  sense  it  is  said, 
that  this  beast  "  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is,"  p.  89. — The  apocalyptic 
ten-horned  beast  is  the  Roman  be.ist,  in  his  revived  or  papally  idola- 
trous state,  p.  SO. — How  he  is  said  to  have  seven  head.s,  p.  91. — In 
what  sense  he  was  wounded  to  death  by  a  sword  vuulerhis  sixth  head, 
and  I'.fterwards  restored  to  life  again,  p.  93. — An  iiKjuiry  into  what  is 
meant  by  the  last  head  of  the  beast,  p.  l(Jl. — This  last  head  can  only 
be  sou;;;ni  for  among  the  Halowing  powers  :  the  line  of  liie  Western 
r.mperors  ;  the  three  kingdoms  of  the  Heruli,  the  Ostrogoths,  and 
the  Lombards  ;  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna  ;  the  Popedom  ;  and  the 
Carlovipgian  empire,  p.  107. — The  last  head  of  the  beast  consists 
jointly  of  his  seventh  and  eighth  heads  ;  whence  it  may  be  termed  his 
tic/iti.:trj-oct(ivc  hiadf  p.  107. — This  scpiin.o-octavc  head  cannot  be 
the  Tuje  of  the  Western  Eraperors  aiidtl.c  Papacy,  p.  108. — Xeitiicr 
can  it  be  the  liircc  Golhie  kingdoms  in  Italy  and  the  Papacy,  p.  108.—- 
Nor  can  it  be  the  Exarch;'te  of  Ravenna  and  the  Pi.p;'.cy,  p.  109. — Nor 
the  Papacy,  considered  as  existing  in  a  twofold  capacity,  p.  1 1 1. — iiut 
the  Patrlci.i.  of  Rome,  merging  into  the  Carlovingian  Emperorship, 
p.  114.— Wi.ile  Charlemagi.o  wius  Patrician  of  Rome,  he  was  the 
seventh  head  :  when  he  became  Emperor,  he  was  tiic  eighth  head, 


the  seventh  aiid  eii^hth  heads  being  then,'in  his  person,  amaljvatnated, 

as  it  were  so  as  to  torni  one  septimo-octave  head,  p.   1 14. 'J'hrcc  ob- 

ieciions  to  this  scheme  of  inteipretutiou  tmsweved  p.  1 17. No  pow  er 

has  ever  yet  arisen  uithii>the  limi.s  of  the  Roman  Empire,  which  at 
all  answers  to  the  prophetic  chviracter  of  the  double  or  septin.o-octave, 
head,  except  the  Curlovingii.n  monarchy  alone,  p.  123. — On  what 
head  of  the  beast  tlie  ten  horns  appeared  to  be  growing,  p,  124. Vari- 
ous points  of  resemblance  between  the  beast  aiid  tlie  revived  or  Papal 
Koman  Empire,  p.  125 — General  statement  of  tiie  wliole  interpreta- 
tion of  the  symbol  of  the  seven-headed  raid  Len-horned  beast,  p.  128.-- 
.Accomplishmcnt  of  the  last  part  of  the  prophecy,  p.  129. 

SECT.  IV. 

Concerning  the  ivjo-horned  beast  of  the  ntrth. 

The  two-horned  beast  of  the  eartli  and  the  image  arc  not  Infidelity 
and  democratic  Tyranny,  p.  131. — Neither  are  they  the  FrenclvRepub- 

Jic  and  the  prostitute  goddess  of  reason  and  liberiy,  p.  136 The  two 

horned  beast  is  not  the  same  as  the  beast  of  the   bottomless  pit 

JLudovkus  c^m^ol  be  the  name  of  the  beast,  p.  138. — The  two-horned 
beast  is  not  the  Romish  clergy,  as  contradistinguished  from  the 
Papacy,  p.  140. — But  he  is  the  catholic  spirinial  empire  of  the  church 
of  Rome,  considered  as  including  both  the  Pope  his  head,  and  the 
regular  and  secular  papal  clergy  his  two  lamb-!ikc  horns,  or  distinct 
ecclesiastical  kingdoms,  p.  141. — This  spiritual  empire,  which  at  its 
first  rise  was  only  a  small  spiritual  kingdom,  is  represented  by  Dan- 
iel under  the  symbol  of  a  little  horn  springing  up  among  the  ten 
horns  of  the  Roman  beast :  but,  when  the  saints  were  given  into  the 
hand  of  the  little  horn  by  the  Pope  being  constituted  Bishop  of 
Bishops  and  supreme  head  of  the  universal  Church,  the  little  horn 
became  a  catholic  spiritual  empire,  and  as  such  is  represented  by  Si. 
John  under  the  symbol  of  a  second  beast  co-operating  with  the  ten- 
horned  or  secular  Roman  beast,  p.  142. — Points  of  resemblance  be- 
tween the  two-horned  beast  and  the  Papacy,  p.  143. — His  two  horns, 

p.  144. — His  first  horn  symbolizes  the  regular  clagy,  p.    147. His 

second  horn,  the  secular  clergy,  p.  149.— His  making  of  an  image  for 

the  ten-horned  beast  is  the  revival  of  idolatry  by  the  Pope,  p.  159 

Reasons  why  the  image  cannot  beeillier  the' Pope,  the  Carlovingian 
empire,  or  the  Inrixiisilion,  p.  168. — The  prophetic  description  of 
the  name  of  the  beast  nuist  be  carefully  attended  to,  in  order  to 
discover  what  it  is  :  for  it  is  not  sufficient  merely  to  discover  a  name 
that  comprehends  the  number  666,  and  rhcnce  to  mfcr  that  that  name 
is  the  name  of  the  beast,  p.  172. — The  opinion  of  Ircncus  upon  this 
point  is  perfectly  just,  p.  174. — Latinus  is  the  name  of  tlie  beast  ; 
both  because  it  contains  the  nuniber  666,  because  it  is  the  name  of 
a  man,  because  it  is  the  name  of  an  empire,  and  because  it  is  the 
gentile  nanie  of  every  individual  in  that  empire,  p.  174. — The  mark 
ol  the  beast  is  the  cross,  as  abused  by  the  secular  Laiin  empire  to  the 
purposes  of  cruelty  and  superstition,'  p.  176. — The  two  apocalyptic 
beasts  hi  short  are  the  two  contemporary  Latin  empires,  secular'  and 
spiritual,  p.  181. — To  shew  their  close  connectiop.  with  eachoiheryet 
further,  St.  John  afterwards  represents  them  jointly  umler  one  great 
pompouud  symbol,  ;i  harlot  or  apostate  church,  I'iding  ujion  a  scvcn- 
heydcd  and  ten-horned  tcmporul  beast,  p.  lifl. 


C) 

,v 

SECT.  V. 

T/ie  hiattry  of  the  true  Church  during  the  fxeriod  of  tke  grctt  JfioS' 
tacij — The  harijest  and  vin.age  of  God' f  nvrath. 

Under  the  iin:ip;c  of  144,000  sealed  servants  of  God  stjiidinp^  and 
exullinp;  on  the  mount  Zion,  is  represented  the  desni.-te  church 
in  tlie  wihierness,  sorrowful  yot  uluays  rejoicinq;,  during  tlic  period 
of  the  1260  years,  p.  185. — The  144,000  arc  the  same  as  the  two 
mystic  w-itnesscss  ;  and  they  peculiarly  represent  the  internal  state  of 
the  Church  previous  to  the  era  of  the  RefornK.tion,  althoiii^h  the 
witnesses  will  continue  more  or  less  to  prophesy  in  sackclot'^  to  tiie 
very  time  of  the  end,  p.  186. — Their  joy  is  purely  of  a  spiritual  na- 
ture, and  subsists  along  with  ^reat  temporal  distress,  p.  186. — After 
desciibingthe  144,000,  the  prophet  suddenly  introduces  im  autre !  fly- 
ing in  the  midst  of  heaven  and  bcurinp;  the  everlasting  Gospel,  p. 
J 88. — By  this  angel  Luther  and  his  followers  seem  to  be  intended, 
through  whose  instrumentality  the  Reformation  was  most  unexjK  ct- 
cdly  begun,p.  188 — The  first  angel  is  followed  by  a  second,  pro- 
phetically denouncing  the  destruciicn  of  the  mystic  Babylon,  p.  190. 
— By  this  angel  Calvin,  and  the  different  reformed  coutint  ntal 
churcliesof  his  pt-rsuasion,  appear  to  be  meant,  p.  190. — The  second 
angel  is  followed  by  a  third,  denouncing  everlasting  misery  to  those 
who  shall  conliniie  to  worship  the  b^ast  and  his  image,  and  to  receive 
his  m:irk,  p.  192. — By  this  third  angel,  the  third  great  branch  of 
tlie  Reff)rination,  the  Church  of  England,  which  is  not  professedly 
either  Lutheran  or  Calvanistic,  seems  to  be  represented,  p.  193.—. 
The  great  persecutions  at  the  era  of  the  Reformation  predicted,  p. 
193 — Having  passed  the  opoch  of  the  Reformation,  the  prophet  des- 
cribes in  brief  tlic  events  of  the  third  woe-trumpet  under  the  types 
of  a  harvest  and  a  vintage  ;  for  this  last  chapter  of  the  little  book, 
like  the  preceding  ones,  extends  through  the  whole  period  of  tlie 
1260  days,  p.  194. — The  historv  of  the  third  woe-trimipct  however  the 
prophet  details  at  large  in  the  greater  boor,  of  die  Revelation,  divid- 
ing it  into  the  seven  periods  of  the  seven  vials,  p.  196. — These  vials 
must  be  arranged  in  three  classes,  in  order  that  they  may  be  made  to 
.synchronize  with  the  harvest  and  the  vintage  :  namely,  the  vials  of 
the  harvest :  the  intermediate  vials;  and  the  vial  of  the  vintage,  p.  197. 

CHAP.  XL 

Concerning  the  rj/'crf.i  of  the  laat  ivoc-trum/ict,  the /touring  out  of  (he 
sex'cn  vials,  and  the  restoration  of  the  Jews. 

At  the  sounding  of  the  last  woe-trumpet,  the  seven  vials  full  of  the 
last  plagues  are  poured  out,  p.  198.  —The  seven  vials  arc  all  posic  rior 
lo  the  12ih  of  August,  1792,  when  the  tliird  woe-trumpet  began  to 
sound,  and  when  Antichrist  was  revealed,  p.  198. — They  more  or 
less  affect  I)otii  the  Last  antl  the  West,  p.  199. — Thougli  they  suc- 
ceed each  otlier  in  regular  chronological  ordir,  no  injinnuion  is  giv- 
en, that  cue  shall  be  completely  emptied,  before  another  begins  to  be 
poured  out,  p.  2U0. — The  harvest  comprehend;:,  the  three  first  vials, 
and  symbolizi's  tlie  miseries  inflicted  upon  nuuiUiiid  by  the  tyranny  of 
Antichrist  during  the  nuidncss  of  the   Trench  Revolution,  p>   20U. — 


7  ' 

The  vintajfe  synchronizes  witli  the  s.ventli  vial,  and  relates  to  the  final  de- 
struction of  all  God's  enemies  i-i  tlie  land  of  Palestine,  \)  200— The  lein-iiniMff 
three  vials  occupy  the  intermediate  space  between  the  harvest  and  the  vuitaee 
p.  200.  *"  * 

SECT.  I. 

Concerning  the  vials  of  the  harvest. 

The  harvest  may  be  cons'dered  as  commencing:,  not  merely  with  the  first 
vial,  but  with  the  earliest  blast  of  llie  tiiird  woe  ;  and  tlie  downf  .11  of  the  lentU 
part  of  the  great  city  may  Iv  esteemed  tlu-  first  fnutoof  it,  p.  201  —1  he  hxvvest 
describes  the  mistrieo  both  internal  and  external,  p-oduccd  bythi-  franllc 
anavchy  of  the  Frencli  Kevolution  ;  avid  compicb^'i-ls  llie  ihiee  fi.st  viuls,  p. 
201  — At  the  pourint^  out  of  thi  fi  st  vmI  on  the  6.1)  of  August,  179'2,  the  noi- 
some sore  of  atheism  breaks  out,  or  publicly  makes  its  appearance,  in  I'r ance 
and  througliout  the  wliole  Latin  t-artJi.  p.  jb  '. — At  the  pouring-  out  of  the  se- 
cond vial  in  the  beg^inning  of  September,  179?,  tlit  horrible  and  lontj  protract- 
ed massacres,  pejpetrated  during  what  was  called  c/te  rei^n  of  terror,  com- 
mence p  204 — At  tlie  pouring- out  of  the  third  vial,  the  rc.s'-ularly  established 
governments  of  the  Latin  empire  experienced  dreadful  devastatieit  from  the 
arms  of  Republican  France  durinj^  a  series  of  bloody  and  unsucc.ssful  cam- 
paijjns.  the  issue  of  which  has  been  a  tremendous  aggrandizement  of  thailn- 
fidel  power,  p.  206 — The  figurative  harvest  baring  been  gatiiered  in  when 
France  once  more  bee  ame  a  moiiarchy..  and  when  a  general  pc.ice  w:,s  made 
in  the  year  1801  the  alfairs  ot  the  world  have  in  some  measui-e  retufued  t« 
their  old  channel,  p.  2U9. 

SECT.  II. 

Concerning  the  three  interinediate  vials. 

*    The  period  between  the  harvest  and  the  vintage  is  marked  by  the  pouring 

out  of  three  rials,  the  last  of  whicli  is  tlie  preciusor  of  the  vintage,   p.  209. 

At  the  pouring  out  of  the  fourtii  vial,  the  sun  of  the  Latin  firmament,  or  the 
now-existing  principal  government  of  the  divided  Papal  Koman  empire,  scor- 
ches men  with  the  mtolerable  heat  of  a  s;,  stematic  military  tyranny,  p.  210. 

This  government  is  that  of  France,  under  the  present  despotic  usurper;  and 
the  blaze  of  his  tyranny  extends  not  merely  to  France,  but  likewise  to  Hol- 
land, Switzerland,  Italy  Spain,  and  all  the  west  of  Germany,  p  2]  1. — The  in- 
fluence of  this  vial  will  probably  continue  to  the  da_.  s  of  tlie  vintage,  and  the 
military  tyranny  produced  by  it  be  the  principal  immediate  insirUnieii;  of 
forming  the  great  confederacy,  p  21  — We  must  not  look  for  any  further 
Rrf n-mation  from  Popery,  p  213— Reasons  foi  thinking,  that  there  will  be 
no  fresh  genera!  persecution  of  Piotestanism  ;  or  at  leas-  that  no  attemj..  of 
that  nature  will  prove  successful,  p  .1  . — Ail  the  remaining  vials  are  .i,-,  yet 
fixture.  At  the  pouring  out  of  the  iifUi  vial,  some  great  temporary  calamity 
will  fall  upon  the  empi.e  of  th^-  secular  beast ;  but,  what  evens  may  be  ilhid- 
ed  to,  or  what  power  will  then  be  the  lasi  head  of  the  beast,  it  is  imiiossi- 
ble  atpresent  to  determine,  p  '21o — At  the  pouring  out  of  the  sixth  vial, 
the  waters  of  the  mystic  Euphrates,  which  symboliV.e  the  Tuj-kish  monar- 
chy, will  be  completely  dried  up,  in  order  tiial  a  way  may  be  prepared 
for  the  kings  from  the  East,  p.  217. — These  waters  have  already  begun  to  ex- 
perience a  rapid  and  great  exhaustion  :  whence  we  may  infer,  that  the  era  of 
thesi\th  vial,  or  the  downfall  of  ilie  Ottoman  power,  cannot  be  very  far  distant, 
p.  -18. — Whenever  tliat  event  happens,  it  Will  serve  as  a  key  to  the  riglit  ex- 
planavion  of  the  fifth  vial,  p.  -19— The  kings  fiom  the  East  ire  most  probably 
the  len  tribes  of  Israel,  for  the  restoration  of  which  Jie  ovei  throw  of  the 
Turkish  empire  will  prepare  a  way,  p  219.— Undei  tiii^  viul,  he  kiih^s  ithe 
Laun  earth  will  begin  to  be  gathered  together  to  the  great  battie  ot  Armaged- 
dtm  by  the  be^st  *^i)d  tU^  fal^c  prophet,  p.  2)12. 


SECT.  HI. 

Concerning  the  vial  of  the  vintti\^e. 

The  vintage  is  the  catastrophe  of  the  g^reat  drama  of  the  1260  years,  an« 
synchronizes  with  the  lust  vial,  or  the  vial  of  consummation  p.  J  '3. — At  the 
pouring-  out  of  tlie  sevcnlli  vial,  three  important  events  take  place  :  tlie  earth- 
quake, by  whlctt  the  Latin  city  is  divided  in  three  parts  ;  the  ovtrtlrow  of  the 
grc:«t  sciirlct  wliore,  or  the  spiritual  Babylon:  andth-  battle  of  Armageddon, 
p  035 — Tlie  17tii,  l$th,  and  19lh  chapters  of  the  Revelation  all  helonj;t)  the 
last  vial,  or  the  times  of  the  vintage,  p.  2~^5 — 'Ihe  war  which  will  be  decided 
at  Armageddon,  will  be  undertaken  by  a  confederacy  of  the  beast,  the  false 
pi  opiiet,  and  the  kings  of  the  Latin  or  Papal  earth,  p  2^8 — Tlie  infidel  king 
will  be  deeply  concLn.cd  in  it,  p  231  — The  confederacy  will  probably  be  made 
against  the  I'roiestant  powers,  and  the  converted  Jews  now  about  to  be  restor- 
ed to  their  own  country,  p.  2.'' — The  infidel  king  may  possibly  before  this 
period  become  the  last  head  of  the  beast  ;  and  thus  take  the  lead  in  the  expe- 
dition, as  he  is  represented  doing  by  Daniel,  p.  230. — The  four  parallel  prophe- 
cies of  St  John,  Daniel,  Zechariah,  and  Joel,  cited  and  compared  with  each 
other,  p.  232 — These  corresponding  prophecies  th'  ow  much  lient  upon  the 
events  of  the  seventh  vial,  p.  2'^8 — The  baUle  of  Armageddon  will  literally  be 
fought  in  Palestine  between  thetwoseas,  p.  240  —The  particular  s>'ene  of  the 
conflict  will  be  Megiddo  ;  for  .  Irma^nl/on  signiiics  the  tlestructiun  at  JSIejid.lo, 
p.  24.?. — The  war,  Nvhichthis  battle  will  terminate,  will,  in  one  sense  or  umaher, 
be  a  religious  war  or  crusade,  p  213 — Statement  of  the  order,  in  which  the 
events  at  the  close  of  the  1260  years  will  proliably  succeed  each  other,  p  .44. 
— When  those  years  skall  have  exy>ired,  the  Jews  will  begin  to  be  restored,  p. 

244 One  great  body  of  them  will  be  restored  in  a  converted  state  by  some 

powerful  maritime  nation  of  faithful  worshippers,  p  -'4j  — An-vher  great  body 
of  tliem  will  be  restored  in  an  unconverted  state  by  the  Antichristian  faction, 
p.  J47. — Uoutc  of  Antichrit.t  to  Palestine,  p  -47. — Uoute  of  the  maritimt  nation 
to  Palestme,  p  MS. — Conversion  of  the  unbe^;e^ing  Jews,  whom  Antichrist 
Lad  placed  in  Jt-rutiaiem,  p  -'48 — Antielirist  returns  from  Kgypt,  whith- 
er he  had  marched  after  the  confju'.st  of  Palestine,  and  sacks  Jerusalem, 
p.  -249 — He  prepares  t)»i  attack  the  troops  the  maritime  power,  and 
the  converted  Jews  under  its  protection  in  the  neighbourhood  of  .M*  giddo, 
p.  250.— He  is  miraculously  overthrown  by  tlie  word  of  God,  p.  -51  — 
The  Jews  will  suffer  s^.'verely  in  the  course  of  their  restoration,  p.  2  S  — 
A  third  part  of  the  Antichristian  army  will  be  spared;  and,  being  scattered 
throughout  the  whole  world,  will  be  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the 
restoration  of  the  ten  tribes,  p  254 — "Whin  these  are  restored,  they  will  joint- 
ly form  one  nation  with  Judah,  p.  25j. — The  restoration  of  Judah  will  probably 
occupy  a  period  of  30  years,  and  the  subsequent  re.storation  of  Israel,  u  period 
of  43  years,  p.  256— At  the  end  of  this  last  period  the  .Millennium  will  com- 
mence, p.  2  )7-  How  far  prophecy  enables  us  to  ascertain  the  power  intenc'ed 
by  the  great  maritime  n;ition  of  faitliful  worshippers,  p,  2  'S.  A  summing  up 
oithe  particulars,  which  ma^  be  collected  from  propl.ec\>ri  lative  to  the  resto- 
ration of  the  house  of  Israel,' and  the  other  evLiits  which  take  place  during  the 
time  of  the  end,  p.  2i9. 

CHAP  XH. 

Jlicafiituliiiion  and  if/in'u  ion. 
PROPKR  date  of  th«  1J60  years,  p.  261  Pr..i)hecies  respectin<j  the  Papal 
littU;  hoin,  p  .'62 — l'roi)li..cies  respi-tling  the  Mohammedan  littkiinrn.  p.  -63. 
— Prophtc.eb  rcspcciini;  the  Indtlel  king  p  26V.  We  are  now  living  undr  the 
fourtii  \ial,  p.  26o.  Allliic  concui  ring  signs  of  the  times  indicate,  that  We  ran« 
noi  be  far  removed  from  the  termination  of  the  UfiO  yearsj  p.265.    Coiiciusion, 

AlTKNDlX.p.  269. 


DISSERTATION,  fy. 


Cli AFTER   X. 


Cu?itents   of  the    Utile    book — History  of  the  Western 
Aposiacy  under  the  three  woe  trumpets. 

ST.  JOHN,  having  shown  the  effects  of  the  two 
first  woe-trtanpets  in  the  East,  next  passes  to  the  colhit- 
eral  and  contemporary  history  of  the  JFest:  for  the 
same  woe-trumpet,  which  called  into  action  the  Moham- 
medon  Apostacy,  produced  likewise  the  dpvel.''penient  of 
the  papal  Apostacy  ;  both  th.ese  two  little  horns  com- 
mencing their  joint  reign  of  1260  prophetic  days  in  the 
self-same  year. 

In  order  to  avoid  needless  confusion,  the  Apostle 
throws  the  ivhole  history  of  Fopery,  during  the  whole 
1260  days,  and  under  all  the  three  w  e-trnmpets,^'  into  a 
sort  of  episode  to  his ^<??2<rr«/ series  of  prophecies  ;  which 
he  terms  a  little  book,  or  codicil  to  his  greater  book  of 
the  Apocalypse.  This  little  book  comprehends  the  ele- 
venth, twelfth,  thirteenth,  and  fourteenth  chapters  uf  the 
Revelation  :  and,  in  point  of  chronology,  all  these  chap- 

*  Bp.  Newton  is  certainly  much  mistaken  in  saying,  that  tlu;  little  book 
"** properly  cometh  under  the  sixth  trumpet^'  The  Utile  book  itself  rcpeatedlif 
declares,  that  it  comprehends  iW^  rAe  1260  years;  but  the  1260  years  exund 
\.\iro\ig\\  t  he  wiiole  period  of  t/te  three  -woe -trumpet  s  ;  oratleast  through  the  whole 
of  it,  except  tliat  part  which  is  included  in  the  effusion  of  the  last  vial,  and 
which  synchronizes  with  Daniel's  time  of  the  end :  whence  it  is  manifest,  diat 
the  Utt.le  book  must  include,  not  onl}'  tlic  sixth  trumpet,  but  thejifth  a.ncl  ^e- 
•ijenth  also.  This  is  sufficiently  evident  both  from  tlic  date  oftheffth  n'umpet, 
and  from  the  termination  of  the  seventh  ,•  for  the  jifth  t.umpet  begins  to  sound 
attiie  very  commencement  of  the  1260  years,  namely,  when  the  bottomless  pic 
was  opened  in  the  year  605  by  the  f  all.  n  slur  Sergiua  ;  and  the  seventh  tiuinpct 
brings  us  down,  through  the  different  stages  of  its  Jirst  six  vials,  to  the  erid  of 
t/ie  1-160  years.  H. nee  theu  the  little  boo/:  comprehends  the '^ho!  of  the  l!?60 
years,  it  must  necessarily  commence  with  the  sounding  of  the  Jifth  trumpet^ 
and  must  likewise  include  the  sevc?irh  trumpet.  Accoi'dingly  we  find,  that  the 
sei'tr.th  jngel  is  represented  as  actually  sounding  in  the  little  book  ;  ;Rev.  xi. 
15  ( though  a  more  panicular.accountof  the  cflecis  of  his  blast  is  reserved  for 
a  distinct  prophecy  in  ^'e  lars^e  book.     Rev.  xy — xii. 

VOL.  TI.  2 


10 

ters  run  parallel  to  each  other,. relating  severally,  though 
with  some  variety  of  circumstances,  to  the  same  period 
and  the  same  events  ;  so  as  to  form  jointly  a  complete 
hisforji  of  the  western  Apostaci;,  and  of  all  tJie  principal 
actors  in  it. 

1.  The  Jtr^l  chapter  of  the  lUtle  hook'^  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  treading  of  the  holy  city  under  foot  during 
forty  two  months  ;  of  the  desolate  prophesying  of  the 
"ioitnesses  dvring  the  same  period  ( f  1260  days  ;  of  the 
victory  of  the  heost  of  the  hotlomless  pit  over  them  dur- 
ing three  days  and  a  hdf :  of  their  triumphant  ascent 
into  the  symbolical  heaven  ;  and  of  the  earthquake  which 
was  to  overthrow  I  he  tenth  part  of  the  city,  and  to  he  the 
last  event  under  the  second  woe  :  and  it  linally  announces 
the  sonnding  of  the  seventh  trumpet^  a\  hich  brings  us 
down  to  the  end  of  the  VlCyO  days  ;  but  announces  it 
without  descending  minutely  to  parf.icnlarise  its  efiects.t 
In  this  chapter,  (it  is  to  l^e  ol^served)  the  beast  of  the 
bottonuess  pit  is  barely  mentioned:  and  no  intimation 
whatsoever  is  given,  either  what  iliis  beast  isy  by  whose 
instigation  he  acts,  ov  whose  minister  he  is;  tlie  prophet 
reserving  these  particulars  for  his  two  succeeding  cliap- 
fers. 

2.  The  second  chapter  C)f  the  little  bookX  lets  us  into 
the  whole  mystery  of  iniquity,  so  far  as  its  original 
mover  is  concerned.  We  there  learn,  that^//e  19.^0 years 
persecution  of  the  true  C  hurch  of  Christ  is  the  contri- 
vance of  that  old  serpent,  the  devil ;  who  is  represented 
under  the  image  of  a  drac^on  with  seven  heads  and  ten 
horns,  iji  order  to  shew  us  by  the  instrumentality  of  ?vhat 
minister  he  was  about  to  slay  the  witnesseSy  and  to  drive 
the  woman  into  the  wilderness. 

3.  Tlie  third  chapter  of  the  lUtlc  book,^  passes  from 
llie  master  to  the  servant ;  and  siiews  us  who  is  that 
minister  of  the  dragon,  that  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit, 
which  had  already  been  represented  as  the  murderer  of 
thi-  two  witnesses.     It  describes  him  as  ha\ing  6eicu  heads 

*  \\c\'   xi 
f  Its  cflV'cts  ;re  aftrrwanls  dctniled  very  circumstantially  under  the  te^rn 
viaL.  and  in  tiiC  chapters  subsequent  to  Uial  vliicli  relaUs  to  the  pouring  out 
<f  the  •natt. 

i  Kev.  xS-  ■  §  Kcv.  xili. 


11 

and  ten  horns:  the  very  heads  and  horns,  whicli  the 
dragon  induces  him  to  use  against  the  wo??ia/?-,  mentioned 
in  t/ie  preceding  chapter. 

The  third  chapter  iuvther  teaclics  \.is,hij  xv''Ose  instiga- 
tion as  a  second  cause,  the  minister  of  the  arag  n,  or  'he 
beast  of  the  bottomless  pit,  is  induced  to  tukc  up  aiins 
against  the  xooman  and  the  two  zcitnes.^es.  His  instigator 
is  another  heast,  qaitc  disti net  ivom  himsel(\  thougii  vxTy 
intnnately  connected  with  hiiii :  a  beast-,  which  comes 
up  out  of  the  ea^thi  or  Roman  empire  ;  which  has  two 
horns  Hke  a  lamb ;  which  spciiks  r\s  a  dragon  ;  and 
which  excrciseth  aU  the  power  of  the  Jist  beast  before 
him,  not  in  a  hostile  but  in  ^  friendlij  ;naniier,  lo."  he 
causeth  thexvhole  earth  to  worship  his  colleague  and  sup- 
porter the  first  beast. 

4.  The  fourth  chapter  of  the  little  hook'^^'  describes  the 
state  ot  the  true  Church  during  the  ))rcvalence  of  the 
Jft'stern  Apostacy  ;  predicts  the  Reformation  ;  and  di- 
vides some  of  tlie  most  prominent  events  oi  t'>e  .seventh 
trumpety  which  are  detailed  at  large  hereafter  under  the 
seven  vials,  into  two  grand  classes,  the  harvest  and  the 
vintage  of  God's  wrath,  teaching  us  that  the  winepress 
shall  be  trodden  in  a  certain  country,  the  space  of  which 
extends  \^0  furlongs. 

We  learn  then  horn  the  four  chapters  of  the  little  booky 
h&Civwhat  the  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit  is,  nam<  ly  a 
certain  beast  with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns  ;  by  whose 
instigation  he  acts,  namely  bv  that  of  a  second  beast 
with  tw^o  horns  ;  and  whose  minister  ond  tool  he  is,  name- 
ly  that  of  the  great  red  dragon.  We  morerwer  iearn,  that, 
maang  himself  a  tool  of  the  dragon-,  and  acting  by  the 
instig,,tion  of  the  second  beast,  he  seven- headed  and  ten- 
horned  beast  of  the  sea  and  the  bottomless  pit  (tor  the 
beast  of  the  sea  and  the  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit  are 
ojie  and  the  same  pozcer,^  the  sea  describing  hi>  na- 
tural a.n<i  the  bottomless  pit  his  spiritual  nngin)  should 
wage  a  war  of  1260  years  against  the  xvoman  and  the 
two  witnesses  who  have  the  name  of  God  witten  in 
their  foreheads ,    but    that  nevertheless   the  Apostacy 

*  I^ev.  xiv,  +  Compare  Rev.  xiii.  1.  with  Rev.  xvii.  3,  8: 


12 

should  receive  a  great  check  by  tiie  preaching  of  tlie 
Gospel,*  and  afterwaids  should  be  totally  overthrown  in 
the  time  of  God's  vintagc.t 

The  wny  being  thus  cleared  by  this  general  statement, 
I  shall  proceed  to  consider  the  contents  of  the  little  book 
at  large  m  five  different  sections,  according  as  it  uatu.aily 
divides  itself.  1.  The  prophesying  of  the  witnesses  ;  12. 
Tlie  war  of  the  dragon  with  the  woman  ;  3.  The  ten- 
horned  beast  of  the  sea  ;  k  The  two-horned  beast  of  the 
earth  ;  5.  The  collateral  history  of  the  true  Church,  and 
the  harvest  and  vintas;e  of  God's  wrath. 

SECTION    I. 

Coiicerning  the  prophesying  of  the  txvo  witnesses. 

In  the  present  section  T  sliall  attempt  to  explain  the 
first  chapter  of  the  little  boo.'i^  whic'i  contains  the  his- 
tory of  the  persecution  of  the  two  witne^^es  by  the  beast 
of  the  bottomless  pit. 

"  And  there  was  given  me  a  reed  like  unto  a  rod  : 
and  tlie  angel  stood,  saying,  Rise,  and  measure  ihe  tem- 
ple of  Go(i,  and  the  altar,  and  them  that  worship  therein. 
i3ut  the  court,  which  is  without  the  temple,  lea\e  out, 
and  measure  it  not ;  for  it  is  given  unto  the  Gcjitiles  ;  and 
the  holy  city  shall  they  tread  under  foot  for  forty  and  two 
mojiths." 

This  prophecy  conm)enccs  with  the  year  606  ;  which 
is  tlie  first  \ear  of  the  great  Apostacy,  and  which  s\  n- 
chronizes  with  the  earli'sl  IList  of  the  first  icoetrui/ipet 
in  the  East.X  The  temple,  the  altar,  aud  thty  thd  wor- 
ship therein-,  are  thosefcw  Christtansy  who  in  the  midst 

*  Kcv.  xiv.  6.  +  Hev  xiv.  18,  19,  20 

i  I  may  here  add  to  the  arguments,  by  which  I  liave  ahe:uly  shewn  that  the 
year  c>0&  is  most  pr.kublyihti  true  date  of  the  l-6u  years,  the  ll>IUjWin)f  one. 
Unless  this  year  be  pitched  upon,  wc  shall  find  it  impossible  to  moke  '/ic  be- 
ginr.ing  of  theftr-J  -.uoe-ti-umpet  ill  tlir  Ka^t  S;.  nchninize  with  /At  bf^i  iiiig  cf 
th.f  wnetvoe-frumpet  in  the  ll'rst  Uu*  we  hiu-w  that  t/u-  Jirsl  ■u:e-ttumpet  be- 
gins to  sound  in  die  Kastin  the  year  bOG  :  whence  I  sec  noi  how  we  art  10 
avoid  concluding,  that  it  hcj^inb  hkowise  to  sound  in  the  West  in  the  same 
year.  Accordingly  we  find  this  same  \car  to  r.iroid  us  ih<.  mDSt  pr  ibabK  date 
of  the  ri^c  if  the  tiTsttrn  apnstary  and  the  cjinmcinx-vunt  oj  I'u-  \  60  ^citrt  ,• 
forin  this  ) e.»r  th:  Jiomrn  be.tst  di  hvcred//.*  saints  mlo  tlie  h.iiid  of'liis  /rV.'iV horn. 
1  can  scarct-ly  believr,  tli.a  so  many  coincidences,  all  leading  us  to  the  uear 
6<J^,  are  purely  accidental. 


13 

of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation  stood  fast  in  if/e 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ  :  and  the  court  ivitlioni  the  temple 
symbolizes  those ^  who  retained  indeed  the  name  of  Cliris- 
tiansy  but  had  grossly  apostatized  from  the  truth.  The 
holy  city,  which  is  given  to  them  to  tread  under  foot 
and  pollute  with  superstitious  abominations,  during  the 
period  of  forty-lzoo  prophetic  months,  a  period  equiva- 
lent to  the  1^60  years  of  the  Apcstdcy,  is  the  visible 
Church  of  Christ.*  St.  John  therefore  is  ordered  to 
measure-,  or  take  an  account  of  the  faithful  servants  of 
God,  who  never  ceased,  in  a  greater  or  le^s  number,  to 
exist  throughout  the  whole  duration  of  the  Apostacy : 
while  he  is  commanded  to  leave  out,  and  not  to  measure, 
the  outer  court,  as  containing  only  those  nominal  Chris- 
^/rt?/^,  who  in  practice  were  Genlilcs,  and  who  v^-ere  un- 
worthy the  notice  of  a  Being  of  infinite  purity.f 

"  And  I  will  give  power  unto  my  two  witnesses,  and  they 
shall  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three  score 
daysclothed  in  sackcloth.  These  are  the  twoolivetrees,and 
the  two  candlesticks  standing  before  the  God  of  the  earth. 

*  The  holy  city  here  mentioned  cannot  mean  the  literal  Jerusalem,  because 
the  treading;  of  it  under  foot  is  to  continue  only  V26Q years,  and  during;  tiie 
reign  nt'the  Papal  horn  ,•  whereas  the  treading'  underfoot  of  Uie  literal  Jerti- 
salcw,  has  already  continued  upwards  of  ^TOO  years,  and  commenced  long-  l/e- 
fore  th  reign  of  the  Papal  korn.  The  propliecy  therefore  of  our  Lord  in  Luke 
xxi.  24.  which  relates  to  the  literal  JenisaLm,  cannot  have  any  connection 
with  tlic  prn-phecy  of  .'^'.  John  in  Uev.  xi  '2.  which  relates  to  the  period  oi  the 
1260  T/cfl'i-.     See  the  preceding  ~d  Chupter  of  this  Work. 

j-  J\Tsusurit'.g  the  servants  of  Go./  is  equivalent  to  sealing  the?)?.  (See  Rev.  vii. 
5.)  Hence  tht  commission  of  ihc  Savi.ccnic  loaists  extended  onlj-  to  tiiose,  who 
liad  not  tht  seal  of  God\u  their  foreheads  ;  the\  were  not  able  to  approach  to 
Pieil.iiOnt  and  Savoy,  the  country  of  those  that  -were  sealed.  The  wimeasured 
/eJiuJit.  of  the  outer  tourt,  i\n^..the  unsealed  nnen  throug-hout  the  Roman  em- 
pi)-'!,  are  alike  the  votaries  of  the  .^pnstacy  :  while  thty  that  vcere  measured,  and 
thtrii  that  -,.  ete  seulea',  aiv  he  sai'its  -who  refused  to  be  partctkers  of  its  abomina- 
tio^ii  AI;  Mede  is  perfectly  right  in  his  idea  of  the  outer  cjurt  ,•  hut  I  cannot 
think  with  him  that  tht-  inne.-  roKrf means  the priviitive  Church  pi-evious  to  the 
revela'.'.oii  of  the  ?««/.  of  sin,  because  the  whole  allegory  is  ircli'dt^d  witliin  the 
1260 yeat  s,  and  consequently  those  syiUiolir.td  by  the  inrcr  court  and  those  symbo- 
lized by  t'l.c  oute'  ctniri  must  ntcess;.  luy  !;e  contempor:iry  i  'hey  'fllie  outer  c-.urt 
indeed  a)e  th;"  very  men  who  persecute  fAewi^/ie.fSi'v  0/"  f//e  inner  court.  (See 
Comnitnt.  Apoc.  in  loc.)  The  se.diiii-  of  the  servar^ts  rf  God  takes  place  un- 
der ?/if  s:a-«/>  JCd/a'id  durin^j  ti.f' rcign  of  CoiLStantine,  because  the  .Ipostacy, 
cor.sidered  individually,  commenced  ;  bout  that  time.  It  sep.iiatcil  the  wheat 
from  tixe  tares,  and  was  preparatory  lu  tlie  subsequent  grand  division  of  t/i£ 
ivi'ress(s  frorf:  ihe genciles  of  the  outer  court.  \  new  race  of  gentiles  began  to 
insinuate  themselves  it'>  f/jc  Ac '*/ dc;  at  the  time  when  the  servajits  of  God 
were  scalei  .  or  when  the  Jposracy  commenced  indvidually  :  but  the  cuter 
court  was  not  formally  _§-/tiwj  unto  them  by  the  seculai- power,  till  t'u  saints  were 
}]fiven  into  the  hund  of  the  Utile  papal  horn  in  the  year  606,  and  till  the  Jposmcy 
became  dominant. 


14 

And,  if  aiiv  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  j^roceedeth  out  of 
their  mouth,  and  devoureth  their  enemies:  and,  if  any 
man  will  hurt  tliem,  he  must  in  this  manner  be  killed. 
These  have  power  to  shut  heaven,  that  it  rain  not  in  the 
days  of  their  jirophccy :  and  have  power  over  waters  to 
turn  them  to  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  all 
plaiiues,  as  often  as  they  will." 

It  i>  evident,  that  these  /zvo  witnesses areio  he  contem- 
porary with  tfic  great  /Ipostacijy  because  they  are  to  con- 
tinue throufrhout  its  whole  duraiion  of  l^O'O  years  ;* 
and  it  is  equally  evident,  that  they  arc  to  be  hostde  to  it, 
because  they  arc  represented  as  prophesying  in  sackcloth, 
and  as  being  the  peculiar  objecls  of  t/te  beast's  fury. 
They  arc  moreover  not  to  exit^t  at  this  time,  or  at  that 
tim.e,  but  from  the  very  beginniu,^  to  I  he  icri/  endo(  the 
Apostacy  :  consequently  it  is  manifest,  that  they  cannot 
heanytii'o  mere  individual';.  The  question  then  is, 
'what  they  are  ?  Mr.  Gallaw  ay  endeavours  to  prove  them 
to  be  the  Old  and  iXeu-  Test  anient  t  In  this  conjecture 
he  follows  Colter,  More,  and  Napier  :J  but  he  is  Jiever- 
theless  certainly  mi  taken  :  for  such  an  opinion  runs  di- 
rectly counter  to  a  very  wholesome  rule,  which  ever}^ 
commentator  upon  hieroglyi)hical  prophecy  ought  par- 
ticularly to  attend  to:  Tlaving  once  estahlished  the  defi- 
nite  meaning  ofasymboUneverafterxcards  think  yourself 
at  liberty  to  depart  J  r  ?n  that  meaning  J}  The  two  wit- 
nesses are  exj)ressively  said  by  St.  John  to  be  the  tzco  olive 
trees,  and ///c  txvo  candles tic/cs,s{iu\ding  before  the  God 
of  the  earth.  'But  both  an  olive-treet  and  a  candlestickt 
live  equally  symbols  of  a  church.W  Consequently  the 
two  witnessesy  must  be  tivo  churches  ;  and  therefore  can- 
iiot  be  the  two  'J'tstaments.  Jip.  Newton  thinks  that  no 
tzco  particular  inen,  or  particular  churchesy  are  meant  by 

*  I  speak  of  the  .ipostacy  in  its  dominant  state. 

I  Brief  Comment  p  -Ij  el  iiilra.  Mr.  Uurtoii  fancies  the  two  nvilriessrs  to  be 
Diiniel  and  Si  John  ;  but,  as  he  does  not  even  attempt  to  slicw  in  what  par- 
ticulars ihcj-  answiT  to  tlie  cliaracter  of  the  viinesstn,  he  leaves  no  room  lor  a 
jpg-ular  confutation.  Esaay  on  the  numbers  ol  Uanicl  and  St.  John,  p.  241, 
24  2,  246. 

*  See  Pol  Synop.  in  loc.  nrightman  thinks,  that  they  are  ilie  Scriptures,  and 
the  congvegutton  <jj  the  faithjnl.     Ap  c.  Apoc.  Fol.  169. 

^  See  tlic  htpinninj;  ai the  I'r  face  to  I'ls  H'oti. 

Jl  See  the  preceding  chapter  upon  symh<i{s. 


15 

them  :  bnt  only  that  there  should  h^  a  fezv  faithful  ser 
vants  of  God  in  every  age,  who  should  protest  against 
the  superstitious  corruptions  ol  their  times.  His  Lord- 
ship is  perfectly  right  in  the  spirit,  though  not  quite  ac- 
curate in  the  letter,  of  his  interpretation.  There  is  so 
much  precision  in  all  the  jiurnbers  both  of  Daniel  and 
St.  John,  that  we  ought  to  be  ^'erlf  jealous  of  breaking 
down  the  barrier  of  their  literal  acceptation.*  Scrijiture 
^vill  ever  be  found  the  most  satisfactory  expositor  of 
Scripture  :  and  such  I  apprehend  to  he  the  case  in  the 
present  instance.  Throughout  the  whole  Apocalypse 
the  idcci  of  the  txvofold  Church  of  Christ  is  accurately 
preserved  :  the  Church  before  the  ad'vent  of  our  Lordy 
and  tJie  Church  after  the  advent  ;  the  Church  funded 
upon  the  Prophets yM\(\  the  Church  founded  upon  the 
Apostles  ;  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  equally  the  cor- 
.ner  stone  of  both.  Accordingl}^  we  lind,  in  tJie  verj'-  be- 
ginning of  the  Revelation,  mention  made  of  twentyfour 
elders,  w'ho  are  represented  as  being  in  heaven,  the  sym- 
bol of  the  universal  Church.  Twelve  of  these,  in  allusion 
to  the  twelve  Jexvish  patria?'chs,  are  repve^enMives  of 
the  pre  Christum  Church  :  and  the  other  tivehe,  inallu- 
sioa  to  the  twelve  Apostles,  are  representatives  of  the 
post-Christian  Church.  Whence  the  mystical  number 
ofGod^s  chosen  is  said  to  be  141,000  ;  or  twelve  multi- 
plied into  twelve,  and  afterwards  again  multiplied  into  a 
thousand,  to  shew  that  the  pious  constitute  an  exceechng 
great  multitude.  Whence  also  the  symbolical  city  of 
the  land),  or  the  universal  Church  triumphant,  is  de- 
scribed as  a  perfect  cube  of  l'i,000  J ur longs  ;  having 
twelve  gates  upon  which  are  written  the  names  of  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  and  twelve  fouridalion.i  in  which 
are  .the  names  of  the  twelve  Apostles  of  the  Lamb.  And 
whence  lastly  the  faitliful  are  represented  as  singing  the 
song  not  only  of  the  Lamb,  but  likewise  oi  JMoscs  the 
servant  of  God.  Now,  when  Ave  recollect,  that  the 
prophet  begins  the  chapter,  wherein  he  treats  of  the  two 

•  It  was  wisely  observed  by  Abp.  Secker,,that  "  it  dotli  not  appear  that  an 
oi' the  numbers  in  Daniel  mean  uncertainty."     His    Grace  might    wiiii  equ;. 
propriety  have  extended  his  lemark  to  St.  Jol^n,  \\\\\\  u   very  few  ex'-eptiu 
which  c^iplain  themselves.     SeelJ'ev.  vii  4,  :>iid  W  v.  xxi  I'S  IT- 


.1.. 

7iffjir.sses,  w'ith  nn  account  of  liis  measuring  f  fie  spiritual 
temple:  when  wln-.thcr  consi<IfM-,  thai  St.  Hhifs  im- 
agery of  t/w  uo  candlesticks,  and  I  he  two  olive  trees,  is 
evidently  trikcn  from  Zcrlinri.-drs  vision  'u  Ihe  second 
temple  ;*  and  thai  Jk  hinisclt"  il^^cnbesthe  fzcen  j/  four 
elders  as  being  in  the  figurative  heaven,  or  the  Church 
general,  in  the  same  niannnr  a.^  ///  candlesticks'  ami  (he 
olive  trees  v\»  ro  placed  in  'he  temple,  which  is  another 
symbol  of  the  spiritual  Church  general  as  contradistin- 
guished from  ilicouler  cour'  ofmcrc  nomic.d  C'lir-stiiins: 
whiJi  the  whole  of  t!  is  is  duly  w.  ighed,  and  when  the 
undoubted  fact  that  St.  John  borrr.ws  this  set  of  hiero- 
glypliics  from  theJcxcish  tcm'  le  and  its  funiture,  is  ta- 
ken into  the  account,  1  tliirk  we  cannot  but  come  to 
the  conclusion,  that  the  tzcentj/j'our  elders^  the  'xcelve 
gates,  t\T\(\  the  twelve  foundations  S  the  nea' Jerusalem, 
the  txco  olive  trees, the  tzoo  candlcstirks,iiind  thefrcowit- 
nesses,  iiW  eoually  signify  the  spiritual  members  cf  the 
catholic  (linrch,  considered  as  ore  great  whole,  though 
made  up  of  two  component  parts.  Not  that  any  of  tlie 
members  of  the  pre-Christian  Church  literally  propliesied 
during  the  l'?f)0  years  of  the  great  Apos'acy :  the  proph- 
et s|)caks  only  of  men  of  a  like  spirit  with  themselves, 
the  ni)  stical  children  of  the  Church  general  now  for  ever 
united  under  its  illustrious  head,  those  \^  ho  are  Israelites 
indeed.  "  Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the  prom- 
ises made.  He  sni'h  not,  and  un'o  seeds,  as  of  many  ; 
hut  as  of  one,  and  to  thy  seed,  winch  is  (  hrist — But,  be- 
fore faith  came,  ue  were  kept  under  the  lav.',  shut  up 
unto  the  faith  \rhich  should  aflei wards  be  revealed — Ye 
are  «// the  rhildren  of  Cod  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus — 
There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Clreek,  neither  bond  nor  free, 
there  is  neither  iiUile  nor  female:  for  ye  are  all  on«  in 
C'lu- St  Jesns.  And,  if  ye  be  Christ's, ///r//  art  ye  Abra- 
hams seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise  "J 

•Z.cl>  iv  ?,  n.  9,  11— M 

\  II  is  c^  iilcnt,  U>al  ihr  two  o.'tv  trrei  are  tlic  banio  .is  the  ttv  cti.i  u .-.,/.  f,  and 
t!i:il  t!i«-,.  :»:■«•  iKit  d«>i>;nc(l  tn  •i\n\h<Xin- fvti:  din"<  rtnt  pa  lirui;.rs  ;  t>ci*.*u8e 
f'r  t.-i'wr*i",  w  iio  ari.  only  ni.y  in  ntiinl)tr,  ari.  Said  lo  hi  Kpifioc!  not  nKTcly 
b)  /Ar  IW' '/..ir  f(««,  but  lik  \mm- uilditionall)  b\  the  Ivu  Citn.i.cit:<:kt.  ^\'l^cnc« 
ii  wid  fuiluw,  ilul  t^'<.  uiie  ..  '  r  is  the  same  in  point  of  sijjnification  as  the 
fnt  canJUi:icl;  aS[iliJtefilh  ''■ 

23,26,?8,  :9. 


17 

^h'.  Oalioway  objects,  that  the  two  mt^esses  cannot 
Ix^  t  osc  icho  prate  ted  against  the .  or r apt:  am  of  'op>ry 
durin.i;  the  UGO  j/ears,   because   thei/  w.re  to  prophecy 
~  m  sackcloth  ;  whereas  notie  of  the  reformers  ever   pic- 
tended  to  the  gift  o^ prophe  y.    but  contented   them- 
selves witli  beijig  aierelj  preachers  of  God's  w;)rd.     In 
making   this  unguarded  objection,  Mr.  Galloway  seems 
to  have  forgotten,  that  in  the  New  Testament  prophesy- 
ing  IS   not  unfrequently  used  as  a  mere  s\  iioiiym  of 
preaching  or  eapoundig.  '^    The  propheying  therefore 
oj  t:  e  tu'o  zvuntsses  's  jiothine;  more  than  therr  zealous 
avozcalnf  ■h,  principles  of  the  Gospel;  their  shutiin^^ 
of  hei!TenyH(;  ihar  it  rain  not  in  the  days  of  their  proph- 
ecy, IP  the  shutting  up  t^-e  teviple  or  spiritual  Church,  so 
that  the  d  w  of  Uod  s  xcord  and  spirit   houid  not  descend 
upon  the  apostate  inhahitrntsoi  the  Iwrnan  earth  ;\?im\ 
their  poxcer  of  smiting  the  earth  icifh  diverse  plagues 
means  ih.t  alt  the  various  pi  r.gaes,  anu>uhccdnt  the  Ahoc- 
aliip-se,  blood,  slavghier,   ana  dcwlatioi,  should,   in  the 
course  oj  God's  j;st  judgments,   be  the   consequence  of 
niev  s  slighting  the  warniv^  voice  of  his  tivo  mystical 
prophets      Not  that  it  was  their  wish  to  shut  up  heaven, 
or  to  call   down   (he  vengeance  of  the  Almighty  upon 
earth;  their  desire  was  to  preach  repentance  and  the 
iorgivcness  of   sins:  the  fire  of  God's  wrath  ^^ovAiXxi^wer 
have  proceeded  out  of  their  mouth  :    they  never  would 
have  had  occasion  to  denounce  his  righteous  indignation 
against  sm  ;  if  they  of  the  Apostaci)  would  have  reformed 
themselves,  instead  of  hurting   or    persecutin,^^   the   two 
7Vituesses      W^ien  it  is  said  therefore,  that  thev  have  pow- 
er to  s'liit  heaven,  to  turn  the  waters  into  blood,   to  smUe 

n^J^J'^^^'-rM''"'^"^^^  ^'''■'"*''  ''■'^  "P""  ^''»i<='^  ^I'-  Cruden  very  iusllv  re- 
Warks,  1  Ins  X^vrr^Cprcpnc.yingJ  is  used  by  St.  Paul  i\,y  cxp!ainiVs^tvr, 
t^eaduvg,  m.pe.kmstothe  Cl.unh  iv  pr.bl.c  See  also  1  Cori.ul.r  xi.  4,  5- 
II  Hess  v.20,^%vli.chthciT.:.TRm  of  the  Dible  refers  to  1  Corimh.  xiv  )  and 
Ko,n  xu.  6.  1  he  use  of  the  word  in  this  sense  probably  originated  from  the 
frcqnent  appeals  made  bv  the  primitive  teachers  to  the  prophetsvvho  hnd 
piophos.ed  ol  Chnst.  .See  Acts  ii.  14-3?  iii.  18.  .v.  10-uA.-.8  Si  <C. 
alu^^.  xxv:  6-^  andxvii,  23.  S.e  also  the  grounds  of  our  Lord'.* 
own  d  scoursc  w.lh  the  two  disciples  at  EiPmaus.  Luke  xxiv  25  2H.  '  7  ard 
b.s  subsequent  address  to  the  eleven  and  those  that  were  with  them  V.r.  44? 

ii^/ff  arcputforMc^rac.s    and    ,kctrim-,    of    tic    Sp.nt ;    and   tht   ,/<  ^rc   of 
ram,  lor  spn-.uuU  b.vrennrs.     Observ.  „n  Dan.  and  l£v  p   ly  '  ^ 

vor.  IT.  ;; 


18 

the  earth  wiih  plagues^  and  to  dart  from  their  mouth  coiu 
siun'mg  fire ;  these  expressions  must  all  be  understood^ 
jiot  in  a  causal,  but  in  a  conse/aeiitial,  sense  :  for  tlie 
commission,  given  io  the  two  fgurative prophdSy  is,  in 
point  of  its  proper  mode  of  interpretation,  exactly  analo- 
i^ous  to  tlie  chars:e  which  God  delivered  to  Isaiah : 
**  M(ke  the  heart  of  this  people  fat,  and  make  their  ears 
hoavy,  and  shut  their  eyes  ;  lest  they  see  with  their  eyes, 
and  hear  with  their  cars,  and  understand  with  their  heart, 
and  convert,  and  be  healed.'"*  In  perfect  strictness  of 
speech,  Isaiah  was  no  more  able  to  inilict  the  plague  of 
spiritual  stuj)idity,  than  (lie  two  prophets  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse were  tliat  of  spiritual  barrenness  and  natural  ca- 
lamities. Both  the  })assages  must  be  explained  exactly 
Uj)on  the  same  principle  :  the  judgments,  which  these 
prophet.^  were  severally  empowered  to  inflict,  were  not 
caused  hy  them  as  active  agents,  but  \^Tre  the  consequence 
of  their  mimsfry  being  sliiihtcd.  In  this  sense  we  are  au- 
thorised by  inspired  authority  to  interpret  the  charge 
given  to  Isaiah  :t  consequently,  by  a  parity  of  reasoning, 
we  arc  at  liberty  to  explain  the  powers,  committed  to 
the  two  opocalypiic  prophets,  in  a  similar  manner.  J 

It  is  not  unworthy  of  remark,  that  the  two  witnessesr 
are  described  as  having  only  one  vwuth.^  This  circum" 
stance  at  once  shews  that  thoy  are  miisticaJy  not  literal, 
characters  ;  and  serves  to  demonstrate  the  propriety  of 
the  foregoing  ex})lanation.  The  pre-Christian  and  the 
post-Cliristian  Church,  iorn\\ug]o\\\{\y  the  Church  gaic- 
rat,  have  but  one  mouthy  testifying  and  declaring  the 
same  simple  road  to  salvation  through  the  alone  sacri- 
lice  of  Christ.  In  the  strictly  scriptural  words  of  the 
Anglican  church  already  cited,  "  although  the  ancient 
patirarchs  were  not  named  Christian  ?nc7i,  yet  was  it  a 
Cliristian  faith  tliat  they  had  ;  for  they  looked  for 
all  bcnciits  of  God  the  Father,  through  the  merits  of 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ,   as  Ave  do  how.     This  dilTcrcnce  is 


•  Isaiah  vi  10.  f  Sec  Malt.  xlii.  15.  and  Acts  xxviii.  27- 

i  It  is  very  justly  remarked  by  Hp.  Xcwton,  vhcn  conimcntiiif^   upon  this 
very  pHSsaj'f: ,  tli.it  "  in  Scripture  laiifjuiij^c  tlie  prophets  are  (rftcu  said  to  rff 
llio'se  ihit'i;*,  M  l)ich  they  ilechne  and  Jlrcull." 
§   Rev.  xi  5. 


19 

between  them  and  us,  that  tliey  looked  when  Christ 
should  come,  and  w^e  be  in  the  time  when  he  is  come."* 

"  And,  when  they  shall  draw  near  to  the  close  of  their 
testimony ,t  the  beast,  that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottom- 
less pit,  shall  make  war  against  them,  and  shall  overcome 
them,  and  kill  them.  And  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in 
a  street  of  the  great  city,  which  spiritually  is  called 
Sodom  and  Egypt,  wdiere  also  our  Lord  was  crucified. 
And  they  of  the  people  and  kindreds  and  tongues  and 
nations  shall  see  their  dead  bodies  three  days  and  a  half, 
and  shall  not  suffer  their  dead  bodies  to  be  \)\xi  in  graves. 
And  they,  that  dwell  upon  the  earth,  shall  rejoice  over 
them,  and  make  merry,  and  shall  send  gifts  one  to  an- 
other ;  because  these  two  prophets  tormented  them  that 
dwelt  on  the  earth.  And  after  three  days  and  a  half 
the  spirit  of  life  from  God  entered  into  them  ;  and  they 
stood  upon  their  feet :  and  great  fear  fell  upon  them 
which  saw  them.  And  they  heard  a  great  voice  from 
heaven,  saying  unto  them.  Come  up  hither.  And  they 
ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud ;  and  their  enemies 
beheld  them." 

Prophecy,  as  it  might  be  naturally  expected,  dwells 
oaily  upon  great  and  prominent  circumstances ;  were  it 
otherwise  cojistructed,  tlie  whole  world  could  not  con- 
tain the  volumes  which  it  would  occup}^  We  must 
consider  therefore,  what  circuinstance  in  the  history  of 
the  two  witnesses,  which  occurred  before  the  soundijig 
of  tJie  seventh  truwpet^X  is  of  a  sufficiently  definite  nature 
to  occasion  this  very  peculiar  mention  of  it. 

*  The  same  sound  doctrine  is  set  forth  in  the  article  ;  "  The  Old  Testament 
13  not  contrary  to  the  New  :  for  both  in  tlie  Old  aud  Xew  Testament  everlast- 
ing lite  is  oWc.isil  to  mankind  by  Christ,  who  is  "ttie  only  Mediator  betweea 
God  and  man,  being  both  God  and  man."  I'hus  have  the  two  iuitnesse&  only 
one  mouth,  witli  which  they  unanimously  protest  ag'ainst  the  host  of  media- 
tors venerated  by  them  of  the  .Ipo^tacy. 

f  Such  is  certainly  the  proper  translation  of  the  Aorist  Tikia-xTi.  The  sub- 
junctive mood  ot  the  first  Aorist  generally  bears  a  kind  of  future  signification  : 
and  the  context  amply  shews,  that  such  must  be  its  meaning  in  the  present  in- 
stance. The  witnesses  were  to  propliesy  during  the  rvhole  1260  yeart,  which 
are  commensurate  with  the  t-wo  first  ivoe-trumpcts  and  the  greatest  part  of  the 
third.  At  the  time  of  this  event,  they  were  only  under  the  sccmd  •woe-trumpet  .• 
(See  Rev.  xi.  7 — 12.  and  14, 13.)  consequently  they  could  noihave  fnishcd  theii' 
testimony,  as  our  translation  erroneously  represents  the  in  to  have  done  ;  be- 
cause tliey  were  to  continue  prophesying  to  the  ve)-y  end  of  the  1-60  years. 
"  Cnmfinituri  sint  \.Qs\\mox\\\iTn  suum  fsic  enim  olav  T:?,ETa'3-;  vertenduic,  non 
<if  pn?:terito,  cumfinitrint.J  Mede's  Comment  Ajdoc.  in  loc. 
-t  See  liev.  xi.  7—12,  15. 


Before  ihe  prophets  can  be  capable  of  experiencing 
political  death,  the  only  death  to  which  a  comiuimiti)  is 
liable,  they  must  receive  political  life.^  This  never 
was  the  case  previous  to  the  time  of  the  Rcji  rmition  ; 
therefore  i!te  prophets  cannot  have  been  slain  before  the 
.Reformation.  Many  years  indeed  antecedent  to  that 
era,  they  had  continued  prophesying  in  sackcloth  ;  many 
years  was  the  sad  narrative  of  their  persecutions  written 
within  and  without  with  lamentations,  and  mourning, 
and  woe :  as  yet  however  they  were  not  slciiti,  for  as  yet 
they  were  incapable  of  a  political  death.  But  at  the 
Jl  formation  they  first  received  in  Germany  p  litical 
life  :]  consequently  at  the  Reformation  they  lirst  be- 
came liable  to  political  deathX  To  this  era  I  have  al- 
ready thought  myself  warranted  in  peculiarly  referring 
ihe  second  persecution  of  the  men  of  understand  iug.,\\\\\c\\ 
Daniel  describes  as  taking  \i\(iQQ:prcv:ovsio  the  revelation 
of  the  atheistical  Icing ,  and  to  this  era  I  now  think  my- 
self equally  warranted  in  looking  for  an  accomplishment 
of  the  present  prophecy. 

The  foe,  that  slays  the  witnesses^  is  styled  the  beast 
of  the  bottomless  pit :  and  this  beast  will  be  found,  upon 

♦  Hence  St.  John  predicts,  in  a  similar  manner,  the  subversion  of  the  East' 
em  empire,  imder  the  image  of  the  third  part  of  men  heinj^  killed  by  the  Euphra- 
lean  fwr semen  ,-  having' previously  informed  us,  tiiat  the  S'lractnic I'lCnsts  should 
not  be  allowed  to  A-/// the  men  who  had  not  the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads, 
but  only  to  to^-ment  them,  because  their  commission  extended  no  further  thaii 
to  harass  the  Roman  empire-  See  the  preceding  remarks  vpon  these  prophesies. 
+  They  were  not  established  as  a  church\u  Egland  till  the  accession  of  Edward 
the  sixth  in  the  year  lo47  ;  at  which  period  ihtir  cause  had  already  been  es- 
poused by  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  other  (ierman  scnereigns.  These  prin- 
ces associated  themselves  into  what  was  called  the  league  of  Smalcnlde,  in  thg 
ijears  1.  30,  1.'31, 15.55,  and  15^7  ;  and  in  that  city  first  called  themselves />ro- 
lestants  Then  it  was  that  tlie  ■iuitn''.:!ics  received  political  life.  "  J\fori  ea  no- 
tione  dicitur  qui  in  quo  cunque  statu  constitutus  .sive  Pohtico  sive  Ecclesias- 
lico,  seu  quovis  alio,  desinit  esse  quod  fiiit  ;  undo  ct  occidit  qui  tali  morte 
qvumquam  aflRcil."  (Mede's  Comment  Apoc  in  mysi.  duor.  test  )  This  ex- 
cellent definition  of  Mr  Mede's  shews  tiie  propriety  of  the  distinction  which 
I  have  made  between  the  demih  of  iJie  third  part  of  tneii  or  the  Jinman  coninnini- 
ty,  and  tite  tleath  of  the  Roman  beast  Death  in  both  cases  signifies  the  causing 
them  to  cea-jt  to  he  -what  they  -Mere  before.  Hence  tlu-  death  of  a  cnvimumty  is  thci 
causing  a  community  to  cease  fom  existing  us  a  community  ,•  An>}  the  death  of  a 
keast  IS  the  ■uusi>i_q-  a  beast  or  idolatrous  empire  to  cease  from  existing  as  a  beast 
ar  idolatrous  empire 

i  The  allegory,  here  used  by  St.  John,  was  very  familiar  to  the  Hebrew 
prophets  'lUc'y  i'rccnienlly  \n\  diet  the  restoration  rj  the  Jtr.ieliies  from  their 
present  scattered  state,  their  sX.uie  of  political  death,  under  tlie  image  of  « 
jesurrection  from  the  dead.  Let  the  reader  peruse  Ezckiel  xxxvii,  and  he  will 
acquire  a  verv  clear  conception  of  the  principle  on  which  tlu  apocyl)ptic  pre- 
^licl'.onj  velaUvc;  to  the  death  ami  revival  of  the  tivo  r.-:tnts3rs,  is  founded. 


ejL'imination,  to  be  the  first  beast  of  the  Apocalypse,  or 
the  bta^t  xvi'h  seven  heads  and  'e?i  horns.  ^'  In  short,  as 
it  shall  be  fully  shewn  hereafter,  he  is  the  same  as  Dan- 
iel'^ four-h  beast,  or  the  Homan  Empin^ :  and  he  slays 
the  xvitnesses  by  the  instrumejitality  of  his  last  head :\ 
Eelore  wo  can  understand  therefore  the  import  of  the 
prediction  relative  to  tlie  deafh  of  the  witnessesy  which 
IS  to  take  place  towards  the  close  of  the  \'^(^0  years,  and 
under  the  second  'woe-irnvipet,  we  must  learn  what  fornt 
of  Roman  government  is  intended  by  the  last  head  of 
the  beast  This  matter  however  must  be  reserved  for 
future  discussion,  when  the  whole  character  of  tJie  beast 
is  considered  at  large.  For  the  present  then,  in  order 
that  the  thread  of  the  prophecy  relative  to  tJw  witnesse.^ 
may  bo  preserved  unbroken,  I  must  be  allowed  to  as- 
sume, that  this  last  head  is  not  the  Papacy,  a^  Mr.  Mede 
and  Bp.  Newton  suppose,  but  the  line  of  the  Gothic 
empero)'S  of  the  JVest ;  the  first  of  whom  was  Charle- 
magne, and  whose  representative,  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  was  Charles  the  fifth. 

Now,  upon  consulting  history,  we  shall  find,  that  the 
witnesses  llrst  received  poHtical  life  in  the  years  1530, 
15o\,  1535,  and  1537,  by  the  formal  association  of  the 
protestant  German  princes  in  the  league  of  Smalcalde  : 
and  that  shortly  afterwards  the  Roman  beast  under  his 
last  head,  and  at  the  instigation  of  his  colleague  the  two 
horned  ecclesiastical  beast,Xheg3.i\  to  make  open  war  up- 
on them  with  a  view  to  crush  the  Reformation  in  the 
bud.     Infinite  Wisdom  determined  to  try,  "  the  patience 


*  Compare  Rev.  xl.  7-  with  Uev.  xlii   1.  and  xvii.  7,  3. 

t"  Or  to  speak  more  accurately,  hia  septimo-octave  head.  "  The  seven  hea^is 
ave  seven  king's.  The  beast  that  was,  and  is  not,  even  he  is  the  eighth,  and  is 
of  the  seven."  (Rev.  xvii.  9,  10,  11.)  Thus  it  appears,  that  St.  John  identi- 
fies even  the  whole  beast  witli  hia  last  head,  on  account  of  the  vast  power  which 
?/us /flif /ie^if/ was  destined  at  its  first  rise  to  possess  :  consequently,  when  he 
asserts,  that  the  beast  should  make  war  upon  the  vitiiesses, s'mce  the  chronology  of 
the  prophecy  shews  that  the  beast  .should  do  this  under  his  last  head,  and  since 
St.  John  identifies  the  beast  with  his  last  Jiead,  it  is  manifest  that  this  war  was 
to  be  undertaken  by  the  last  head  of  the  beast.  The  same  remark  applies  to  the 
last  war  of  the  beast,  the  false  prophet,  and  the  king-s  of  the  earth,  against  the 
Lamb.  The  beast  here,  as  in  the  former  instance,  means  the  last  head  'f  the  beast : 
and  the  kings  of  the  earth  or  Roman  empire.,  those  sovereigns  who  are  in  commu- 
nion with  the  false  prophet.  Tliis  subject  will  be  fully  discussed  hcrerdl'v-r 
i  See  Rev.  xiii.  11. 


and  faith  of  the  saintF,"  by  making  him  for  a  short  sea- 
son completely  successful  in  his  projects.  On  the  Qif/i^ 
of  April  l.") i/,  he  totally  routed  the  pmtcstants  in  the 
battle  of  Mulburg;  in  consequence  of  which  defeat 
their  two  great  champions,  who  had  given  them  political 
life,  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse, 
were  compelled  to  submit  to  the  Emperor  on  terms  of 
absolute  discretioji. 

The  prophets  wxre  now  politically  dead ;  but  they 
Avere  not  long  to  continue  so  :  whence  it  is  said,  that 
they  lay  vnburied.  The  place,  where  their  dead  bodies 
•WL're  thus  exposed,  was  a  street  of  the  great  citi/^  "  spi- 
ritually called  Sodom  and  Egijpty  where  also  our  Lord 
was  crucified."  The  excellent  Bp.  Newton,  and  the 
learned  Mr-  iNIann  of  the  C  barter  House  whom  he  cites, 
needlessly  perplex  themselves  with  elaborately  shewing, 
how  the  city  of  Rome  may  be  said  to  be  the  citi/  where 
our  Lord  was  crucifed:  whence  they  conclude,  that, 
whenever  this  prophecy  is  accomplished,  the  dead  bo- 
dies of  the  prophets  will  lie  unburied  in  some  literal 
street  of  the  literal  great  city :  "  some  conspicuous 
place  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Rome,"  as  the  Jiishop 
expresses  himself.  The  great  city  however,  the  mystic 
Babijloiu  which  througliout  the  Apoca  ypse  is  rej)re- 
scnted  in  constant  and  direct  opposition  to  the  holy  city, 
ox  the  Church,  is  certainly  not  the  city^  but  the  empire 
oj  Home  :t  whence  a  street  of  this  great  city  is  a  laug- 
dom  or  province  of  the  empire,  considered  as  a  whr4e ; 
and  a  tevt/i  part  of  the  city,  as  mentioned  in  the  thir- 
teentli  verse  of  the  present  chapter,  is  not  a  tenth  part 
of  the  literal  city  of  Rome,  but  a  tenth  part  cf  the  7^0- 
man  empire, 2im\  con9e([\x.Qn\\y  is  precisely  equivalent  to 
one  of  tlie  ten  horns  oi  hingdotfis  of  the  beast.  This 
being  the  case,  there  is  no  need  to  seek  for  a  spiritual 
sense,  in  whicfi  our  Lord  may  be  said  to  have  been 
crucified  '\n /he  great  city  :  he  literally  suffered  within 
its  precincts  :  lor  he  was  put  to  death  in  Palestine,  at 


•  Rrl,i?litman  says  the  2'Mof.lpril. 
t  The  lanpjral  JiaJit/lon  is.  tlir  t-'viporal  empire  of  Rome  ;  the  spvKxial  Iiai<i/h:j 
>»  the  spiritual  empire  of  the  Homan  I'ontijf, 


tiiat  time  a  province  of  the  Roman  empire:^     This   ob^ 
\'iou3  exposition  will  shew  tlie  great  accuracy   of    the 

•  "  Urba  viagna  1.  Sodoma  ;  2.  ^^j^ypUn.  Ilinc  discimuc  urbetn  magnam  ad 
totum  bettix  regnum  extendi,  nam  iEjs^'vpius  non  c/w  ?as  erat,  sed  rtgnum  3. 
Interfectrix  Christi  Hiiic  constat  liomani  hoc  loco  lion  intelligi.  Cfiristus 
autem  in  Romana  urbr  crucifixiis  dicitnr,  i.  a.  in  ejusfniiits  et  emperio  .•  in  wr- 
bis  platea,  he-  intra,  ditioiiem  JioTnunam,  s'we  ir.  povincia  ipaitis."  Pol.  S3  nop. 
in  loe. 

"  Hxc  tirbs  magna  est  tota  ilia  ditio  cujus  fst  Roma  metropo'is  :  quo  sensii  cfe- 
ci ma  pars  u'bis  cailit,  infra  ver.  lo.  Platea  est  pars  nhqua  Romr.iue  ditioni:,  in 
qua  spectaculum  hoc  visendum  exhibetiir,  cujus  gaudium  se  dHi'undit  pei  lo- 
tum  imperium.  U'  bs  au  em  ipsa  tnagnn  una  cunn  metropoli  sua  in  reliquo  versii 
describitur,  idq\ie  duobus  disertis  nominibus,  et  adjuiicti  simul  ';n9ij,mi  nota, 
•nequis  in  orbe  forsan  erraret — Primum  nomen  est  Sodoma — Secundem  .onnen 
est  ^.^gl'ptus,  non  nrbs  aliqua,  qu:dis  Sodoma,  sed  integra  'egio  et  pr(,tu7icia. 
Unde  hnc  nomen  non  est  proprium  ipsius  metropoli »,  s^.d  totius  ejus  ditionis.^^ 
commune."     Apoc  Apec  Fol.  174.  175 

"  The  great  city  is  that  citif  ithidi  reigneth  o'Der  the  kin'^sofths  earth,  or  Rome, 
the  empress  of  the  world.  Streets  of  the  great  city  are  its  public  places  through' 
out  its  dominion  ;  for  the  great  city  is  not  considered  so  niucli  in  its  huildiui^s, 
as  a  seat  of  empire.  It  is  Rome  and  the  Jioman  empire,  sa}  s  tlie  E|>  o.v 
JNfeaux  ;  and,  takings  the  great  city  for  Rome  and  its  empire,  he  adds.  It  is  lit- 
erally  true,  thr.t  Jesus  Christ  tvis  crucijicd  there,  even  by  the  Reman  power. 
And  it  is  moreover  true,  ihat'the  same  Rome,  which  crucified  Christ  in  per- 
son, crucitied  him  also  every  day  in  his  members.  The  general  meaning  of 
this  passage  is  well  expressed  by  Mr.  Daubuz  :  The   dead  bodies  of  the  tvitnes-' 


tie  does,  instead  of  expressing  himself  plurally,  I  shoidd  have  had  nothing  to 
object. 

"  In  the  street  of  the  great  city,  i.  e.  in  Bohemia,  o7ie  street  of  the  papal  do- 
vilniont,  or  the  great  city  Rome,  in  a  large  sense."  (Fleming's  Apoc.  Kry,  p. 
41.)  I  do  not  think  Bohemia  to  be  the  street  intended  ;  but  Mr.  Pleniing's 
mode  of  interpretation  is  the  san«e  as  my  own. 

"  It  IS  \iVohah\e  the -i^hole  Itoinan  evipirs  may  be  here  represented,  as  one 
idolatrous  and  impure  city*,-  as  elsewhere  the  Church  of  Christ  is  represented  by 
one  pure  holy  and  glorious  city"  Doddridge's  Paraph,  in  loc-)  This  argument 
from  analogy  is  an  excellent  one. 

•'  It  is  a  truth  which  must  be  held  as  certain,  being  one  of  the  keys  of  thn 
Revelation,  th^tthe  city,  the  great  city,  signifies  in  this  book,  not  Rome  alone,  but 
Rome  in  the  conjunction  -with  its  empire  :  the  name  of  tins  great  city  is  Rabylon — 
This  being  supposed  and  proved,  that  the  city  is  the  whole  Jiab^Jlonish  and  ^?/;~ 
tichristian  empire,  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  empire  of  ^intichrist  is  made 
up  often  kingi/oms  and  of /f;i  kings,  wiio  must  give  their  power  to  the  beast.  ,-i 
tenth  pa^'t  of  the  tityfell ,-  that  is  one  of  these  ten  kingtloms  which  make  up  the 
great  city,  the  liabylo.iish  empire,  shall  forsake  it — Now  M'hat  is  this  ic7ith  part: 
nf  the  city  which  shall  fall  ?  In  my  opinion,  we  cannot  doubt  tiiat  it  is  France — 
The  kings,  wlio  yet  remain  under  the  empire  of  R<  me,  must  break  with  lier, 
leave  her  solitary  and  desolate.  But  wlio  must  begin  this  last  revolt  \  It  iti 
most  probabla  that  France  sliall — Socing  the  tenth  part  of  the  city,  which  must 
fall,  is  France,  this  gives  me  some  hojies  that  the  death  of  the  Iko  -u/itnessrs. 
hath  a  particular  relation  te  tliis  kingdom.  It  is  the  street  or  place  of  this  city  ; 
that  is  the  most  conspicuous  and  eminent  pan  of  it!"  (Jurieu's  Accomp.  of  ilie. 
Scrip.  Pioph.  Part  11.  p.  i61 — 267  ;  The  reader  will  perceive  the  points 
wherein  1  difier  from  M.  Jurieu  ;  the  passage  is  cited  simply  to  siiew  \\  hat  he. 
understood  by  the  great  cit'i. 

"  Civitatem  illam  magnam,  qux  regnum  gcrit  in  reges  terrx,  non  tarn  urbem 
r/iiampiavi  moenibvs  cinctinn  (quanqtiam  a  t;.ii,  ceii  acr'poh  quadam,  erigineir 


Si. 

••• 

prophecy  now  under  consideration.  The  two  my^- 
ticp7'oj)/iets  were  not,  at  the  precise  time  nlliided  to  by 
St.  John,  to  lie  dead  and  unburied  throughout  //le  wJtolc 
of  the  invent  citv  ;  butonlj',  as  he  expressly  informs  us, 
in  out  pirt'cular  dnet  or  region  of  it.*  Now,  since 
their  persecutor  uj)on  tliis  occision  was  to  be  the  brad 
umlcrhi-  la.st  liead,  tlw  street  of  the  ei'y-,  where  they 
were  to  lie  unburied,  must  evidently  be  that  region  of 
the  empire  \\\\ic\\^\\ov\(\  be  subject  to  the  more  imme- 
diate jurisdicnon  of ///e /<75/ //e^<'/.  Accordingly  in  the 
very  year  1547,  whcji  tiie  prophets  were  politically  slain 
in  Gtrii>a)iy^  the  Ji^urotive  ^/rt*  /  under  the  special  con- 
trol of  the  uist  he-'id  ;\  they  first  obtained  Jwlit'cal  life 
m  another  street  of  the  great  ci///>  where  the  last  head 
had  no  authority,  by  the  accession  of  Edward  the  sixth 
to  the  throne  of  England. 

St.  John  informs  us,  that  their  dead  bodies  were  to  lie 
unburied  \i\  this  street  of  the  citji^  precisely  three  days 
and  a  half ;  that  is,  three  natural  years  and  a  haif ; 
tvhen  they  should  suddenly  come  to  life  again,  stand 
firmly  upon  their  feet,  and  ascend  triumphantly  to  heav- 
en, in  spite  of  the  machinations  of  their  enemies. 

The  txco  prophet Sy  as  we  have  seen,  were  slain  by  the 
beast  in  the  battle  of  IMulburg,  on  the  QUh  of  April 
1547.  By  this  decisive  victory  the  cause  of  the  rcj'or- 
onation  seemed  irretrievably  ruined  in  Germany,  the 
street  of  the  great  city  where  their  dead  bodies  lay  unbu- 
ried:  the  mass  was  restored;  protestantism  was  in  a 
manner  suppressed:  and  they  that  dwelt  upon  the  Ro- 
man earthy  the  papists  of  the  vari'^us  tongues  and  nations 
into  which  the  great  riUi  had  been  divided  i)y  the  incur- 
sions of  the  Goths,  rejoiced  over  the  two  prophets  that 
•tormented  them  by  their  troublesome  admonitions  ;  and 
made  merry;  and  sent  gifts  one  to  another.  JBut  this 
joy  was  of  no  very  long  continuance.     The  sure  word  of 

<luccre  pDlest),  quam  vtultitudineni  sod  tcm  ptr  caput  out  capita,  utcntr m  po* 
tislule  iiii|)eianili,  taiKjuain  jiiic  ineirnpolcns  ostrnJinnis  I'roplu  tx  rriela- 
plior;iSci  a;uinniala  uniaiit.  lu  (.yfitis  ist  (juni  riviti.s  ;  forum,  qumi  foruvi. 
lla  Apoc.  X  8  Ciiiiiit  mi^mt,  ubi  Cbrisiiis  crucilixus  est  hamnnam  ditior.em 
not«t."     Heidegger  INIyst .  Bab.  Majf  T«im  I  p.  219. 

•  In  una  platranini      I'ol  S\nop  in  Inc 
f  It  is  wortliy  of  obsirvatii'H,  Uiat   Spain  was  not   stibject  to  Cliatlcs  V.  a» 
the  iasl  lund,  bu\  as  one  of  the  tcnfuri.s  of  the  if(i.t<t. 


prophecy  bad  declared,  that  it  should  last  only  three 
years  ami  a  half.  Accordingly  tlie  reformers  again  stood 
upon  their  feet  at  Magdeburg  in  the  October  oi  the  year 
1550  ;*  and  in  the  December  of  the  same  year  defeated 
the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  and  took  him  prisoner. 
Great  fear  now  fell  upon  all  that  saw  them  ;  but  the 
time  was  not  yet  arrived,  when  they  were  finally  to  as- 
cend into  the  siimbolical  heaven,  in  the  very  siglit  of  their 
enemies.  This  was  at  length  accomplished  by  the  peace 
ratified  at  Pas^au  in  \55%  and  confirmed  at  Augsburg 
in  1555  ;  by  which  the  protestants  were  allowed  to  en- 
joy the  free  exercise  of  thoir  religion.t  Then  it  was, 
that  the  two  prophets  ascended  into  heaveUi  or,  in  other 
words,  became  an  achwwledged  church.  Hitherto,  al- 
though possessing  political  life,  they  only  stood  upon 
their  feet  on  the  eatHh,  surrounded  and  assailed  by  their 
imperial  and  papal  enemies  :  but  now  they  triumphantly 
ascended  into  heaven,  and  lirmly  established  themselves 
in  direct  opposition  to  their  enemies  who  beheld  them, 
the  first  bi  ast,  and  his  instigator  the  second  beast. 

Tims  it  appears,  that  an  accurate  comparison  of  proph- 
ecy with  history  has  shewn  us  both  the  time  when,  and 
the  place  where,  these  remarkable  events  were  to  take 
place.  It  was  necessary  that  the  two  prophets  should 
receive  political  life  in  order  to  be  capable  of  political 
death.  This  they  first  did  throughout  the  whole  Ro- 
man empire,  m  Germany:  It  was  further  necessa.y,  in 
order  to  the  exact  accomplishment  of  the  prediction, 
that  they  should  be  slain  in  a  street  of  the  great  city  pe- 
culiarly under  the  control  of  the  last  head  of  the  beast. 

This  street  is  Germany  likewise.  To  Germany  there- 
fore we  must  look,  and  to  no  other  street  of  the  city,  for 
the  com[jJetion  or  the  prophecy.  Accordingly  upon 
looking  there  we  have  found,  that,  as  the  prophets  ikst 
received  political  life  in  Germany,  so  they  first  experi- 
enced/;o^/^ic«/ ^r/d-a/yi  there:  that  this  political  death  was 

*  "  Hoc  suadet  oppositionis  ratio,  ut  talis  sit  cxdes,  quails  resurrectio. 
Hesurvectio  autem  hxc  nonest  propria  dicta,  quails  nulla  ftitura  est  ante  ad- 
ventum  Cluisti,  sed  analoglca  et  politica,  qua  ad  lionorcm  rerumque  regimen 
susc'.labuntuf.  In  stylo  sacro  Vivirt  subiiide  est  Etee,  et  .Mori  est  J\'»n  eete." 
Med-  et  Mor.  apud  I'd.  Synop.  in  loc. 

t  Se»  Bi-iffhtman's  Apoc.  Apoc.F»l  176,  177,  178. 

VOL.  ir.  i 


€■•• %f 

inflicted  upon  tIirm1)ytl>o  very  accent  pointed  out  hy  SC^ 
John,   ihc  beast  iDiAr  his  h  st  herd :  that  the  p^vpliefs' 
resumed  tht  iiinctions  of  political  life  in  the  a/'tuvnt  of 
1550,  exactly  three  ycors  mid  a  half  from  the  ^pri  g  of 
1547,  when  they  were  shiin  :  and  now,  ^nce  more  si  and- 
ing  U})on  their  feet,  routed  the  Duke  of  Mecklenhurg  in 
the   /hremder   immediately  following  :    and    lastl}'  that 
they  ascended  iBtn  the  (ccle^ics'ical  he<veny  after  they 
had  stood  on  their  feet  upon  the  earth,  and  oj-'er  great 
fear  had   fallen    upon   their  enemies,   in  the y(  a    155'2; 
when,  by  the  treaty  of  Passau,  the  emperor  was  compell- 
ed to  allow  them  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion,  and 
to  re;tdmit  them   into  the  imperial  chamber,   from  which 
they  had  lieen  excluded  ever  since  the  victory  of  Mulburg. 
All  the  interpretations,   which  have  been  given  of  this 
prnphecy,   except    the    present,   ap|)ear   to  have  failed, 
from  the  pa vi'ig  too  exclusive  an   attention  to  tne  allot- 
tid  period  (f  th  ee  days  avd  a  half;  and  from  not  tak- 
ing intt)  the  acc^ujit   those  other   parts  of   the  piedic- 
tion,  which  point  out  both  the  tiviexchen,  ihepUd  e  where, 
and  the  impvrud  head  under  which,  it  was  to  receive  its 
completion.      Several  of  these  intcrj)rctations  are    men- 
tioned by   Bp.   N(-wton — The  prnphecy  in  question  has 
been  applied  for  instance  to   the  council  of  Constance, 
which  sat  about  thret   yrnrs  and  a  halj,  en;icted  many 
kws  against  pretended  heretics,    and   condemned  to  the 
jBames   John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague.      But  these 
tno  martyrs  were  only  individuals :  they  cannot  with  any 
popnety  be  termed  two  candlcslicks,   or  two  churches  : 
they  did  not    prophesy   H^O  years:    they   were  inca 
pable  of   revivification,   for  it  is  a  mere  evasion  of  the 
piain  words  of  St.  John  to  say,    that  they  revived  in  their 
followers :  consequently  they  cannot  be  the  two  apoca- 
lypf  c  prophets — It  has  also  been  applied  to  the   French 
wus.^acrtoj  the p'o'cstants  on  the  eve  of  St  Brjrthoiemew, 
151%  and  the  treaty  of  Henry  the  third   with  the  flu- 
guenots  conchuled  May  the  1  i///,  1576  ;  whereby  all  the 
protestanis,  about  tliree years  and  a  hall  after  ti.e  mas- 
sacre, were  admitted   to  the  free  and  open  exercise  of 
their  rcli'von.     lint  this  exposition  will  in  no  res|)ect  ac- 
«or<A  witii  the  prophecy,  except  in  tho  coincidence  o' 


ijne  three  years  and  a  half:  for  the  protestants  never 
did  m  >ie  than  preach  in  sackcloth  throughout  France, 
not  being  able  to  ohta.in  political  life  in  that  country  j 
and,  even  if  they  had  obtained  political  life  there,  as 
they  did  in  England,  still  the  war  would  have  been  made 
upon  them,  noC  by  the  beast,  as  St.  John  assures  us 
should  be  the  case,  but  onlij  by  one  of  his  ten  Iwrns,  or 
tlie  French,  sovereign — It  has  likewise  been  applied  by 
Jurieu  to  the  persection  of  the  French  protestants  after 
the  revocation  of  the  ed-ct  of  Nantz.  But  this  pious 
author's  exposition  is  not  only  liable  to  the  same  o! Sec- 
tions as  the  preceding  one,  but  has  since  shared  the  tate 
of  most  human  prophecies  founded  upon  a  divine  proph- 
ecy. He  ventured  to  foretell,  that  that  should  be  the 
last  persecution  of  the  Church  ;  that  the  witnesses  should 
lie  dead  three  years  and  a  half  horn  the  year  1685,  whea 
the  edict  was  revoked  ;  that  the  Reformation  should 
then  be  established  by  royal  authority  throughout  the 
kingdom  ;  and  that  the  whole  country  should  renounce 
Pope  y,  and  embrace  Pr/)testant/sm.  Events  have  pre- 
cluded the  necessity  of  any  other  confutation^ — It  has 
lastly  been  apphed  by  Bp.  Lloyd  and  Mr.  Whiston  to 

•  This  notion  of  Jurieu's  has,  with  some  variations,  been  recently  revived  by 
My.  Bicheno.  He  asserts,  that  the  two  v>itncssts  represent  the  advocates  for  re- 
ligious truth  and  civil  hbcrtij  ;  that  the  Beast,  which  slays  them,  is  the  second 
apocalyptic  beast  ;  tliat  that  second  beast  is  the  French  monarchy  from  the  time  of 
Louis  XIV ;  'hat  the  -zvitw  ssts  were  slain  in  the  year  1683  by  the  revocation  of 
the  edict  of  Nantz  :  thatf/ie  three  days  and  a  half,  during  which  they  lay  dead, 
are  what  he  styles  three  lunar  days  and  a  haf,  in  other  words,  t!  ree  prophetic 
months  and  a  half  or  103  natural  years  ,-  and  that  at  the  end  ot't/itse  10-  years 
they  revived  and  stood  upon  their  feet  by  means  of  f/ie  French  revolution  in 
f-e  year  1789. 

I  tiiink  him  quite  mistaken,  for  the  following  reasons — 1  The  ivilncstes,  up- 
on the  principles  of  symbolical  language,  must,  be  two  churches  :  the  a /vacates 
for  religious  truth  anl civil  liberty  are  i:ot  tii^o  chuvclies — 2-  The -atitiusses  plain- 
ly represent  a  body  of  men  emrnent  for  Christian  piety  ;  and,  as  their  deat/i 
means  \i\c\T  political  extinction,  so  their  resurrection  means  iheir  political  revi- 
mal.  Thus  Ir^zckiel  represents  the  restoration  of  the  house  of  Israel  to  their 
emcient political  existence  among  tlie  natiuns,  under  the  similar  imagery  of  a 
resurrection  of  dry  bones.  (E::eK  xxxvii  )  How  then  can  the  pious  xiitncs  as  be 
sa:d  to  be  raist-d  up  again  to  political  life  by  an  event,  which  threw  tlie  reins 
of  the  Fi-ench  govea'timent  into  the  hands  of  a  set  of  the  vilest  and  most  unptin. 
djb  e(/7n.fc)'e«;:f*  that  ever  disgraced  any  age  or  country?  According  to  the 
jr:>phet,  the  selfsame  body  ot  men,  that  were  politically  slain,  were  pulitical- 
yu)  revive  Mr  Bicheno  surely  cannot  in  sober  seriousness  affirm,  that  the 
ma'  tyrs  of  the  revocation  of  the  idict  of  J\'ai:tz  revived  in  tlie  persons  of  tliose 
blessed  advocates  for  I'tligious  truth  and  civil  liberty,  t/ie  demagcgius  of  the 
inf  lei  republic — 3.  B\  asserting  that  the  three  days  ind  a  ha/fAve  so  man.-  lu- 
nar ays  i^T  mo  .ths  rf  years,  he  violates  both  the  ^e;ie-«/  analogy  of  pro|>lietic 
c^piitRtion,  and  in  a  yet  moi-e  striking  manner  the  particular  analogy  of  that 


I 


58 

tliepersecut  on  of  the  Picdmonlcse  protestanlSy  which 
coiiinienccd  at  tiie  latter  end  (^f  the  year  l68d,  and  ter- 
minated in  June  l690.  But  here  again  the  very  same 
olijectiniis  occur:  the  prophets  never  hud  Jwliucal  life 
in  Piedmot ;  and  the  persecution  was  carried  on  against 
them  l)y  tltdr  sovereign  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  not  by  the 
beast  under  his  last  head. 

Bp  Newton,  hke  .lurieii,  thinks,  that  the  war  of  the 
beast  against  the  tzi'o  zvitnes^es  is  to  he  the  last  persecu- 
tion ot  the  Church.  Were  this  opinion  well  founded, 
it  would  alone  comj)lctely  overthrow  my  application  of 
the  prophecy  to  the  history  of  the  league  of  Smalcalde ; 
because  both  the  revocation  of  the  edic  ofXantZy  and 
the  Jfersecution  of  the  Piedmontese,  were  posterior  io  the 
protestant  zvar  in  Germany.  But  in  truth  no  such  thing 
is  even  hinted  at  b}^  bt.  John:  indeed,  if  it  were,  he 
would  contradict  himself.  He  begins  with  informing 
us,  that  the  xoitnesses  should  prophesy  the  whole  of  the 
1260  years,  clothed  in  sackcloth.  He  next  predicts 
their  war  with  the  beast.    And  he  lastly  notes  the  sound- 

used  in  the  present  prediction.  It  is  first  said,  that  the  ivitnrssfs  are  to  pro- 
phtcy  1  60  days,  and  af'lcrwards  it  is  suid  ihut  thty  are  Vt  lie  dead  three  tlui/t 
and  a  lalj.  Now  we  can  scarcely  snppose,  tliat  St.  .If)hn  i;ses  two  tntirily 
different  mo  Ics  of  computation  in  the  same  propJiecy  :  for,  in  fact,  it"  lie  did, 
there  could  be  no  certainty  in  any  numerical  prediction  :  it  must  be  Icfi  en- 
tirely to  the  arbitrary  decision  of"  a  commentator  to  say  whether  n  /iro^tt/ift/c 
dii}i  means  a  natural  vrar,  or  a  month  of  natural yearj  ;  in  otiier  words,  whe- 
tlier  it  mcins  oHc  r< -r  or  30  »/tty/.r.  Mr  Dicheno  himself  allows  however,  tliat 
tht  1  6u  il.ijs  are  Vld^  years.  If  then  thf  1260  d.itj.tf  durinj^  which  the  -witnessea 
prophesy,  he  1'.'60  natural  years,  we  must,  I  think,  necessarily  conclude,  un- 
less we  make  St.  John  guilty  of  a  most  singular  inconsistency,  that  the  t'.ree 
days  and  a  half,  during  which  they  lie  dead,  are  three  natw al _.ears  and  a  half 
likewi.se.  All  that  Mr  llichenosa\s,  respecting  what  he  terms  f/w  r/troruwi  o/" 
symbols,  seems  to  me  a  mere  gratniious  assumption.  Had  the  apostle  meant 
to  intimate,  that  the  ivitntsses  should  continue  in  a  state  of  political  death  du- 
ring 10)/' rtrj,  I  can  discover  no  symbolical  impro{»ritty  in  his  saying  that 
their  ikan  bodies  should  lie  unhnried  105  days.  K/ekiel,  we  know,  represents  tke 
long poli'i'~al  ,:en:h  0/  tbr  huiise  of  Jsr.tcl  under  the  imagery  of  f/L</..'  bodies  lying 
so  lotitf  unliuritd  that  nothing  rewnined  of  them  but .  dry  bones  :  why  then  should 
Mr.  Bicheno  think  it  so  grievous  an  impropriety,  that  tht-  apostle  should  have 
said,  that  the  dead  bodies  of  the  -.vit'ie.'nes  lay  unbuvied  105  duys,  if  he  had  intended 
105  I'rrtr.  ?  The  truth  is,  that  he  meant  to  express,  not  io  >  yuats,  btit  simply 
threeyinraamlahalf—A.  llut,  even  if  none  of  these  obj«  ctions  e.xisled,  s;  ill  his 
scheme  w<ii  l.i  not  hold  good,  even  upon  his  own  principles.  Let  iht  secuiul 
afif'Ca  ypiic  bttn  t  be  what  it  may,  it  is  not  that  beast  which  sl.iys  tne  leitr.eitft,  as 
Mr.  Bichi  no  supposu»,but  the  first  or  ten  homed  beast.  The  reader  will  find  this 
posrtion  anijily  provetl  in  the  course  of  a  few  pages,  m  hen  I  coKs!«!er  M".  fial- 
lov.  «y':i  hjpo'hesiB,  who  niukrs  the  very  same  mistake  as  Mr  Bicheno  in  fan- 
cying that  the  -xoitnetKs  ;.re  sl.iin  by  the  second  apocalybtic  /;.  as',  lhoiif;lt  he  SHp- 
poses  that  bf-ast  to  be  rrf.ubtic^  n  /-''unre.  In  truth.  iJu-  br.ni  has  j  is'  .is  irtlo 
felati<n  /'/  France  under  the»nr  ffovcrimurtu,  as  tO  Franvc  under  the  oJicr.  bigns 
of  Retimes,    i'art.  1  p.  17— ■^. 


ing  of  the  seventh  trumpet.  It  is  plain  therefore,  that 
theij'  xcarivitli  the  beast  wds  to  take  place  bejore  the 
sounding  ot  the  seventh  trumpet :  yet,  since  the  greatest 
part  of  the  seventh  trmnpct  synchronizes  with  the  laU  pe- 
riod of  the  i'260  1/ears,  some  of  the  witnesses-,  long  after 
the  war  of  their  German  brethren  with  the  beast-,  had 
still  to  continue  prophesying  in  sackcloth,  or  in  a  state 
of  persecution,  during  the  greatest  part  of  the  time  that 
the  seventh  trumpet  was  sounding  ;  that  is  to  say,  during 
the  pouring  out  of  its  first  si. vvials  ;  whence  it  is  man- 
ifest, that  the  war  of  the  beast  cannot  be  the  last  perse- 
cution ;  because,  if  it  were,  the  witnesses  would  cease  to 
prophesy  in  sackcloth,  even  before  the  sounding  of  the 
seventh  trumpet y  and  consequently  would  not  continue 
to  prophesy  in  sackcloth  during  tho  whole  space  of  the 
\Q-QO years.  The  fact  is,  the  jvitneses  were  to  be  slain 
and  to  lie  exposed  only  i?i  one  particular  street  of  the 
city,  not  in  every  street  of  it.  In  this  single  street  the 
whole  scene  of  their  war  with  the  beast  is  laid  :  there 
they  are  slain  ;  there  they  revive  ;  and  there  they  ascend 
to  heaven.  It  vvill  follow  therefore,  that  the  establish- 
ment of  protestantism  in  Germany,  the  cradle  of  the  re- 
formation, does  not  exempt  other  protestants  from  still 
continuing  in  a  persecuted  state  during  the  whole  of  the 
\9,i^0  years.  The  war  with  the  beast  is  a  particular,  not 
a  general  persecution  :  and  the  context  of  the  whole 
j)rophecy  amply  shews,  that  it  was  not  to  be  the  last  par- 
ticular persecution,  though  it  might  be  the  last  in  pra- 
testant  Germany.* 

I  am  only  aware  of  two  objections,  which  can  be  made  to 
my  application  of  this  prediction  to  the  Smalcaldic  league. 

1.  T'he  first  objccHon'is,  why  this  persecution  should 
be  particularly  noticed  more  than  many  others  of  at  least 
equal,  if  not  greater,  magnitude  and  importance.  I  an- 
swer, that  independent  of //i"  undoubted  importance,  it 
is  a  perfect  unique  in  the  history  of  the  \%Q0 years.  The 
French  and  Bohemian  protestants  have  been  stimulated 
to  rebellion  by  the  persecutions  of  their  rulers ;  the  Wal- 

*  It  IS  probable,  that  although  there  may  not  be  precisely  another  persecution 
of  protestantism,  there  will  be  a  war  undertaken  partly  at  least  for  the  express 
purpose  of  ntlerlj  crushing-  it.  I  have  alrea'y  more  than  once  hinted  at  this 
hoi,  war  :  I  shall  hereafter  state  at  large  what  may  be  collected  from  prophe- 
cy upon  the  subject. 


56 

(tenses  have  been  cruelly  harassed  formerly ;  and  the. 
Savoyards  have  b'^en  no  less  cruelly  treated  in  more 
modern  times :  but  in  all  these  events  there  are  no  suf- 
ficient marks  of  discrimination  ;  thoj^  are  sj)oken  of  in  the 
general  u  nder  the  phrase  of  the  ivi'nesses  proplienjiii^-  in 
!;arkcloth.  On  the  contrary,  in  the  Smalcaldic  league, 
tve  behold  a  regular  association  of  lawful  sovereigns  to 
maintain  the  religion  of  themselves  and  their  subjects 
against  foreign  opjiression  :  we  behold  a  complete  reli- 
gious war  between  independent  princes  :  we  behold  a  reli- 
gious war  attended  with  every  one  of  the  predicted  cir- 
cumstances, 'J'heoO  uears  7var,  -Ami  'he  actions  oj  Gus- 
tavus  of  Sn'edeiiy  may  indeed  be  considered  as  a  sort  of 
religious  war  between  protestants  and  papists;  bu*  it 
possesses  none  of  the  determined  features  ■  f  t.lit  S)nal- 
cal die ieagtf 6)  nov  does  it  answer  in  any  circumstantial 
points  to  the  prediction.  Hence  I  assert,  that  the  Smd- 
caldic  league  was  worthy  of  a  jdace  in  proj>hecy,  hec  use 
it  is  a  perfect  umque  in  the  history  of  ilie  V260  i/tars  : 
and  I  moreover  assert,  that  no  other  persecutions  were 
of  a  sufliciently  definite  nature  to  be  otherwise  de?crib- 
ed,  than  under  the  general  phrase  of  the  witnesses  pro- 
phesyiiig  in  sackcloth. 

2.  The  second  objection  is,  that  the  war  of  the  beast 
against  the  witnesses  was  to  take  place  when  they  were 
drawing  near  to  the  end  of  their  testimony  ;  whereas  the 
protestants  were  defeated  in  Germany  in  the  7/rar  I5i7, 
which  is  already  near  three  centuries  ago.  This  olijec- 
tion  however  will  not  appear  of  any  great  weight,  when 
the  whole  duration  of  the  Aposiacy  is  considered  ;  for 
three  centuries  are  either  a  long  or  a  short  per  od  accord- 
ing to  the  number  with  which  they  are  compared.  'J  he 
Apostacij  of  1260  years  most  proba!  ly  conimcnced,  as 
we  have  seen  /«  606' :  consoquently  in  the  ijear  1517, 
the  witnesses  had  prophecied  upwards  rf  nnie  centuries^ 
or  very  near  three  quarters  oj  their  whole  testimony-  I  he 
remaining  period  [hcveiore  was  short  in  comparison  with 
that  which  preceded  it.* 

•  It  may  also  be  added,  that,  since  the  firm  establishment  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, the  sullirinps  of  the  v-lne^sen  have  hfcii  vtry  prit  ally  miti},'at((I  ;  inso- 
much that  what  they  have  tndurfd  duiitij^  Jic  Inst  rpin'te  of  the  ])iM.<>d  of  t/telr 
tropliv.,t/iv^  ill  sackcloth  isnotlo  be  compaJxd  with  their  troubles  duiing'/ie  ''"■*< 


31 

It  IS  a  trite  observation,  that  one  error  generally  pre- 
pares the  way  for  another.  This  is  the  case  with  Mn 
Galloway's  interpretation  of  the  prophecy  respecting 
the  two  witnesses:  He  assumes  as  proved,  that  the 
two  7vHuesses  are  the  two  Testaments;  and  that  their 
enemy,  the  bea^t  of  tht  bottomless  pit,  is  the  same  as 
the  scco.-  d  aporalup'ic  beuH,  or  the  beast  of  the  earth, 
w..;ch  he  conceives  to  be  "  the  powers  (f  atncism  estab- 
IfSked  by  refo!ut'o'!an/  France.''  From  these  premises 
hn  concludes,  that  the  tliree  days  and  a  half,  during 
which  V/e  7vifnt'sses  were  to  lie  dead,  are  the  same  as 
thet^j.e  atd  times  and  dividivg  of  tnne,  during  which 
the  samts  were  to  be  worn  out  by  the  Utile  horn  of  the 
fcwthbe.st:  and  consequently,  since  the  i/t tie  iiorn,  as 
well  MS  the  beast  of  the  ear^},  is,  upon  liis  hvpothesis, 
revoliftwrrry  France,  that  Daniel  and  St.  Jolin  allude 
to  one  and  tfie  same  event  ;  namely,  the  suppression  of 
Chnstinvity  m  France,  during  the  space  of  three  years 
and  a  half  I  have  already  shewn  the  erroneousness  of 
this  conjectu.e,  so  far  as  /vt  ^///'/e /w«  is  concerned;  I 
shall  now  point  out,  that  it  is  equally  erroneous  in  the 
case  of  the  present  p^^cphecy. 

Mr.  Galloway  supposes,  that  the  two  witnesses  are  the 
two  Testaments  We  have  seen,  on  the  contrary,  that 
they  are  not  tne  two  Testamehts,  but  the  protestn-t  con- 
fessors, the  spiritual  children  of  the  two- fold  church  of 
Christ.  Now  the  revolutionary  fanaticism  of  ■  France 
was  not  dn-ected  against  the  protestants  exclusively,  but 
against  all  who  proiessed  the  Christian  religion  :  the  sup- 
posed completion  therefore  does  not  accoAl  with  the  pro- 
phecy in  this  particular. 

Mr.  Galloway  further  supposes,  that  the  beast  of  the 
»ottomlesspit,  who  slew  the  witnesses,  is  the  same  as /.^^ 
second  ciDocalyptw  beast,  or  tlie-two  Imrned  beast  of  the 
e<irth ;  and  that  thi.  tvo-horned  beast  of  the  earth  is 
revolutmmry  France.  Waving  af  present  the  discussion 
ot  the  lastoi  these  points,  I  shall  only  now  observe,   that 

fir^t  quarters  o'l-vt.     Would  that  we  were  more  sensible  of  the  ?reat  mercv 
oi  i.od  in  being  allowed  lo  enjoy  the  undisturbed  exercise  of  our  religion  :  foP 

Tw  '^l""  ''"''      "''''  ^^^*"  ""'^  fathers,  tl>at  the  Almi^Uty  shoKJd  shew  b^ms-re 
thus  gracious  to  us  ? 


3& 

the  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit,  who  slew  the  witr.es!e<!^ 
is  certainly  not  the  two- horned  beast  of  the  eorth^  but  the 
ten-hoi-ned  beast  of  the  sea  :*  consequently  Mr.  Gal; 
loway's  interpretation  will  not  hold  good  even  upon  his 
own  hypothesis.  He  has  largely  endeavoured  to  prove, 
that  the  ten-horned  beast  is  the  Pap(ic\),\  and  that  the 
two-hrned  beast  is  rewlutionary  France  :  but,  whatever 
power  the  ten-horned  beast  may  be,  he  is  evidently  the 
same  as  the  beast  of  the  bottomless  pit  :  whence  it  would 
follow,  even  according  to  Mr.  Galloway's  own  plan,  that 
the  two  witnesses  were  slain  by  the  papal  beast,  not  by  the 
atheistical  one  :  therefore  his  exposition  of  the  whole 
prophecy  must  be  radically  faulty.  This  will  yet  further 
appear,  when  I  have  proved,  as  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to 
prove,  that  nc\ihcr  the  one,  nov  the  other,  oi  the  twoapo- 
ealyplic  beasts,  is  revolutionary  France. 

"  And  in  that  hour  there  was  a  great  earthquake,  and 
a  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell,  and  in  the  earthquake  were 
slain  seven  thousand  names  of  men :  and  the  remnant 
were  aiTrighted,  and  gave  glory  to  the  God  of  heaven. 
The  second  woe  is  past ;  and,  behold,  the  third  woe 
Gomelh  quickly." 

Before  any  satisfactory  interpretation  can  be  given  of 
this  passage,  it  will  be  necessary  to  ascertain  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word  hour  which  occurs  in  it :  for,  upon  that, 
and  upon  the  circumstance  of  the  earthquahe  being  the 
last  event  of  note  under  the  second  woe-trumpet,  the 
hint^e  of  the  whole  exposition  turns. 

»  Let  the  reader  only  compare  to,fi^etlier  the  following  texts,  and  he  will  be 
sufficiently  convinced  of  the  truth  of  my  assertion. 

«•  The  beast,  that  asctndeth  out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  shall  make  war  against 
lliem."  Uev.  xi.  7- 

"  And  I  stood  upon  the  sand  of  the  sea,  and  saw  a  beast  rise  up  out  of  the  tea, 
]ia\m^  seven  heads  and  ten  horns."  Uev.  xiii    1. 

"  1  will  tell  thee  the  mystery  of  the  woman  and  of  the  beast  that  carrieth 
her,  which  hath  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  1  In-  beast,  that  thou  sarwest,  was, 
and  is  not,  and  shall  ascend  out  if  the  bottomless  pit"     Uev.  xvii.  7,  S 

It  appears  then,  that,  in  one  text,  the  srvni-h^  adedani  ten-hnrne'i  best  is  said 
to  arise  out  of  the  sea  ,•  and,  in  another  text,  to  ascend  out  of  the  bottom- 
less  pit  :  whence  it  is  a  palpable  truth,  that  the  beast  oftne  sen,  and  the  beast  of 
the  bottom.ess  pit,  are  the  self-same  teii-hoi  ited  ar.d  sevei  -headed  bi  ast.  Not  V,  at 
I  conceive  the  aca  and  the  botiovi/ess  pit  to  mean  precisely  the  sa7iu-  thing  ;  tl»e 
history  of  the  rii^e  of  the  Saracenic  locu.us  sufHciontly  confutes  .such  an  opinion  .' 
but  1  apprehend,  that  t  fie  sea  i\])\l\cs  t/ie  natural  origin  if  the  beast;  iOid  the 
kottfimUsa  pit,  his  spiritual  origin. 
'    j  Tomment-  p.  159— Proph.  History  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  passim. 


33 

A  vear-i  a  month,  and  a  dry-,  are  all  definite  ternis,  con,- 
veying  only  one  single   idea  :  but   en  hour  is   not    so; 
for  it  either  signifies  the  Ixventirfourtii  part  of  a  day,  oi 
a  season  of  ivdetenninale  length.^     It   occurs  in   both 
these  senses  in  the   Apocalypse,  as  its   several  contexts 
abundantly  shew.     Thus,  when  ue  read  of  the  Euphra- 
tean  horsemen  being  prc[)ared  ior  an  hour  and  a  daij,  and 
a  month,  andavear.  we  cannot  entertain  iiny  reasonal^le 
doubt  of  the  word  hour  signifying  in   this  instance  tlie 
twenty-fourth  pari  of  a  day  :  and  since  the  dcy  here 
mentioned  is  a  profjhet  c  day  or  a  natural  year,   its 
corresponding  ho^ir  will  be  the  txveniy-jourth  part  of  a 
year.,  Q>\ fifteen  matural  days.      i3ut,  when  we  read  of 
there  being  silence  in  heaven  about  the  space  of  half  an 
hour,  between  the  opening  of  the  seventh  seal  and  the 
sounding    of  the  firs^    trumpet-,  a  mode    of  expression 
used  to  denote  the  stte  of  mute  expectation  in  which 
the  Church  anticij)ated,  as   it  were,  ironi   various   less 
important  invasions,  the  grand   irru})tion  of  the  Goths 
under  Alaric;  it  is  evident,  that  what  is  there  translated 
half  an  hour  ought  rather  to  be. rendered  half  a  season; 
both  because  the  meaning  of  the  word  is  iiot  limited  by 
being  connected  with  the  definite  terms  a  day,  a  month, 
or  a  year ;    and  because  common   sense    itself   siiews 
that    that    lialf  hour  of   silent  and  anxious   suspense 
must  not  be  confined  to  merely  seven  na'ural  days  and 
a  lialf,  the  length  of  a  defenniimle prophetic  half  hour. 
In  reality,  this  halt  hour,  or  rather  ha Ij  season,  extends 
from    about   the  year  321   or  323,    when   the    happy 
tranquillity   of  the   Constantinian  age  began  to  be  dis- 
turbed by  the   incursions    of  those  Goths   who  finally 
subverted    the    Western    empire,    to    the   year    395, 
when,  the  half  season  of  restraint  having  ela})sed,  they 
burst  with   irresistible    violence  the  barriers    which    the 
great  Theodosius  had  opposed  to  them,  and  poured  like 
an  overwhelming  torrent  into  the  emj)ire. 

*  Thus  'CL^fi  «apivn,  tlie  venia  I  hour,  means  the  -ivhole  season  of  spring  ,-  the 
length  of  the 'Opy,,  or  sprtso;;,  being- in  this  particular  instance  determined  by 
the  annexed  adjective  H-x^i-m.  ET^  c^p.oi'  is  a  phrase  of  a  similar  nature,  though 
not  precisely  of  the  same  construction.  The  t\y'o  expressions  occur  in  Homer 
und  Theocritus. 

VOL.  TT,  5 


34 

When  the  word  hour  then  occurs  in  an  insulated  form, 
unconnected  w^ith  the  specific  terras  of  a  dm/, a  month,  or 
aj/car,  it  certainly  means,  not  the  twenti/  fourth  part  of 
a  d(ii/,hut  asea.'ionofinde'erminate  leng'Ji  :  and,  when 
it  is  thus  used  in  the  Apocalypse,  I  know  not  what  season 
it  on"  reasonably  be  r,up|)oso<l  to  mean,  except  it  be  some 
one  uf  he  great  Apocalyptic  periods  ;  namely  owe  of  the 
se\'en  seals,  one  of  the  seven  trumpets,  or  one  of  the  seven 
vials,  *     Thus  the  hovr  or  season  of  God's  judgment  up* 
on  Babvlont  is»manifestly  the  one  parricular  period  un- 
der which  the  papal  Apostacy  is  to  be  abolished  ;  a  pe- 
riod, comprehended  w  ithin  the  lir'iits  of  the  last  vial  : 
and  thus  the  one  hour  ov  season,  in  which  the  ten  horns 
were  to  receive  power  as  kings  along   \\ ith   the  beasts 
means  the  period  of  'he  first  woe-trumpet  ;  at  the   be- 
ginning of  which  the  ancient  Bortntn  idolatrous  beastvo- 
vived,  by  his  lapsing,  under  his  ten  horns,  into  the  demo- 
nolatry  of  Popery. X     The  ten  kings  indeed  had  received 
power  previous  to  ihis  time  ;  but  the}^  had  not  till  then 
received  power  along  with  the  beast  :  for  the  era  of  their 
firsl  rise  was  between  the  dozcnfall  of  paganism  and  the 
commencement   of  Popery ;  that  is,   during    the   short 
space  of  time  that  the  lioman  beast  had  put  olT  liis  bes- 
tial nature,  or,  in  the  language  of  the  prophet,  while  he 
was  not.     But,   if  they   rose  while  the  beast  was  not, 
though  they  were  horns  or  kingdoms  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire, they  could  not  in  strictness  of  speech  be  styled 
horns  of  the  beast,  till  the  tmpire  once  more  became  a 
beast.     And  this  event  did  not  take  place  till  the  year 
()()(>,  when   the  frst   xcoe-trumpet  he oan  io  ^ouml,    and 
when  the  beast  ascended  out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and 
resumed  his  old  posture  of  determined  hostility  to  the 
Church  of  Christ. fS 

*  l!  is  almost  superfluous  to  observe,  tliat  I  except  surl)  passapfcs  as  l.'ov.  iii. 
3,  auil  iii  10.  from  i elating  to  any  of  the  ainvtuKptic  periods  ;  but  1  am  not 
aware  of  a  third  exception  in  tl)e  wliolebook  of  liic  Uevelation,  unless  the  half 
hour  ot  the  seventh  seal  be  a  sort  of  one. 

t  Uev  xiv   7.  xviii  10,  17,  19.  t  Rev.xvii.  12. 

§"Ktng(lo7ns  tlieyniipht  be  before,but  they  were  not  before  k:i!:ifuo»:s  orhontt 
of  thi  heust  U\\  tbcy  embraced  his  rcliGrion"  (Hp  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Rot. 
xvii.)  'rhoiif^h  I  cannot  agree  with  Up  Newton,  that  the  ^fiist  /ica.r  me.ins  thr 
jHafjacy,  tl.c  propriety  of  this  remark  will  be  uiiaff'  fled,  whetiitr  his  scheme 
or  mine  be  adopted.  Uaniel,  not  noticing  t/ic  thiet-fuUl state  of  the  heatt  »s5?' 
.John  does,  simply  de»crib«s  thejirst  rise  oi'  the  le-.  horns  and  oi'  tht  eievcnlh  Uttit 


35 

Arguing  therefore  from  analogy,  and  from  the  context 
®f  the  particular  passage  now  under  consideration,  I  will 
venture  to  affirm  with  some  degree  of  })ositiveness,  that 
the  hour  or  season-,  in  which  the  great  earthmnMe  was  to 
take  place,  and  which  is  declared  hy  St.  John  to  be  the 
very  same  as  that  in  which  the  war  of  the  beast  against 
the  witnesses  was  to  be  carried  on  and  their  triumphant 
asc€7it  into  heaven  to  occur  ;  that  this  hour  or  season  is 
the  period  comprehended  under  the  second  woe-trumpet. 

It  is  observable,  that  the  two  first  wnes  are  accurately 
distinguished  from  each  other,  as  they  took  place  in  the 
jE'rt^^  ;  but  that  no  precise  line  of  discrimination  is  drawn 
between  them,  as  they  sounded  in  the  fVest :  it  is  merely 
stated,  that,  as  soon  as  a  tenth  part  of  tlie  citij  should 
have  fallen  by  the  earthquake y  the  second  woe  sjiould  be 
past,  but  that  the  third  woe  should  quickly  follow  it : 
this  line  of  discrimination  therefore  must  be  drawn  by 
referring  to  eastern  chronology.  I  have  already  stated, 
that  the  first  woe-trumpet  describes  the  rise  and  estab- 
lishment of  the  twofold  Apostacn ;  that  the  second  re- 
presents  tlw.  middle  and  most  flourishing  period  of  its  exist' 
ence;  and  that  the  third  details  the  several  steps  of  its 
r/o;^/{/iz//,  introducing  moreover  upon  the  stage  a  new  and 
most  formidable  power. 

The  first  of  the  woe- trumpets  seems  to  have  begun  to 
sound  in  the  year  606,  when  the  desolating  trayisgrecsion 
of  Mohammedisvi  arose,  and  when  the  saints  were  gi'^en 
into  the  hand  of  the  already  existing  Papal  little  horn. 
Under  this  trumpet  are  coniprehended  the  five  prophetic 
months  of  Saracenic  conquest,  which  hega.n  in  CA%  and 
ended  in  76'i,  v/hen  JSagdad  was  built,  and  when  Mo- 
hammedism  may  be  considered  as  firmly  established. 
Now,  since  the  prophet  assures  us,  that  the  first  woe  ex- 
pired at  this  period,  we  mw^t  look  iov  i\\e  edablishnent 
of  Popery  either  in  or  before  the  year  76^,  in    order  that 

horn  which  sprung  up  among'  them  Tins  division  of  the  empire  hov/ev/r  took 
place  during  Uie  intermediate  stale  of  the  btant  .-  hence  Ct.  Joim  docs  not 
consider  the  ten  kingdoms  as  horns  of  the  beast,  till  the  Roinan  empire  reasdw.Tied 
its  ancient  bestial  nacitre  ,•  and  hence  Daniel  carefully  distini^uisiies  beii'-'.*en 
the  period  when  the  dttle  horn  first  arose,  and  the  piriod  when  the  i-  in:s  \>cre 
delivered  into  lus  hand.  This  last  period  is  the  same  as  that  wIru  s^t.  j  .ha 
beheld  the  beast,  in  his  third  or  revived  state,  ascend  out  of  the  sea  of  Gothic- 
im-asion. 


36 

it  may  be  comprized  under  the  same  woe  as  tlie  establish' 
tnent  of  Mohr.m:,i€(lisi)i.  Accordingly  the  proper  date  of 
Hie  firvi  establiskmcnt  of  Popnyi  is  the  year  755,  or  as 
some  say  the  year  753,  when  Pipin,  king  ot  France,  hav- 
ing taken  the  apostolic  see  under  his  special  protection, 
confeiTcd  upon  it  the  Ea^rrrh  te  of  Ravenna. 

Therecondxcoe-ti^ampet  began  to  sound  at  the  com- 
mencement oitlie  h(>iii\  thedy,  the  month,  and  Uie  year, 
whcji  the  Turkish  horsemen  \\ere  prepared  to  slay  the 
third  part  of  men,  ov  the  Eastern  empire;  this,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  in  the  year  1281.  In  the  same  year 
JL^Sl,  the  apal  Jpos  acy  may  be  considered  as  having 
attained  thezenhof  i  s power  ;  as  will  suliiciently  ap- 
pear from  the  follovviug  statement  of  the  se\cral  rapid 
strides  which  it  had  previously  made  to  absolute  uni- 
versal domination.  In  the  year  77^'^  the  Pope  obtained 
a  grant  of  the  greatest  part  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Lom- 
bard^. In  the  year  7S7,  the  worship  of  images,  which 
had  already  been  established  ni  607,  was  confirmed  by 
the  second  council  of  Nice.  In  the  year  817,  the  Em- 
peror Louis  finallv  confirmed  to  the  Pope  his  Italian  do- 
minions. In  th^  year  1074,  G:egiry  the  seventh  strictly 
forbad  the  marringe  of  the  clergy.  In  the  year  1059, 
Robert  Guiscard  assumed  the  title  of  Du/ic  of  yJpfflia 
and  Calabria;  and  afterwards  did  homage  to  the  Pope, 
as  his  su})orior  lord,  for  the  dominions  which  Iiave  since 
been  erected  into  the  kitiodom  of  the  two  Sicilies.  In  the 
year  1137,  the  same  feu  I  al  submission  was  made  by  Don 
Alonsoof  Poituga!.  In  theyear  IQIS,  John  of  England 
declared  his  monarch}'  a  fief  of  the  apostolic  sce.'^'  In 
the  })oniificaie  oi  Innocent  the  third,  which  lasted  from 
the  year  1198  to  tueyear  l'2l6,  theSrdadine  tenth,  a  tax 
originally  laid  upon  the  whole  Eat  in  empire  lor  the  ser- 
vice oi  the  holy  war,  was  continued  for  the  hejie/it  of 
the  successors  of  St.  Peter:  and  Innocent  himself  "may 

*  Tlie  Sp.inlsh  kini^dom  of  Arrapfoii,  the  Dukedom  of  Austria,  the  ishtnds  of 
Sardinia  und  floihica,  and  more  tlian  one  oftlic  Italian ])rincipalitics,  dLciared 
tlumsclvcs,  in  the  same-  <hirk  period,  feudatories  of  the  Papaai  'I  lu>  long 
continued  tyraniw,  wliiclj  the  I'ape  exercised  over  the  kinj^'dom  of  Naples,  is 
•atU  kiuiwn  111  short,  it  appears  at  one  time  to  have  been  the  studied  dt  sign 
of  i/jr  Hishofjs  of  liovie  to  render  tiiemseUes  Irmpo'ii',  no  less  than  f/Jinntal, 
sove-einns  of  Kurope.  In  tliis  design  howcver,as  \vc  shall  hcreat'ter  see,  tliey 
b>'  no  means  succeeded. 


m 

boast  of  the  two  most  signal  triumphs  over  sciise  and 
humanity,  the  establishment  of  transubstantiation,  and 
the  origin  of  the  inquisition."*  Finally,  to  complete  the 
aggrandisement  of  ike  church  of  Momei'm  the  period  be- 
tween 1^274  mid  V211-,  she  bowed  to  reluctant  submissio)! 
the  neck  of  her  ancient  rival  of  Constantinople  ;  a  sub- 
mission, not  long-lived  indeed,  but  .existing  in  its  full 
force  in  the  year  1281,  when  the  second  woe-tnonpet  be- 
gan to  sound.f 

Thus  it  appears,  that  the  second  woe-irimipet  commenc- 
ed in  tlie  IVest,  as  it  did  in  the  Enst,  in  the  year  1981. 
Now  we  learn  from  St.  John,  that  the  last  events  com- 
prehended under  it,  is  to  be  the  fall  of  a  tenth  part  of 
the  grea'  cHy  by  mi  earthquake.  ( 'onsequcntiy,  since 
the  aecondivoe  t  um,et  t)egan  to  sound  in  the  year  1281, 
and  since  the  zvitnesses  vvere  slain  in  the  year  1547,  the 
two  events,  ot  the  death  nf  the  witnesse'^  a.n(\  the  earth- 
quake, must  of  course  happen  in  the  same  apoc  lyptic 
hour  or  season  :  that  is  to  sa}^  they  must  both  take  place 
un<ler  the  second  xvoeirumpet  which  commenced  in  the 
year  1281  ;  thougli  the  one  event,  as  we  shall  find,  ^as 
to  be  manjT^  years  prior  to  the  either. 

And  here  we  must  carefully  note,  that  the  fdl  of  the 
tenfhpartof  7?e  cij/ is  almost  immediateljMo  be  follow- 
ed by  the  third  ivoe  :  "  the  second  woe  is  past ;  behold, 
the  third  woe  cometh  quickly.''''  Now,  since  both  the 
first 'dn&  thesecondivoes  lorm  such  very  promijient  epochs 
in  history,  as  we  have  seen  them  do,  it  is  but  natural  to 
conclude  that  the  third  and  last  zvoe  v\\\  hy  no  means 
yield  to  its  predecessors  either  in  the  wonderful  or  the 
horrible  ;  naj?^,  since  it  cdone  is  subdivided  into  seven 
disiinc'  periods^  it  is  no  very  improbable  supposition,  that 
it  will  far  oz^ if ^0  them  in  both.j  Those  connrientators, 
who  first  very  justlj-  applied  the  prophecy  of  the  ivcir  of 

*  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ii.  p.  152. 

t  It  is  a  remarkable  circumsUir.ce,  tluit  tlie  submission  oftlic  Greek  Church 
was  withdrawn  in  t he i/ear l2S3,'ds  if  ithad  only  contintiedbe\ond  tfw  i/ear  1281, 
tliat  the  Pap'icy  might  be  in  the  full  meridian  of  its  powir,  when  t!ir  r^ccond 
luoe- trumpet  began  to  sound.  See  Gibbon's  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Aol.  ii. 
p.  3.i4,  337. 

t  Its  last  period,  that  of  f/je  vintage,  will  be  according-  to  Daniel,  ■'  a  time  of 
trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation  :'  and  its  iirst  j^erlod,  ti)at 
oi'  the  harvest,  which  comprehends  the  three  fast  vials,  is  described  by  St.  John 
as  being  a  very  remarkable  season  of  trouble  and  distrcs?. 


38 

Ihe  beast  xvith  flic  witnesses  to  tJie  war  of  the  Empero?^ 
Charles  the  fifth  xc'Uh  the  Smalcaldic protestants,  did 
not  suHicicntly  attend  to  this  circumstance.  Miscon- 
ccivincT  St.  .Jolin's  expression  of  the  same  hour,  they  im- 
agined, tliat //?eo7T«^  etzy-z'/pyMa/:^  was  immediately  to 
succeed,  and  as  it  were  to  be  the  consequence  of  the  war 
of  thczcilvesscs:  h!>nce  they  concluded,  that  by  the  fall 
of  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  was  meant,  that  "  a  great 
part  of  Ihe  Gervmn  em])ire  renounced  the  authority,  and 
abandoned  the  communion  of  the  church  of  Horned'  J3ut 
here  the  question  obviously  occurs,  what  great  calamity 
came  so  (juicldy  after  this  event,  as  to  merit  the  appella- 
tion of  the  third  woe,  and  to  begin  the  accomplishment 
of  the  prophecy  of  the  seven  vials  ?  Analogy  shews,  that 
it  must  at  least  be  e-^^^*?/ to  the  txco  double  xcoes  of  the 
twofold  Jpostacy :  but  history  mentions  no  e\cnt,  as 
immediately  succeeding  the  establishment  of  the  refor- 
mation in Germany,lhat  iseitherof  a  sulhcicnr magnitude, 
or  of  a  sufTiciently  peculiar  nature,  to  warrant  us  in  c^n- 
duding,  that  the  third  zvoc  did  really  "  come  quickly'* 
after  this  establishment.  INTatters  went  on  in  tJie  usual 
succession  of  state  intrigues,  hollow  peaces,  and  rapidly 
recurring  wars :  and  it  has  frequently  been  observed, 
that  the  balance  of  Europe,  as  it  is  termed,  was  lirst 
thought  of  in  the  reign  of  Charles  the  fifth  ;  and  that 
afterwards  the  ditfercnt  states,  by  means  of  various  alli- 
ances and  counter-alliances,  were  pretty  equally  poised 
till  tlie  tremendous  explosion  of  the  French  revolution. 
It  is  plain  therefore,  that  this  explanation  of  tlie  earth- 
quake will  not  hold  good  :  and,  if  it  do  not,  all  the  other 
explanations,  attached  to  the  other  schemes  of  interpret- 
ing the  war  of  the  witnesses,  must  of  course  fall  to  the 
ground  along  ^ith  the  schemes  to  which  they  are  at- 
tached.* We  must  look  out  then  for  a  very  difl'erent 
event  from  the  establishment  of  the  German  reformation^ 
in  order  to  iind  a  satisfactory  exposition  of  the  great 
earthquake,  which  was  to  overthrow  a  tenth  part  of  the 
city  ;  and  of  the  third  woe,  which  was  to  "  come  quickly"' 
after  it. 

*  The  reader  will  find  an  account  of  them  in  Up  Jfewlon's  DissertQn  Uev-  xi. 


S9 

We  have  seen,  that  Daniel  predicts  tlie  tyranny  of 
JPopery  and  Moha7nmedism,  under  the  symbols  of  ^;i'o  lilile 
horns  ;  and  that  ot  the  atheistical  govermiietit  of  Franc e^ 
under  the  character  of  a  king  who  neither  revered  ihe  God 
of  heaveUi  the  Desire  of  7vo?neny  nor  any  other  goiiy  but 
-ivho  magnified  himself  afxive  all.  Hence  we  may  natur- 
ally expect,  that  St.  John,  writing  under  the  influence  of 
the  same  Holy  Spirit,  would  observe  the  same  order,  and 
would  foretell  the  same  events  :  and  suc1i>  I  apprehend, 
we  shall  hnd  to  be  really  the  case.  Tlie  apostolical  pro- 
phet, having  fully  detailed  the  history  of  the  two  double 
woes  of  the  two-fold  Apostacy^  Mohammedan  and  Papaly 
introduces,  at  the  close  of  the  second  woe,  what  ma}^  be 
termed  the  primary  revelation  of  Antichrist ;  and  imme- 
diately after,  under  the  third  woe^  proceeds  to  ihe  full  de- 
xelopement  oithe  same  power  in  all  its  multiplied  horrors  : 
fl  yjojr^r,  fully  worthy  of  being  celebrated  under  afresh 
trumpet  ;  for  Popery  and  Moliammedism  only  corrupted 
and  mutilated  the  word  of  God,  but  it  has  defied  him 
even  to  his  face,  and  as  a  national  act  (a  portent  hitherto 
unheard  of)  has  openly  denied  his  very  existence. 

An  earthqualie  is  the  symbol  of  a  violent  revolution  ei- 
ther religious  or  political :  and  a  tenth  part  of  the  great 
city,  or  the  Roman  empire-,  is  manifestly  the  same  as  one 
of  the  ten  horns  of  tlie  Roman  beast.  But,  from  the  time 
of  the  German  reformation  to  the  close  of  the  last  century ^ 
there  has  been  no  event  to  which  this  prophecy  of  the 
earthquake  can  with  any  probability  be  applied,  except 
the  revolution  of  France ;  a  counlr}^,  which  has  always 
been  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  ten  streets  of  the 
great  city,  and  which  at  the  period  of  this  earthquake 
was  the  only  one  oithe  ten  original  horns  that  remained."^ 
Hence  I  scruple  not  to  conclude,  that  that  revolution  is 
here  foretold. 

It  is  represented  however  as  taking  place  before  its  own 
proper  woc-(rumpet  began  to  sound  ;  because,  as  the  event 
has  shewn,  ylnticlmst  was  not  destined  to  appear  ai  fi?'st 
in  all  his  naked  horrors.  The  great  eaiihquake  of  the 
second  woe,  and  the  fall  of  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  which 

*I  have  already  observed,  that  owing  to  the  frcquetit  revelutirns  of  nati(^nS; 
the  other  oriptnal  hnnns  bave  long  since  lalleii. 


40 

it  producoJ,  were  for  some  time  celebrated,  by  the  fanat- 
ical ad  voe.iles  oi  a  chif^terical  libert, ,  as  the  vory  qiuat- 
cssence  of  human  wisdom,  the  glory  of  .m  eiihCThtenod 
age,  the  most  sublime  eflort  oT  pobtica!  jurisprndeiice. 
We  were  loudly  called  upon  to  contemplate  the  magnifi- 
cent spectacle  of  a  great  nation  rising  as  one  man,  and 
decreeing  themselves  free  ;  and  wc  were  particul.irly 
charged  to  venerate  the  mild  spl  iid^r  of  a  phenomenon 
hitherto  unknown  in  the  annals  of  a  guilty  world,  the 
phenomenon  of  a  bloodless  revolution.  Soon  however 
the  scene  changed,  even  before  tli'^  third  noc-irumpet 
began  to  sound  :  and  the  injidd  tyrant^  weary  of  his  un- 
natural lamb-like  mask,  almost  as  sooii  as  he  had  assumed 
it,  im})atiently  dashed  it  aside,  and  commenced  a  series 
of  massacres  and  proscriptions  worthy  of  a  Sylla  or  a 
Marius.  In  theyenr  1789,  the  earthquake  commenced  : 
and  in  it  fell  a  tenth  part,  the  oily  remaining  tenth  party 
of  the  great  Roman  city  :  that  is  to  say  the  French  vton- 
archy^  the  only  one  of  the  ten  original  regal  horns  then  in 
existence.  This  circumstance,  added  to  the  chronologi- 
cal era  to  which  the  earthquake  is  assigned,  namely,  the 
close  of  theseco'  d  xeoc  or  a  period  subsequent  to  the  per- 
mitted season  of  iJttoman  conquest.,  might  in  itself  be  suf- 
ficient to  teach  us,  that  the  French  revolution  can  alone 
be  intended  in  this  prediction.  Wwi  the  prophet  adds 
even  a  yet  more  decisive  mark:  '*  in  the  earthquake," 
says  he,  "were  slain  seven  thousanrl  names  of  men." 
The  expression  is  remarkable,  and  full  of  meaning.  In 
common  earthqucihes  or  pnlit'cal  revolutions.,  men  alone 
are  ordinarily  slain  ;  but,  in  the  present  earthquake,  their 
very  names  are  lo  be  slain:  and  the  number  of  their 
names  is  said  to  be  seven  t'io>'sandy  or  sevai  multiplied 
by  a  thousand,  the  usual  aj>ocalyptic  method  of  describ- 
ins;  a  m-ciit  multitude.*     Now  it    is  a  remarkable   cir- 

«  'I'luis  the  injstic  number  of  Cocl's  elect  is  144.  or  t/ie  square  of  12,  which 
is  muUiplitd  by  a  tli:ui.anJ,  to  shuw  us  tli;tt  tht-y  coiistilule  an  cxcoLdin.ij 
great  imillitiiclc.  (H'V.vii.4}  Tht-  immbir  1'2  is  similariy  muUiplicd  by  a 
ihousainl  ill  tlic  apocalyptic  description  of  f/n  Heic' ./»»■?««  Vni  (Kev  xxi-  10 — 16.) 
Tlie  prt-st-nt  prediction  is  C(.nstiuct«d  upon  liie  vcy  same  principle.  '\'\n' 
iiiur.htrof  tlir  i.amts  ov  titles  is.itvrr.-  and  Mis  initnl  «-r  ib  multiplied  by  i; 
i/iouaaiiilUi  d  scribe  liow  };ri'at  anmltitiuh  il  anciinl  I'lcnch  iiobilitj  consti- 
TiMcd.  It  is  will  known  tbat  tlity  vt  lethc  most  numerous  cf  any  coiuilry  i'^ 
lluropr,  Germany  aljno  perhaps  excepted. 


41 

eumstance,  that   not  mereiy  names  or  Vtles  of  nnbili^u 
in  general  shooUl    be   abolished  or   slam  hy  the  earth- 
quake of  the  French  reml  t'wn,  but  that  precisely  sc- 
ww  such  ria>:es  or  titles  should  be  then  abolished':     I. 
Prince.    6.  Duke.  3.  Marquis.  4.  Count.    5.  Viscount.  6. 
Bishop.     7   Baron,     All   these  ?z 77?ze.9  were   slain  in  the 
course  of  the  e  rthquake,  which   overth*-ew  the  only  re- 
maining tenth pnrtM  the  Rom  n  cty,  or  t'  e  monarchif  of 
France:  tor  the- first  shock  of  the  e:iithqu  h'Uyc,.:  j.^nce 
m  the  year  1789;  and  the   last,  on  the  memorable  Wtk 
oj  August,  1 79  I     Thus  are  we  alike  directed  by  c;irono- 
logical  and  circumstantial  evidence  to  apply  this  predic- 
tion to  the  French  revolution.     It  was  to  be  fulfilled  af>er 
4he  Ottoman  power  had  ceased  to  be  victorious  :  it   was 
to  be  luUilled  in  on   of  the  ten  original  horns  of"  the  beast : 
It  was  to    be  fulfilled  in  the  downfall  f  the  mouarrhy 
symbolized  by  thit  tenth  horn,   and   in  the  abolition  of 
precisely  seven  nrmcK  or  tales  of  nobility.     No  even  t,  ex- 
cept ^//e  French  revolution  answers  to  all  those  particulars : 
and  it   does  exactly   answer  to  them  all :  consequently 
we  have  as  much  certainty,  as  can   be -ittained  in  these 
matters,  that  the  French  revolution  is  here  foretold  bv  St 
John.*  ^ 

T  1*/-^*^^  explained  this  prophecy  much  better  in  the  present  edition    than 
I  did  in  thehrstv    and  I  readily  acknowledg-e  my  obligations  to   Vli   Bich.^no 
tor  what  IS  here  said  relative  to  the  phrase,  names  of  mai.     To  liis  remarks  on 
this  phrase,  I  have  added  the  observation,  tliat  precisttly  sex^en  sue)  names  were 
slam  in  the  earthquake  of  the  Fundi   r evolution        tt  is  almost  superiiuous  to 
observe,  iliat  ardibkhops  and  6«/w/«   are   in  eflbct  the  same  title.      The  n-ime 
ot  kmg  wasaoohshed  by  the  tall  of  the  tenth  part  of  'he  dti,,  or  the  Frevd  n-on- 
archy  itselj:  and  in  the  same  earthquake  were  ^Vxmthe.ev^n  order,  of  ,io/vlit„ 
temporal  and  spiritual.    Bishops   were  afterwards  restored   by  t!ie  ivpuhhcan 
rulers,  but  not  in   their  former  capacity  of  ccchsiasticai  peers.        Bcheno's 
Signs  of  tiie  tiin.'s,  Hart  I.  p   38— i2.      ibid.  Part  H  p.  q.>   9h  97  \       \j     uj 
cheno  cites  the  following  curious  passag-e  from  a  discourse  of"  I)r..F    M  .v'',er 
who  wrote  in  the  year  1710.     "  We  are  assured,  that,  wJie.i  the  sixt.',  tnn>,pn 
called  also  the  second  wop,  has  done  its  work,   the  seventh  tiianpn,   c^lL-ft.'u' 
third -woe,  WiU  comequickly.  Now  there  is  reason  lo  hope  tiiat  the  ..ccondv.oeU 
past,  that  IS,  that  the  7'k»-A" shall  be  n-)  more  eucii  apiaj^ue  tothu  apostate  Chris- 
tian world,  as  for  ages  past  he   has  been.      At  the  time  when    the  st-cd-woe 
passeth  away,  there  is  Xo  be  a  great  earthquake.      In  xhixx  earthqu.tke   one   of 
ihe  ten  kingdoms  over  v/liich  .Intich  ist  has  reigr.ed,  will  fi,ll      'i-iu-re  is  at  this 
da>  a  irrea   e. .rthquake  among  the  nations      M,i\  the  kiug  :om  of  Frr-nce  be  that 
tenth  part  of  the  dty  which  shall  fall !       May   we  hear  of   a  nu-iUv  revolution 
there;  we  shall  thei.  know  th-ii  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  at  hai.d  '•  -     Suns  of 
th^  times.  Part  U.  p.  8  5. )     Tlie  speculations  of  .l,N-,eu,  wh(^se  work  was  p^.b- 
nshed  in  Lngland  in  the  year  \  68r,  are  equally  cu.  ious       ••  It  is  a  truth,  which 
-nust  be  held  a3  certam    being  on,,  of  the  k-vs  of  ih^^  Ilevolat.-or.  .  tha  t  edtv. 
^h'^great  city,  signifies,  in  this  book,  not  y^cm.-  alone,   but  Horn,  in  conrnxfo" 
^'OL.  JT.  f) 


4€ 

While  the  earthquake  however  was  o^erlhrowing  the' 
icnth  par:  of  the  ciijj,  and  slaying  the  seven  thousand 
71'  mes  of  men,  **  the  remnant  were  afirighted,  and  gave 
glory  to  the  God  of  heaven."  Those,  w  ho  had  not  suf- 
fered themselves  to  be  deceived  by  the  specious  prom- 
ises oi  J?iUchrist,  readily  saw  through  the  ilimsy  veil 
of  pretended  liberty,  philanthrMpy,  and  toleration, 
which  but  ill  concealed  the  distorted  features  of  the 
atheistical  revolution.  Thoy  acknowledged  their  iears  ; 
aHd  were  stigmatized  as  alaniiists :  they  protested 
against  the  strumpet  claims  of  democratic  licentiousness 
to  the  venerable  title  of  ra'ion  l  liberty  ;  and  were 
branded  as  the  slavish  enemies  of  the  freedom  of  man- 
kind :  they  gave  glory  to  the  God  of  heaven,  by  main- 
taining that  religion  is  the  only  solid  basis  of  sound  gov- 
ernment; and  were  ridiculed  as  bigots  or  enthusiasts. 

I'he  earthquake  had  now  overthrown  the  te)ith  part 
of  the  city  ;  the  second  zvoe  therefore  was  past  ;  and, 
behold,  the ///i/'^  a'oe  comoth  quhkly.  The  year  l789 
was  styled  the  first  year  of  Liberty  :  hut  Jfit.'christhdd 
not  yet  attained  his  full  purpose.  He  panted  to  soar 
with  a  bolder  flight  than  any  of  his  predecessors  in  ini- 

■u'ith  its  empire — This  beinjj  supposed  and  proved  that  the  city  is  the  whole  JBa- 
byl'mish  and  Antichristian  empire,  it  must  be  remt;mbered  that  this  tmpre  of 
J^/i^tc/imf  is  made  up  of  fe/i  kingdoms  and  of  ten  /i/;j-s,  wlio  must  give  tlieir 
power  to  the  ieast.  ^i  tenth  pur  t  of  the  city  fell :  that  is,  one  of  these  ten  king- 
doms which  mvike  up  the  £rret}t  city,  the  Babylomsh  empire,  shall  forsake  it.. 
Sow  what  is  this  tenth  part  of  tic  city  wliich  shall  full  ?  In  my  opmion  we 
cannot  doubt  that  it  is  France — And  in  thi:  earthquake  isere  slain  tevcn  thow 
sand,  in  the  Greek  it  is,  seven  thoiti.an<l  namts  of  men.  I  confess  tliat  this 
seems  somev/liat  mysterious — 1  am  inclined  to  saj',  that  these  words,  names  nf 
TAf-n,  must  be  taktn  in  their  natural  signification,  and  do  intimate  tiiat  llie  total 
reformation  of /Va7<ce  shall  not  be  made  with  bloodshed:  nothing'  shall  bf  des- 
troyed but  nnwM,  such  as  the  names  of  JMonis,  of  Canuclites  of  Au^ustinesf 
of  Domir.icahs,  of  Jacohines,  Franciscans,  Capucines,  Jesuits,  ^Miiiimcs,  and  an 
infinite  company  of  others,  whose  number  it  is  not  easy  to  define,  and  which 
the  Holy  (ihost  denotes  by  the  number  seven,  which  is  the  number  of  perfec- 
tion, to  signify  that  the  order  of  Jilonis  ^nii  J\uns  shall  perish  for  ever." 
(Cited  by  Bicheno.  Signs  of  tiie  times.  Fart  I.  p.  39,  40  )  Dr.  Gooilwin, 
■who  wrote  1 '0  years  since,  had  formed  a  very  just  conception  ot  what  was 
meant  by  siayinif  names  oj  tnen.  "  I?y  the  earthqukc  here,  is  meant  a  qrea: 
concussion  or  shaking  cf  slates,  pol'ii'icvil  or  ecclesiastical — The  effect  of  ihia 
earthquake,  And  fallof  ihis  tenth  purt  of  the  city,  is  killing  seven  thousand  of  the 
names  of  men — Now  bj  men  of  i.atiie,  in  Scripture,  is  meant  men  nj  title,  offwe, 
and  dsifmfy — As  in  the  case  of  Corah's  conspiracy,  so  here  a  civil  punishrnc-nt 
J^Us  upon  these — For  having  killed  these ivitn'-sses,  themselves  .ire   to  be  killed 

{haply)  by  being  bereft  of  their  names  and  titles,  which  are  to  be  rooted  out 
or  ever,  and  condemned  to  perpetual  fergetfulntss"  Cited  by  liicher"/. 
rb^a.p.41. 


43 

ijiiity;  and  he  rested  not  till  he  had  estabHshed  the  reigii 
of  dtm  'uaceqiialitij  and  frantic  atheism. 

"  At  an  early  period  of  the  Revolution  in  France,  the 
fra'ernity  of  illuminated  Free-Masons  took  the  name  oi' 
-Jacobins,  from  the  name  of  a  convent  where  tlieyheld 
their  meetings.  They  then  counted  three  hundred 
thousand  adepts,  and  were  supported  by  two  millions  of 
men  scattered  through  France,  armed  with  torches  and 
pikes,  and  all  the  necessary  implements  of  revolution. 
Till  the  i^th  of  August,  1/92,  the  French  Jacobins  had 
only  dated  the  annals  of  their  revolution  by  the  years  of 
their  pretended  liberty.  On  that  day,  when  the  king 
was  carried  prisoner  to  the  Temple,  after  having  been  de^ 
clared  to  have  forfeited  his  right  to  the  crown,  the  rebel 
assembly  decreed,  that  to  the  date  of  liberty  the  date  of 
equality  should  be  added  in  future  in  all  public  acts  ; 
and  the  decree  itself  was  dated  the  fourth  year  of  liber- 
ty-, the  first  year  and  day  ofequulity.'''' 

On  t  his  mef  nor  able  day  \.\\e.n,  ahout  three  years  after 
the  commencement  of  tht'  earthquake  which  threw  down 
the  French  tenth  part  of  the  great  Roman  city,  and  only 
i%vo  days  alter  the  last  dreadful  shock  of  that  ear! hquake^ 
I  conceive  the  third  zone-trumPet  to  have  begun  its  tre- 
mendous biast.  "  The  second  woe  was  past  ;  and  be- 
hold the  third  woe  came  quickly'''  Antichrist  now  stood 
revealed  in  all  his  horrors  ;  and  the  long  continued  ef- 
forts of  Popery  and  Moliammed  sm  were  constrained  to 
■hide  their  diminished  heads  in  the  presence  of  a  gigon-. 
tic  monster.,  who  alike  trampled  upon  the  laws  ot  mau;, 
and  deiied  the  majesty  of  heaven. 

On  the  \Wi  of  August^  1792,  the  infidel  king  exalted 
himself  above  all  law  :  on  the  Q,Qth  of  the  very  same, 
month,  he  exalted  himself  above  all  religion.  As  the 
first  of  these  days  witnessed  the  abolition  of  ail  the  dis- 
tinctions of  eivil  society,  so  the  second  beheld  the  estab- 
lishment of  atheism  by  law.  A  decree  was  then  past^ 
ordering  the  clergy  to  leave  the  kingdom  within  a  fort- 
night after  its  date :  but,  instead  of  allowing  them  the 
time  specified  even  by  their  own  decree,  the  Jacobin  ty- 
rants of  France  employed  the  whole  of  that  period  in, 
seizing,  imprisoning*  arid  putting  them  to  t\\o  most  Grael 


4-1. 

(ieaths.  Tlie  conduct  of  these  unfortunate  men,  during' 
tjiis  dreadful  soason  of  trial,  certainly  deserves  the  coni- 
niendalion  of  the  Cliiistian  world.  In  spite  of  the  vari- 
ous CO  ruptions,  with  which  they  liad  debased  tlie  pu- 
rity of  the  Gospel,  they  still  shewed  (to  use  an  apostol- 
ical phrase)  that  they  "  had  a  little  strength:"  and  I 
dn\ih{  .not  tha<  many  of  them  "  slept  in  the  Lord,"  though 
I  cannot  concede  to  Mr.  Galloway  and  Mr.  Kett,  that 
ih'^y  {iv(^  t'/r  sai?tts  whom  the  little  honi  of  iJie  fourth 
bt  (St  was  destined  to  w car  out.  The  ministers  of  relig- 
loj]  were  jinw  no  more  ;  and  no  traces  of  (  hristianity 
co'  Id  hn  found  in  the  reprobate  metroplis  of  the  atheis- 
tical repub'ic.  One  of  the  churches  was  converted  into 
a  heathen  (emple,  the  den  of  the  foreign  god  and  his  kin- 
dr-'d  Alahuzzim :  and  the  rest  were  used  as  places  of 
public  lestivity  and  amusement.  There  tlie  abandoned 
citizens  of  Paris  flocked  in  crouds,  no  longer  as  formerly 
to  worship  their  Maker  ;  buf  to  hear  his  name  blasphem- 
ed, his  existence  denied,  and  his  eternal  Son  ridiculed  as 
an  impostor.* 

On  the  ^Ith  of  the  sn??ie  moiifh,  one  of  the  Jacobinical 
miscreants  caused  an  oath  to  be  taken  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  national  assembly,  that  every  exertion  should 
l)eusrd  to  purge  the  earth  of  royalty  .  and  it  was  decreed 
that  the  convention  should  be  what  they  were  pleased 
to  term  fi  com'uittee  of  insurrectinn  against  all  the  kings 
in  the  uin\erse.  Claiming  a  diabolical  pre-eminence 
above  mere  private  assassins,  the  pretended  representa- 
tives ol  a  whole  nation  enjoyed  the  unheard  of  lionour 
of  being  the  first  bodif  of  mm,  that  openly  and  systemat- 
ically proposed  to  institute  a  band  of  patriots  ;  who,  ci- 
ther by  sword,  pistol,  or  poison,  should  attempt  to  mur- 
der the  sovereigns  of  all  nations.  The  proposal  indeed 
was  not  carried  into  eflect :  but  this  was  owing  to  feary 

•  On  the  61/1  nf  J\'ovnn/>(r,  1792,  a  discourse  upon  athciim  was  pronounced 
by  l)tip'>nt.  and  ajiyjlauded  by  the  convention  :  and,  in  .Vui'cmvtr  179J,  tlie 
liopeftil  pnpils  of  tlie  new  republican  schoolappcarcd  at  its  bar,  wlien  one  of 
them  set  I'orlli,  tli;<t  all  reliffious  worship  liad  been  suppressed  in  his  section, 
cven'o  the  very  idea  of  idigion.  He  ad<lctl,  that  he  and  his  scliool  fellows 
detes'ed  <iod  ;  and  tliat,  instead  of  icai-tiinjr  Scripture,  they  learned  tiie  de- 
claration of  n},dils.  'l"hc  cor.xention,  deliplitcd  with  the  proi^ress  made  by  tliesr 
younj;  atliiists,  ordered,  with  the  most  enthusiastic  applause,  that  they  s!ioui«* 
be  admitlcd  to  tlic-hvnours  cf  tlu-  si'.tintr- 


45 

not  to  principle.  The  prvdence  only  of  the  raeasure  w  a& 
called  in  question,  because  llity  themselves  might  expect 
reprisals.  As  far  however  as  they  durst-,  they  aaed. 
On  t  lie  IQth  of  the  follonmig  Noveuiber,  a  decree  oi  ira- 
ternity  and  assistance  to  their  brethren  in  rebellion 
throughout  Europe  was  passed :  and,  on  the  Qlst,  the 
president  ordered  it  to  be  translated  into  all  languages 
as  the  manifesto  of  all  nations  against  kings :  a  rare  in- 
stance of  French  vanity  and  presumption  ;  ihc  convent/ on 
had  decreed  it,  therefore  it  was  the  manifesto  of  all  na- 
tions. On  the  15 th  of  December ■>  another  decree  was 
passed  by  these  friends  of  hberty  for  extending  the  Frencli 
s,ysiQmy  per  Jas  atqiie  nefis,  to  all  countries  occupied  by 
their  armies;  and,  on  the  19^//,  Marat,  the  uelicice  of 
the  peo{)le,  asserted  in  the  Jacobin  club,  that  in  oider  to 
cement  hberty  two  hundred  thousand  heads  ought  to  be 
struck  off.  Meanwhile  the  streets  of  Paris  v  ere  deluged 
with  torrents  of  gore  :  the  massacres  of  August  and  Sep 
ieniber  will  never  be  erased  from  the  blood  stained  annals 
of  France  :  and  the  whole  republic  was  converted  by 
this  "  liberty  of  hell"  into  "  one  great  slaughter-house."* 

On  the  ^\st  of  January,  1/93,  the  king,  after  suffer- 
ing every  species  of  indignity  from  his  mockery  of  a 
trial,  down  to  the  ribaldry  even  of  a  Parisian  mohy  was 
publicly  murdered  upon  a  scaffold.  On  the  l6th  of  Octo- 
ber, in  the  same  year,  the  queen  shared  the  fate  of  her 
husband.  And,  on  the  V2ihof  May,  1794,  the  princess 
Elizabeth,  with  a  refinement  of  cruelty  peculiar  to  the 
French,  was  executed  the  last  of  twenty-six  persons. 

On  the  llth  of  October,  1793,  all  external  signs  of  re- 
ligion were  abolished :  and,  with  a  view  to  encourage 
the  most  unrestrained  profligacy,  it  was  enacted,  that  an 
inscription  should  be  set  up  in  the  public  burying  grounds, 
purporting  that  "  Death  is  only  an  eternal  sleep.''  On 
the  Q.5th,  in  order  that  no  trace  might  remain  of  the 
Christian  Sabbath,  a  new  calendar  was  adopted  by  the 
Convention  ;  in  which  time  was  computed,  not  by  weeks, 
but  by  periods  of  ten  days  each  :  and,  instead  of  the  an- 

*  After  the  massacres  of  ^lugnst  and  September,  the  revolutionary  tribunal, 
established  March  the  5th,  1793,  authorised  the  incessant  exercise  of  the  guil- 
lotine ;  and,  in  many  towns  wliich  had  tlie  misfortune  to  be  stispected  of  Anti- 
jacobinical  principles,  decreed  it  to  be  permanent. 


40 

cieiit  con^nenioratinns  of  the  saints,  festivals,  similar  io 
thf'.*e<n  the  uiolatrnus  Romans,  were  instituted  to  ihc 
wit  0  al  Maliitzziiiit  tue  Virtues^  Genius^  Labour ■,  Opiiiioiu 
and  lienaid  .  On  t/te  1th  nf  Noicinber^  Gobet,  the  repub- 
lic-'n  bishop  of  Paris,  with  his  grand  vicars,  and  others 
ot  his  ch  rg\ ,  entered  the  hall  of  the  national  conven- 
tion, solemnly  resigned  hi:;  functions,  and  abjured  Chris- 
tianity :  aid,  that  the  truth  of  the  prophecy  might  be 
evinced,  that  smne  of  those  were  also  oUured  who  had 
clea-}  €sr!i])cdJro)n  them  that  live  in  enor^  several  pro- 
iestaiUecxusiastics  .db'jUYcd  their  religion  at  the  same 
time,  finally,  on  June  the  6.7/,  1/94,  fornication  was 
established  b>  law,  as  anarch v  and  atheism  had  already 
been  :  the  convention  decreed,  that  there  is  nothmg 
criminal  in  the  promiscuous  commerce  of  the  sexes. 

Sui;h  have  been  the  tremendous  elfects  abrodi/  pro- 
duced by  the  tuird  woe-trumpet;  a  Irntjipeff  wlmh,  con- 
sidering the  vo'u  short  period  of  time  that  has  elapsed 
since  it  began  to  sound,  has  far  exceeded  its  two  prede- 
cessors in  scenes  of  horror  and  contusion.  "  The  mas- 
sacre of  St.  Ijarlhoiomevv,  an  event  that  lilled  all  Europe 
with  consternation,  the  inlamy  and  horrors  of  which 
have  been  dv\'elt  upon  by  so  many  eloquent  writers  of 
all  religions,  and  that  has  held  Charles  IX,  up  to  the  ex- 
ecration of  ages,  dwindles  into  child's  play,  when  com- 
pared to  the  piescnt  murderous  revolution,  which  a  late 
writer  in  France  emphatically  calls  a  St.  Bartholomew  of 
Jive  t I  ears.  Accord  mg  to  Mr.  liossuet,  there  were  about 
30,000  persons  murdered  in  all  France  on  that  day  ; 
there  have  been  more  than  that  number  murdered  in  the 
single cilj/  of  Lyons  audits  neighbourhood;  at  Nantz 
there  have  been  J 7,000  ;  at  Pans  1.jO,000  ;  in  la  Vendee 
300,000.  In  short,  it  appears,  that  there  have  been  two 
mill  ons  of  persons  nuiniered  in  Fiance,  since  it  has  call-- 
ed  itself  a  republic  j  among  whom  are  reckoned  2^0,000 
women,  tioO,000  cluidren  (besides  those  murdered  in 
the  womb,)  and  ^4,000  Christian  priests."*  If  such 
has  been  the  eflusion  of  blood  in  France  aloncy  how  will 
the  dreadful  catalogue  of  the  miseries  produced  ujidc- 

*  Gifford's  Trefacc  to  Bandiiti  unmathd.. 


4? 
«•• 

Hie  third  woe  be  swelled,  whon  all  the  wars,^  wliich  the 
revolution  iias  kindied,  are  likewise  taken  into  the  ac- 
count ?  howw  il  it  be  yet  incalculably  swelled,  ere  the 
terrific  blast  of  tlih  irvmpet  has  ceased,  by  the  time  of 
trouble  predicted  by  Daniel  at  the  close  ol  the  I'^QO years; 
a  time,  sKch  as  never  was  shire  there  was  a  nation  even 
iotha/.sa/ne  tine  9\  We  have  already  beheld  the  effects 
of  fhe  first  and  second  woes :  do  we  need  any  further 
proof  to  convince  us,  that  the  third  woe  has  begun  to 
sound  ? 

Having  thus  discussed  the  prophecy  at  large,  I  shall 
conclude  with  drawing  my  arguments  to  a  point. 

The  xvihu'sses '>\\en  are  to  be  slain,  not  when  tliey  have 
finisited  their  testimony,  but  when  they  are  dran  i//g  near 
to  finish  it.  This  translation  is  at  once  required,  both  by 
the  Greek  idiom,  and  by  the  harmony  of  tlie  prediction 
itself.  The  witnesses  are  to  prophesy  in  sackcloth  cnly 
IQ60  years :  and,  at  the  end  of  that  same  [)eriod,  tiie 
power  of  the  6ea^t  and  the  little  horn  is  to  begin  to  be 
broken.  Hence  it  is  manifest,  that  the  slaughter  must 
take  place  r/?/ri;/o*  ihe  period,  not  snbsxfjvent  to  it  :  for 
how  can  fhe  witnessi  s  be  slain  at  the  very  time  when 
their  calamities  are  finished :  and  how  can  they  be  slain 
by  the  beast,  when  the  judgments  ol  God  are  gone  forth 
to  avenge  his  Church,  and  to  siay  tiie  beast  himself? 

Let  us  next  note  the  era  of  the  su.iighter.  It  is  placed 
under  ihe  sec^  7id  woe,  previous  to  the  tall  of  a  tenth  ];art 
ej  the  Roman  city  and  the  sounding  of  the  thrd  woe. 
But  the  1'360  days  must  necessarily  extend  to  the  com- 
mencement of ///<?  la^t  period  oi  ih'  third  xvoc,  because 
the  beast  is  o\erthrown  under  the  seventh  vial :  therefore 
they  cannot  ex})ire  at  the slaw^hter  ol  the  witnesses,\\\\\Q)i\ 
takes  place  under  the  second  woe,  and  before  even  the 
earliest  blast  of  the  third  woe. 

Still  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the  witnesses  be  yet 

*  These  wars,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  are  predicted  under  the  third  vial, 
as  the  massacres  and  proscriptions  of  revolutionary  France  are  under  the  se- 
cond.    These  matters  will  be  discussed  hereafter. 

t  As  yet  we  liave  only  been  sp<-ctators  of  the  harvest  of  God's  -wrath,  or  tkc 
^first  grand  period  of  the  third  -ivoe-triivipet :  the  more  dreadful  period  of  the 
wi^rt^e  is  yet  future  (See  Rev.  xiv  14_.o.)  The  two  periods  of  r/u- /(nrffsf 
and  t''e  vintage,  by  the  fi-mer  of  whicii  1  understand  l/u  French  rtvolution 
considered  in  all  the  effects  which  it  has  produced,  will  be  discussed  hereafter. 


IS 

slain  or  not,  because  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the 
third  woe  has  begun  to  sound.  Let  us  for  a  moment 
lay  prophecy  aside,  and  attend  only  to  history-  Tlic 
rise  of  AloliamnieiUsm  and  tlic.  conquests  oj  the  Saracens 
from  one  singular  epoch  in  history :  the  rise  and  con- 
quest of  tie  Ottoman  empire  from  another  singular 
epoch  :  after  these  two,  where  shall  we  pitch  upon  a 
third  epoch  equally  singular  ?  Can  any  other  answer  be 
given,  an  answer  which  the  passing  occurrences  of  every 
day  render  more  and  more  probable,  except  the  French 
revolution  and  its  amazingly  extensive  consequences  ? 
Now  the  Saracens  and  the  /  ur/cs  are  universally  allow- 
ed to  be  the  subjects  of  the  two /irsf.  ivoes.  And  are 
they  more  worthy  of  a  place  in  prophecy,  than  the  dar- 
ing impieties,  the  unheard  of  miseries,  and  the  vast 
change  in  the  constitution  of  ^he  whole  F2uropean  com- 
monwealth, which  have  flowed  from //ff  French  revolu- 
tion ?  Since  we  are  compelled  to  date  a  new  order  of 
things  from  this  tremendous  convulsion,  is  it  improba- 
ble that  it  should  have  been  selected  by  the  Spirit  ol 
God  as  one  of  the  great  apocalyptic  eras  ?  Is  it  impro- 
bable to  suppose,  that  the  third  woe  began  to  sound, 
when  thenign  of  Antichrist,  of  anarchy  ^  and  of  at/teism, 
commenced  ? 

13ut  this  is  not  all :  we  have  a  clue  afforded  us  by  the 
prophecy  itself.  Immediately  before  the  sounding  of 
(.he  third  woe,  a  tenth  part  of  the  great  Latin  city  is  over- 
thrown by  a  vioient  earth'/ua/ie  ;  and  the  consequence 
of  this  eahhqua/ie  is,  that  seven  thousand  names  of  men 
are  slain,  not  merely  men  themselvesy  but  names  or  titles 
of  men.  If  therefore  the  a}){)lication  of  the  third  woe  to 
the  commencement  cf  the  reign  of  Antichrist  do  not  cor- 
respond with  this  particular,  we  may  be  absolutely  sure, 
tha'.  it  is  erroneous  :  but,  if  on  the  other  hand,  it  do 
minutely  correspond  with  this  particular,  then  we  have 
attained  t<^  at  least  a  very  high  degree  of  probability  (so 
high  as  to  fall  little  short  of  moral  certainty,)  that  it  is 
72oTerroneou8  ;  for,  in  that  case,  it  will  be  diHicult  to  con- 
ceive, how  the  prediction  can  ever  Ix;  more  minutely 
fullilled,  than  it  has  already  been.  What  then  shall  wo 
gay,  when  we  find  that  it   does  exactly,  and  in  every 


4^ 

boint",  cor'*espond  with  this  particular  ?  The  reip'v  of  ^ti' 
tichris'.  was  ushered  in  by  the  fall  of  monarchical  F  a  ■,', 
one  of  the  ten  pa  is  of  the  great  city,  or  (wl  at  is  o.-,!y 
anothernio<le  of  speaking)  one  of  the  fen  hnrns  o{  the 
Roman  beast :  nay  mire  ;  the  only  one  of  the  ten  '^■iginal 
horns  then  in  existence,  and  consequently /"//c  onl^  t. mon- 
archy by  the  fall  of  which  the  prophecy  could  possil^ly 
beaccomplif^hed.  Nine  out  of  the  ten  orio'nal  horns 
had  fallifn  by  conquest  or  other  poliiical  changes  pre- 
vious to  the  era  of  the  French  revolii'ion:  when  that  re- 
volution  took  place,  the  tenth  original  horn  fell:  at  pre- 
sent therefore  yzrw^  of  (ht  ten  orignrl  monarchical  hrfS 
are  standing.*  Hence  it  is  manifest,  that,  if  the  prophecy 
has  not  been  already  accomplislied,  it  now  never  can 
be  accoraplish^'d.  The  result  therefore  of  the  whole  is 
this  :  if  the, fall  of  the  tenth  pat  f  the  dtyhe  the  first 
French  revolntion,  and  if  the  third  jroe  began  to  sound  at 
the  comvien  cement  of  the  re'gn  ofAntich'i.st;  in  that  case, 
the  slaughter  of  the  witnesses  must  be  past,  because  it 
takes  piacr  under  the  second  woe-,  and  consequently  pre- 
vious to  the  sounding  of  the  tliirdwoe. 

**  And  the  seventh  angel  sounded  ;  and  there  were 
great  voices  in  heaven,  saying.  The  kingdoms  of  th  s 
world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his 
Christ  :  and  he  shall  re'gn  for  ever  and 'ever.  And  the 
fr»ur  and  twenty  elders,  which  sat  before  God  on  their 
seats,  fell  upon  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying. 
We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  art, 
and  vvast,  and  art  to  come  ;  because  thou  hast  taken  to 
thee  thy  great  pi^wer,  and  hast  reigned.  And  the  na- 
tions were  angry,  and  thy  wrath  is  come,  and  the  time 
of  the  dead,  that  they  should  be  judged,  and  that  thou 
shouldest  give  reward  unto  thy  servants  the  prophets, 
and  to  the  saints,  and  to  them  that  fear  thy  name,  small 

*  The  ^ingolo-Saxon  horn  fell  by  the  Xorman  conquest.  But  in  France, 
when  the  crown  was  tianbferred  from  the  Merovi  ng'ians  to  the  Carlovingians, 
aiu  from  the  Car'oviiif,''ian8  to  the  Capeis,  it  never  ceased  to  be  worn  by  a 
d\na-.ty  of  native  princes.  At  f/ie  rfvo.  Hf  on  that  ancient  monarchy  was  fist 
CM'!  thrown;  and  now  that  the  repral  for  n  of  (government  is  reavortd,  ihe 
sccsjtre  of  Pliaramond,  the  Fr„nk,  of  Cha  lema^ne,  the  Frank,  and  of  Uujjh 
Capet,  .he  Frank,  is  wielded  by  Napolean  Boon  .par  e,  the  (Jorsican.  Our  Henry 
VI.  wa«  indeed  cr  >wned  kir.g  of  France  ;  but  his  title  was  ne*f  r  acknowledged 
by  the  Dc.uphin,  and  he  Vwt  bimsslf  epeedil y  disp^.ssQSS'jd  af  tiifr  oong,ue«t  wf 
his  father. 

VOL.  If.  7 


50 

and  great ;  and  shoiildest  destroy  them  which  destroy  tiie* 
earth  And  the  temple  of  God  was  opened  in  heaven, 
and  there  was  seen  in  Iiis  temple  the  ark  of  his  testa- 
ment :  and  there  were  lightnings,  and  voices,  and  thun- 
der ings,  and  an  earthquake,  and  great  hail." 

The  prophet,  reserving  a  more  full  account  of  the  sevc-' 
ral  important  events  which  were  to  take  place  under  tliis 
?voe  for  the  pouring  out  oithe  seven  Inst  plagues  and  the 
chapters  subordinately  connected  with  them,  gives  us  here 
a  general  j)reliminary  statement  of  them.  For  the  conso- 
lation of  the  afflicted  Church  he  inverts  the  order  of 
their  accomplishment,  placing  the  triumphant  establish- 
ment of  the  kingdom  of  (  hrist,  before  God's  assumption 
to  himself  of  his-  great  power  ;  before  the  time  of  his 
wrath  ;  before  his  destruction  of  those  that  destroyed  the 
earth  ;  before  the  day  of  theanger  of  the  nations  ;  before 
the  last  earthquake,  which  was  to  divide  the  great  city 
into  three  parts,  and  to  overthrow  the  cities  of  the  nations; 
and  before  great  Babylon  came  in  remembrance  before 
God.  Anticipating  the  fmal  triumph  of  Christanity  and 
the  commencement  of  the  millennium,  he  eagerly  looks 
forv/ard  to  that  blessed  period  when  the  kingdoms  ot  this 
WO' Id  should  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  ;  and  af- 
terwards, as  it  were  reluctantly,  touches  upon  the  calam- 
ities which  yet  remained  to  be  fulhllcd  under  t}ie  seven 
vials.  The  propriety  of  this  interpretation  of  the  pas- 
sage will  be  evident,  if  we  consider  that  the  seventh 
trumpet  \wdS>io  introduce  the  third  great  woe,  which  surely 
cannot  be  the  conversion  of  the  world  to  Christ,  and  if  we 
reflect  that  all  the  seven  vials  of  the  last  plagues  yet  re- 
main to  be  poured  out  ere  the  triumphant  reign  of  the 
Messiah  commences.* 

Thus  it  appears,  Ihat  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  Apoc- 
alypsc,  or  thefirs!  of  the  little  book,  exlcnds  through  tite 
7vliote  period  of  the  1'360  years.  The  thi^ee  reviaining 
chapters  of  the  little  book  do  the  same  :  for  all  the  four, 
in  jvoint  ol  chronology,  ruji  parallel  to  each  other  ;  and 
jointly  give  us  a  complete  history  of  the  western  Apos- 

'  See  Medc's  Works   R.  V.  Summary  view  of  tlic  Apoc.  p.  920— Rp.  New- 

ton's  Dissert  on  Hcv.  xi.  ia  loc ^it  lsa*c  Newlon's  Obscrv  on  ihc  Apoc  Ohap 

If.  p.  2H. 


51 

!tacy,  and  of  «//  who  are  concerned  with  it  whether  a€tm- 
ly  or  passiveli/. 

SECTION  II. 

Concerning  the  tvar  of  the  dragon  with  the  wnman. 

The  main-spring  of  the  Apostacy  is  the  great  red  drag- 
on, or,  as  the  Apostle  hirrself  inforras  us,  the  devil.  It 
was  this  grand  deceiver  of  the  whole  world,  that  actuat- 
ed the  two-horned  beast,  Sixidi  ihsit  em^Xoye^  at  /zw  insti- 
gation the  ten-horned  beast,  to  trample  under  foot  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  Hence  St.  John  thinks  it  necessary 
to  dedicate  one  whole  chapter  of  the  little  book  to  the  full 
elucidation  of  his  wiles. 

"  And  there  appeared  a  great  wonder  in  heaven;  a 
woman  clothed  with  the  Sun,  and  the  Moon  under  her 
feet,  and  upon  he  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars.  And 
she  being  with  child,  cried,  travailing  in  birth,  and  pain- 
ed to  be  delivered.  And  there  appeared  another  won- 
der in  heaven;  and  behold  a  great  red  dragon,  having 
seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  seven  crowjis  upon  his 
heads.  And  his  tail  drew  the  third  part  of  the  stars  of 
heaven,  and  did  cast  them  to  the  earth:  and  the. dragon 
stood  before  the  woman  which  was  ready  to  be  dehvered, 
for  to  devour  her  child  as  soon  as  it  was  born.  And 
she  brought  forth  a  man-child,  who  was  to  rule  all  na- 
tions with  a  rod  of  iron ;  and  her  child  was  caught  up 
unto  God,  and  to  his  throne.  And  the  woman  lied  into 
the  wilderness,  where  she  hath  a  place  prepared  of  God, 
that  they  should  feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  iiundred 
and  threescore  days." 

The  excellent  J3p.  Newton  appears  to  me  to  have  fail- 
ed in  no  part  of  his  commentary  upon  the  Ape  calypse 
so  much  as  in  that  of  the  present  chajjter.  Although 
he  had  before  very  justl}^  stated  that  the  tittle  book  de- 
scribed the  calamities  of  the  western  church,  and  as  such 
was  with  good  reason  made  a  separate  and  distinct  pro- 
phecy:  and  although  the  lit'lt^  book  itself  repeatedly 
declares  that  it  comprehends  nothing  but  the  history  of 
the g'^ei't  Apostacy  oj  I'^QO  years,  which  commenced  as 
we  have  seen  in  the  year  606  ;  yet  he  now  supposes^  in 
direct  contradiction  to  his  tormer  statement,  that  St,  John 


6*2 

resumes  his  subject  from   tke  beginniv^y  from  the  very^ 
fir  t  ]>rf^T>i ga  ion  oj  Ckr  sUanity.     Hence  It-  coiijectures, 
X\\2X  tht  dv  ^>-o;/,  which  persecutes   the  symbol' cal  womrn, 
or  'h<'  Cititrcli,  is  p(  gan  lioiiie  ;  and  that  he   is  st ,  led  the 
red  i!rr,gony  because  "  purple  or  scarlet  was  the  distin- 
gr.ishing  colour  of   the    Roman  emperors,  con'^uls,  and 
generals  ;"   that   the   nian-child  is   primarily   the  inystic 
Chisty   for  whom  the  Romcn  dragon  laid  snares  to  de- 
stroy him  in  his  infancy,  as  Pharaoh  did  of  old   for   the 
male  children  of    the  Hebrews :    but  that    Gmstuntm^ 
however,  the   li'st  C  hristian  emperor,    "was  here  more 
particularly  intended,  for  whase  life  the  drogm  Galerius 
laid  many  snares,  th  >uf;h  he  providentially  escap  -d  them 
all;  afKl,*not\viihs!anding  all   opposition,  was  caugh'  up 
unto  the  throne  of  God,  Mas  not  only  secured  b}   the 
diwne    protection,  but    was   advanced  to    the    imperial 
throne,  called  tlie  throne  of  God  ;    for  there  is  no  pow- 
er but  of  God  ;  thepoiversy  t'laf  be,  are  odaintdof  God."" 
Aizreeahly  to  thi-  system,  his  Lordship  thinks  that  the 
way  between  Mkhaei  end  the  dragon,  mentioned  in  the 
svcccet.i  g  verses,  \sthe  st'Uggle  hetwren  Christianity  and 
Paganism  ;  and  that  tht  fatlof'  the  dragon  from  heavrn 
h  tliefnal  ovirtUrcxv  ot  idolatry.      In  a  similar  manner, 
the  wra'h  of  the  drag  n  after  he  is  cast   d  wn  to  the 
Cixnhy'isi  the  attempt  to  restore  paganis7n  in   the   reign   of 
Jut '(IV,  and  the  discord  excited  in  the  cliwch  by  the  fol- 
loiiersof  Arins  J  and  the  flo()d,wh\di  he   \oniited  forth 
from  his  mr^uth,  signifies  the  irruption  of  the  vorthern  bar- 
barians, whom  Stilicho,  prime  muiister  of  the   Emperor 
Honorius,  invited  into  the  Koman  empire.     The  Bishop 
h''Wev,r,  being   perlectly  aware  that  Me  novion's  recess 
into  the  nildcrness  dnrni^i  the  space  of  [Q60  days,  stood 
in  (Mrect   opposition  to   the   whole  of  his  scheme,  main- 
tains, that   this  is  said  merely  by  way  of  p/n/c/^^'j,  or //;?- 
//r//w//r// ;  and  that  she  did  not  ileo  into  ihe  wilderness 
Ct'iis  inie^  hut  several  7/ea>'s  ajter,  di  ring  the   reign  of 
Avtichr'st :  notvvithstanding  the  prophet  is  at  this   very 
time  proicsscdly  writing   the  history  (f  the  l'?f)0  dans; 
and  notwithstanding  the  ti.rce  other  chiplers  ol    tht'  li'tla 
bojk,  nan'cly,   tie  chapter  which  inmiediately  prectdrS 
this,  aud  the  luo  chajitcrs  which  iuinicdialely  /ollo7v  it, 


8S 

are  by  the  Bishop  himself  allowed  to  relate  e^vdusively 
to  t lie  events  of  the  1260  days  in  the  IVest.  * 

Tiiis  phari  of  interpre^aii)!!  is  liable  to  numerous  ob- 
jections—//? the  first  place,  it  is  highly  iniprobabla  that 
the  p  ophet,  after  having  ^rZ/r^rf/j/  toretoM  'he  conversion 
of  the  Empire  to  Chiistianity  und^^r  the  sixth  smU  should 
now  at  liigtii,  after  he  has  begnii.  to  write  the  history 
of  the  western  Apostocy,  suddenly  return  to  the  pagan 
persecutions  of  the  Church  and  tne  dajs  of  Constantine. 
To  suppose  this  is  to  suppose  that  a  professedly  chrono- 
logical prophet,  without  a  shadow  of  reason,  violates  at 
once  the  order  both  oi  time  and  of  place  :  the  order  of 
time,  by  suddenly  turning  back  from  the  year  606,  when 
t/^e  Apostdcy  in  its  dominant  s^ate  commenced,  to  the 
ecrliest  days  ofChrisiianity  and  the  year  31'i,  when  Con 
stantiiie  became  a  conv  rt;  the  outer  of /;/«ce,  by  us 
suddenly  quitting  tJie  peculiar  history  of  the  ff'est  for 
the  g<n(  red  hi^'ory  f  t  e  whole  •  m  ire,  and  more  espe- 
cially iA.'(^/)^/r/  of  the  empire  zvhich  lay  in  the  East — Intlie 

*  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  mode  of  t-xplaining  the  whole  prophecy  of  the  little 
iooA;  appears  lomt- ven  unsatisfactorv.  In  many  respects,  it  is  liable  to  the 
same  objections  as  the  scheme  of  Bp.  Ncwton  ;  and  in  some  points,  it  is  liable 
even  to  greater  objections.  Tims  S  r  Isaac  conceives  the  tivo  women,  mention- 
ed in  the  Apocalypse,  to  be  one  a  </ ie  scj?ue  pfrsw  ,•  notwithstanding' their 
characters  are  evidently  s  different  :  and  supposes,  that  the  ivman  fled  into 
thev:Uderness,Vf\itn  the  Iioim:nemt}ire\wd.sfY\\'i(led  into  the  Greek  and  Latin 
m/»i!e*  ,•  notwithstandmg-  the  propiiet  represents  her  as  fleeing  there  at  t/ie 
beginning  of  the  i260  iLty.s.  TJie  general  outline  of  his  whole  explanation,  so 
far  as  it  regards  the  ihi'te  grand  symbols  of  ?/je //«;fc  Aoofc,  is  as  follows.  He 
conjectures,  ;hat  the  dmgon  is  the  Greek  or  Coiistafitinopolitan  Empire  ;  that 
the  tiii-honi.  a  bcast\s  the  Latin  Empire  ;  und  that  tite  tiuo-horned  beast  is  the 
chnrci'i  ofth  Gretk  mpire.  In  none  of  hese  particulars  can  I  think  him  right, 
except  m  his  opniion  of  ie  i  n/iorji/-.:/ Affls.  .•  and  evi.n  of  that  his  definition 
seems  to  me  to  be  somewhat  too  limited,  for  the  sixth  head  of  the  ten-ho,iied 
iieast  wiien  it  revived  was  the  Cviistantiu'ipolitan  Emperor.  As  for  tlie  dragon 
being  the  G-eck  empire,  such  an  opin  on  is  utterly  irreconcileable  with  the 
plain  declarilion  of  St  John  tiiat  he  is  the  devil  and  nothing  but  the  d'vil :  and 
as  ior  the  second  apr,c(ilt'pic  beast,  (lure  is  scarcely  a  single  point  in  which  his 
chaacter  answers  to  .iicit  of  ./if  Cret;^  C/mrcA.  For  the  Greek  Church  never 
wrougiit  miracles  lodecievtMe  Latins  ;  nor  did  it  exercise  all  the  power  of 
the  fist  beast  or  the  Latin  empire,  before  him  :  nor  did  it  cause  theiuh^de  earth 
to  worship  that  btast  ;  nor  did  it  set  up  a7ii/  image  foi  him  ;  nor  lastly  did  it 
cxei'  forbid  all  to  buy  and  sell,  except  those  who  bore  the  name  and  the  mark 
of  the  first  Oeast.  lu  sliort,  Sir  Isaac's  exposition  entirely  confounds  the  whole 
plan  i'i'the  little  book,  which  treats  exclusively  of  the  affairs  of  the  West,  as  the 
two  first  ~.t)',e-tnmipcts  had  already  treated  of  the  collateral  affairs   of  tlie  East. 

since  Sir  Isaac  has  discussed  all  these  matters  in  a  single  chapter,  I  thought 
it  best  to  thr(<w  togetlier  my  obiectionsto  his  scheme  in  a  single  note,  and  not 
resume  the  stibjec.  hereafter.  I  shall  only  add,  that  I  liave  not  brought  for- 
wara  .  ve^i/  oi>jcction  that  might  have  been  urged,  but  ha  e  only  stated  some 
pf  llie/;/?/K^/)a/ones.    See  Ob.'icrvations  on  the  Apocalypse,  Chap.  iii. 


54. 

jec<?/?fif/;/<rcc,  the  Bishop's  supposition,  ihat  the  dragon 
is  pagaii  Homey  runs  directly  counter  to  the  unequivocal 
dcclaratioii  of  St.  John,  that  he  u  the  devil* — In  tfie 
third  place,  his  conjecture,  that  the  man-child  is  Const  ait- 
tinCy  is  equally  incongruous  with  the  analogy  of  scrip- 
tural language.  The  description  of  this  man-child,  that 
lie  should  rule  all  nations  with  a  rod  of  iron,  is  evidently 
borrowed  originally  from  the  second  Psalm,  where  the 
universal  domiiiion  of  Christ  is  predicted.  The  same 
mode  of  expression  is  twice  likewise  used  in  the  Apoc- 
al3q:)sc  to  describe  the  power  which  Christ  exercises  both 
in  his  own  jjerson  and  through  tJ)€  instrumentality  of 
the  faithful  :t  hence  surely  it  is  very  improbable,  tiiat 
it  should  here  be  intended  to  allude  to  Constantine. 
Had  the  prophet  meant  to  have  pointed  out  that  prince, 
he  would  scarcely  have  used  such  verj/  ambiguous  phra- 
seology, as  must  by  his  readers  have  been  thought  prima 
facie  applicable,  not  to  Constantine,  but  to  Christ — In 
the  fourth  place,  the  prolepsis,  of  which  the  Bishop 
speaks,  is  no  wliere  to  be  discovered  in  the  plain  simple 
language  of  the  prediction.     Nothing  is  there  declared, 

*  I  have  never  been  able  to  learn,  upon  what  {^rounds  Mr  Mede  and  Dp. 
N«wton  so  peremptorily  pronounce  the  dra^^cn  to  h&t he  pagan  Roman  empire  f 
and,  as  if  such  an  opinion  could  not  be  doubted,  interpret  the  whole  pro- 
phecy accordingly  Nothing  can  be  more  definite  than  the  language  of  St. 
John  He  tells  us  unequivocally,  that  the  great  dragon  is  "  that  old  serpent, 
called  the  Devil  and  Satan,  which  deceiveth  the  whole  world."  (Rev.  xii  9) 
If  tlien  the  dragon  be  the  devil,  how  can  he  be  tlie  pagan  lir/nian  empire  ?  The 
«;ircimislance  of  his  being  represented  witii  ten  hm-ns  shews  plainly,  that  the 
agent,  through  whose  visible  instrumentality  he  persecutes  the -womaii,  is  the 
Jiunian  empire  in  i'.s  dividedst.ile  13ut  the  Umpire  was  not  divided  till  after 
it  had  renounced  Faganiem  The  whole  of  \he  prophecy  iheielore  must  re- 
late to  the  Empire,  not  when  pagan,  but  wiu-n  pip  .7.  In  short,  what  most  de- 
cidedly shews  It  to  oe  absoluti.ly  impossible  that  the  dragon  should  be  tftf  Pagan 
Jiomun  empire,  he  is  brought  a^ain  upon  the  stage  long  after  the  i'agan  lioman 
o»n/;;/f  had  ceased  to  exist.  Under  the  yet  future  s/x/A  vial,  ancvjl  spirit  is 
said  to  come  out  of  his  mouth  ;Kev  xvi  13  )  :  and,  at  the  commencement  of 
ti.e  JMiliewiium,  after  the  des  ruction  of  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet,  he  is 
bound  for  the  space  of  a  thousand  years,  and  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit  Nor 
is  this  all :  at  the  end  of  the  thousand  >ears  he  is  again  let  loose  to  ueceivc  the 
rations,  and  succeeds  in  forming  till  great  confederacy  of  Gog  and  ^Mugog ; 
after  the  ovtrthiow  of  which  lie  is  filially  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone. It  is  observable,  that  in  the  com .se  of  the  last  jnediction  relative  to 
him,  he  is  no  less  than  four  times  styled  Satan  and  the  divU  ■  but,  even  inde- 
pendent of  this  circumstance,  how  i.s  it  possible  that  the  Pagan  Jtoman  .viit' 
piie  can  perform  nil  the  actions  ascribeil  to  the  dragon?  v^ev.  xx  1  — 10.) 
Jlp.  Newton  l.im3(  If  allows  him  to  be  fZ-e  »/«•«.•.■  at  the  cio-si  of  his  career.  If 
then  he  be  the  divil  in  one  part  of  the  Apocaljpse,  he  must  surely  be  the  dtvU 
in  evcrv  other  part.  ^ 

t  Key.  ii.  27.  and  x\x.  1 5 


/• 

but  merely  that  the  woman,  in  consequence  of  the  drag-, 
on's  violence,  fled  into///e  xvilderness,  where  she  contin- 
ued 1260  days :  that,  dinging  her  sojourn  there,  a  war 
took  place  between  Michael  and  the  dragon  ;  the  result 
of  which  was,  that  the  dragon  was  cast  out  of  heaven : 
and  that  afterwards,  stilt dwing  her  sojourn  there,  which 
the  prophet  carefully  mentions  a  second  time,  the  dragon 
vomited  a  great  flood  out  of  his  mouth  against  her,  in 
order  that  slie  might  be  completely  carried  away  by  it. 
In  all  this,  I  can  perceive  nothing  hke  the  sliglitest  inti- 
mation of  any  "prolepsis,  but  rather  the  very  reverse :  I 
can  only  discover  a  piain  account  of  the  xvoiuan's  ijerse- 
cution  durins^  lQ6a  days:  an  account,  which  exactljr 
taUies  with  the  general  subject  of  the  little  book  ;  with 
the  I960  days  prophesying  of  the  nit.nesses  in  tie  preced- 
ing chapter,  and  with  the  ^iQ,mont/iS  tyranny  of  tne  btast 
in  the  succeeding  chapter.  Hence  I  conclude,  that  this 
middle  chapter  oi  the  httle  book  treats  of  the  same  pe- 
riod, ihsii'w.^  first  and  txvo  last  chapters  treat  of — In  the 
flfth  place y  the  scene  of  tlie  warfare  between  the  woman 
and  th^f  dragon  is  laid,  at  least  the  beginning  of  it  is  laid, 
in  heaven,  or  the  Church  general.  The  dragon,  the  per- 
secutor, was  a  sign  in  heaven,  no  less  than  the  woman, 
the  persecuted.  Whence  it  will  undeniably  follow,  that 
the  seven-headed  and  ten-horned  dragon,  must  have  stir- 
red up  this  persecution  against  the  xvoman  through  the  in- 
strumentality, not  of  a  pagan,  but  of  «  wminrdly  Chris- 
tJan,  power.  Heaven  indeed  is  the  symbol  either  oi  tem- 
po al  or  spiritual  polity  :  *  little  doubt  however  can  be 
entertained  in  which  sense  it  is  to  be  taken  in  the  present 
instance,  when  we  note  that  both  the  woman  and  the 
dragon  were  equally  signs  in  this  heaven.  Where  the 
woman  was,  there  was  the  dragon  also.  But,  in  the  days 
of  Paganism,  imperial  Rome  alone  occupied  the  temporal- 
heaven  :  the  Church  w<cS  utterly  excluded  from  it.  I'he 
heaven  therefore  cannot  be  the  temporal  heaven.  But, 
if  it  be  not  the  temporal  heaven,  it  must  be  the  spiritual 
heoven,oxthe  Church,  And,  if  it  be  the  spiritual  heaven, 
or  the  Church,  then  the  prophecy  can  have  no  relatieii 

*-  Seethe  peceding  chnpter  upon  simhoUcal  lan^tia^fir, 


5(> 

to\hc  \)eYsecu\ior\^  o{pag  n  Home :  for  tlie  empire,  as 
pa gi  171,  newer  was  i/i  Ih.'  sjwituul  heaven  ;  and  cnnse- 
quently  cannot  be  the  dragon,  which  the  prophet  de- 
clnrcs  to  have  been  in  the  self-s  me  heaven  with  te  wo- 
man. In  //(?5r;/iC  tlierei'ore,  either  ^ /«/>c/r  Inv  .spirit n  /, 
can  the  drrgony  upon  Hp  Newton's  imerpretation,  l)e 
placed  in  heaven  at  the  same  time  that  the  xcoman  was 
there.* 

*  The  interpretation,  which  Mr  Medc  and  Mr  Wliitaker  give  of  this  pro- 
phecy, is  nearly  llie  same  as  that  of  Up.  Newton  The  point  in  wliicli  they 
vary  from  each  other  is  the  num-child 

An  exposition,  t  sscntially  dilferiiig  from  that  of  all  these  writers,  has  beenof- 
fered  by  Mr  bicheno.  He  supposes  r/if  J' d^on  to  be  rA«  Roman  empire  from 
itsjirst  vise  il-^ttu  to  the  vioment  of  lU  pr  sc  t  existence  in  the  Geinuin  empire. 
While  it  was  pugan.it.  was  oiilj  a  great  nd  dragon:  but,  when  it  was  converted  to 
tiliristianity,  aii-l  thus  got  into  ihe  Church,  it  acquired  the  additional  cluiacier 
of  Satan  or  the  serpent  Mic/tatl  ar.d  his  anglsirc  the  Goths  and  other  wrtfiern 
7iatiniis  The  heaven,  out  of  which  thc\  c;.!>t  the  dragon,  is  Italij  .  t'  e  .arth  mto 
wliich  he  is  cast,  is  the  empire  u-.thoul  the  limits  of  Italy,  or  the  Itoman  proxi  ,ces. 
After  he  has  been  thus  ejected  from  heax-en  or  luily,  he  ii  ak<  s  his  appearance 
Hrst  in  France  when  Ciiark-magne  btcame  Emperor  tf  :he  Uoma:.a  and  ufier. 
wards  in  Gtrman\,  wlierc  lie  has  ever  since  conlinurd  'I'hx:  w/  d^  mss,  into 
which  the  -.vomim  flees,  symbolizes  Jiohenii  /,  SiKesia,  and  Moravia  ;  and  /■  e  loetr 
oft/u-  dragon  against  the  -woman  denotes  the  persecution  of  the  pro  eman.t  in  t  oae 
parts  by  the  Enip'-rors  of  Germuny.  The  sei<en  heads  and  t  n  ho  tit  oj  t  e  dr  gon 
arc  the  same  as  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns  of  the  beast  ;  which  repn  s«  iits 
the  ecclesiastical  t  ranvy  of  the  Pope.  The  dragon  at  the  close  of  ihe  Apoc- 
al\pse  IS  still  fAc  G'err>n(i7i  fm/ii'-f  'The  beast,  or  tlie  Papacy,  wili  be  first  o\er. 
thiown  ;  at  which  period  the  dragon  will  only  be  bound,  or  have  his  |K)wer  so 
weakened,  as  to  be  incapable  of  any  immediate  exertions  :  but,  at  tl.e  end  of 
the  thousand  year  t,\\\\\c\\  arc  no  more  than  a  thousand  natnrzl  wchs,  he  will  be 
let  loose  again.  That  is  to  say.  "  after  ninetdn  naiurai  years  and  a  tjuarter,"^ 
for  lo  this  ■"hort  period  of  time  Mr  Bichtno  reduces  the  thousand  years,  "  the 
imperial  monarchy  will  again  exert  its  power,  from  extensive  alhanc  s,  and 
make  one  grand  effort  against  the  Chnrch  of  Go.  ,  tlie  liberties  of  the  r«  generat- 
ed nations,  and  particularly  against  f/iff/eu'*,  to  prevent  the  re-establiahnicnt 
of  rlieir  commonwealth :"  but  thib  effort  will  end  only  in  the  destruction  of 
them  that  make  it,  for  (iod  will  mi«gnify  himself  in  th.ir  everlast-ng  over- 
throw. (Signs  of  the  times,  Part  1  p.  14,  U.  I'art  111  p,  129,  IJC).  The 
destiny  of  tlie  fJerman  empire  passim) 

The  objections,  which  I  have  madi'  to  Bp.  Newton's  scheme,  might  in  them- 
selves be  sufficient  to  confute  this  singular  exposition  of  Mr.  liicheno:  never* 
theless  I  shall  add  a  few  remarks  on  those  parts  of  it  wherein  he  differs  f  om 
the  nishop^In  his  notif>n,  that  hmvev  means  Italy,  and  the  earth  the  provinc^ 
f//"f/;e //tiwirtw  cmys/rr,  to  say  nothing  of  his  not  ii  »ving  a  shadow  of  auliiority 
lor  making  sucli  an  assertion,  he  is  totally  inconsistent  evt  n  witli  h.m^t  It. 
Thi  iffxat  star  thatfalls  from  heaven  under  llie  thi-d  tnimtx-t  he  .  Is»-wh.  'c  sup- 
poses to  be  .  -tt:!  t.  W hiave^i  denote  Im/y,  how  divl  .-ittiln  fall  out  of  .t  '  ^(^,  in 
the  present  prophecy,  the -woman  is  said  to  have  been  in  t -e  tume  he.iveu  with 
tlie  dragon.  .\t  what  period  was  the  Chwch  excusivfly  confinetl  i<» /<rt(>  * 
Again  :  the-.vhole  earth  is  said  to  woiship  the  ten  horm-.,  /»r(/»f,  which,  accoruing 
to  Mr.  Uichcno,  \%  the  I'opac,.  \}\i\  t.e  prvciturs  oi  \.\\v  Komanempirt- d/o  e 
venerate  the  Pope  ?  Waa  his  authority  tolaiiy  tlisregarded  in  /.ea\>eu  or  Itu  y  ? 
nut  the  sc^en  huiiU  of  the  dru^rou  are  the  same  as  t^.e  seven  'e<..,t  fit-e  be  si  ,• 
and  tlie  last  head  tf  the  he.st  Mr  Hicheno  supposes  to  be  :  e  .  p  c  If  then 
'lie  rx-istiTi£r  head  of  the  dragon  be  r'     I'riicv,  uow  Can  //ic  dr^^on  in  iiu  present 


51 

The  fact  is,  iiiis  second  chapter  of  the  Ultle  booky  like 
its  fellows  preceding  and  siiccceding,  relates  solcljj  and 
exelnsivclij  to  the  events  of  the  \'^^0  years* 

state  be  the  Emperor  of  Germany  ?  Is  the  Pope  the  head  of  ///:'  Cierman  em* 
pirt  ? — The  thovsund  wars  however  are  only  iihielecn  nutu  u I  years  a^iu  a  quar- 
ter. Who,  tluil  has  jiaid  the  lei.st  atteminn  to  prophecy,  will  tolerate  an  as- 
sertion svhicli  viijlatis  every  principle  of  propheiic  computation  ? — Rut  the 
unfortU!\ate  Emperor  of  German,  after  he  has  b<  en  bound  iiinetctn  ijLart 
and  a  quarter,  is  at  lenL':t.h  to  perish  fit^-htintj  ai^ainsl  the  retcenerated  nations 
sfKurope;  that  is  to  say  regenerated  accordinc;  to  tne  maxims  of  Frencli  de- 
mocrac}-,  against  which  Mr.  Uicheno  is  very  indignant  thut  any  one  should 
presume  to  raise  his  hand.  I  usk  where  is  he  to  find  any  of  those  regenerat- 
ed nations?  France,  Holland,  Jiwitzerland,  and  the  qucjndam  Cis-.\ipine  re- 
public, have  been  most  eirectually  re-regenerated  In  linonapartc  :  and  the 
man  who  asserts  that  in  the  disastrous  cam|;aign  of  ISUi,  Austria  was  em- 
bail-:ed  in  a  crusade  against  liherti/,  must  po.ssess  a  most  astonishing  oblicjnity 
of  intellect  1  mean  not  to  say,  that  'Slv  Bicheno  makes  such  an  as.ser- 
tion,  for  all  his  writings  were  published  before  that  period.  1  only  conjec- 
ture, from  the  pec  liar  manner  in  which  h'la  Jiejtini/  of  the  Germnn  evifiire  was 
lately  re-advertised  that  he  supposes  the  dragon  to  have  been  bound  by  the 
fatal  battle  of  lusterlitz — Mr.  liiciteno  somewhat  triumpliantly  asks,  where  in 
the  dragon  elsev^'here  used  as  a  symbol  of  the  devii  ?  Now,  even  if  it  were 
not,  it  would  be  amply  sufficient,  so  far  as  the  present  prophecy  is  concerned, 
to  reply,  that  St.  John  tells  us,  no  less  than  scvtn  times,  that  the  dragon  is 
Satan  or  the  devil ;  and  therefore  that  I  conclude  him  to  be  the  devil.  But  Mr. 
Bicheno  must  surely  either  have  overlooked  ?/ie  third  Chapter  oj"  Genesis  ;  or 
inustha\e  been  ignorant,  that  the  dragon  of  the  ancients  was  not  the  poetical 
^rtoHsfer  of  the  middle  ages,  but  simply  a  larg-e  serpent.  Whai  St.  John  be- 
held, was  a  If  real  red  snake  ~,vith  seven  hea./s  and  ten  horns  ;  not  a  ceature  -with 
^/(>Hr /e^s  a«(/ .'wo  7;'/?/^s  like  the  fabulous  griffin,  as  the  licence  of  painters  is 
wont  ridiculously  to  represent  the  apocalyptic  dragon — This  leads  me  to  notice 
the  odd  idea,  that  the  Roman  empire  while  pagan  was  only  the  Jragon  ;  but  that 
when  it  was  converted  to  Christianity,  it  became  the  serpent  and  the  devil  Con- 
stantine  was  certainly  not  a  pattern  of  primitive  piety,  and  the  Church  in  his 
days  was  by  no  means  so  pure  as  it  had  bv'en  :  yet  I  really  cannot  digest  the 
ass.  rtion,  that  the  empire  by  embracing  even  a  debased  Christianity  changed 
from  bad  to  worse. 

Mr.  Lowman  does  not  attempt  to  give  a  regular  explanation  of  the  prophecv 
relative  to  f/ie  f/ra^o«  and /Ae  -ivonian -.  but  he  very  judiciously  confines  it  to 
th  '  period  of  1J6U  days,  and  supposes  it  exactly  to  synciu-onize  with  ilie  ]  re- 
ceding vision  ni'  the  witnesses,  and  the  siiccceding  vision  of  the  two  beasts.  ''  Ti:.' 
seven  heads  a::d  ten  horns,"  says  he,  "  is  a  description  so  exactly  agreeable  to  tiie 
description  of  the  beast,  that  it  may,  I  think,  be  justly  understood  as  a  limi- 
tation of  the  opposition  here  meant  to  the  limes  of  ^/it  Z>ci«.S  or  to  that  lime 
whenrAe  Roinan  power  was  represented  by  ten  horns;  as  well  as  by  seven  hi-ad^ 
onr/ cro-.(^-.5  ,- or  not  before  ie/i  kingdjms  were  erected  by  the  nations  which 
broke  in  upon  <//e /firjirtw  e.'»/'/e,  and  divided  it  into  many  independent  go- 
vernments— The  representation  (if  ?/;e  U'/Vii  6cas<j  in  this  vision  (Chap  xiii.) 
refers  to  the  same  times  with  the  two  former  visions  oi'  t lie  -witnesses  prophery- 
ing  in  s.ickcloth,  and  the  ivoman  Jl.ing  into  the  •ivildcrness."  Lowmau's  Para- 
phrase in  loc. 

On  the  whole,  I  think  it  abundantly  evident,  that  the  times  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  i/ic  1-60  t/fly.\  are  necessarily  excluded;  and  consequently 
that  the  prophecy  can  have  no  relation  to  the  age  rifCor.scantine. 

*  All  the  four  chapters  of  the  little  booh  must,  in  point  of  chronology,  run 
either  s7/fctw /lie  or  /)fn-n//f/ to  each  other.  7'hre'c  of  tliese  chapters,  namely, 
the/;*/,  the  third,  and  the  fourt!!,  (Rev  r.i  xiii.  xiv.)  Bp.  Newton  himself  sujj- 
poses  to  run  parallelto  each  other,  all  of  them  tcuialiy  relating  to  the  cvems 

VOL.  II.  8 


6S 

Heaven  is  the  Church  general,  the  same  as  ihe  holy 
cili/,  mentioned  in  t/ie  last  chapter.  The  noman  is  ihe 
sjrritiial  church,  consisting  of  true  believers  ;  the  same 
as  the  temple,  and  the  two  witnesses.  And  the  part  of 
heaven,  occupied  by  the  dra^^ov,  is  the  nominal  church  of 
the  ylpus'acii ;  the  same  as  llie  outer  court  trodden  luuler 
foot  hy  the  Gcntihs,  and  as  ihe  great  scarlet  whore,  here- 
after mentioned  by  the  Apostle  as  riding  triumphantly  up- 
on t!ie  ten-horned  beast. 

The  woman  is  represented,  as  being  clothed  with  the 
Sun ;  to  denote  that  her  sj)iritual  nakedness  is  only 
clothed  bv  the  righteousness  of  Christ  :  as  standing  upon 
the  Jlon]  which,  like  herself,  is  a  symbol  of  the  Cliurch  , 
to  mark,  that  she  shines  only  with  a  borrowed  light,  being 
naturally  a  dark  opaoue  b'cly  :*  and  as  wearing  a  crown 
of  twelve  stars  ;  to  shew,  that,  as  ihe  Church  is  a  *'  crown 
of  rejoicing"!  to  ihe  Apnstlesy  so  ihe  Apostles  are  the 
brightest  crown  oiihe  Church. 

The  dragon,  as  the  Apostle  himself  teacheth  us,  is 
*•  that  old  serpent,  called  the  devil  and  sataji.'"     He  is 

oi  the  V2&0  year K  :  yet,  wilh  sin.e^ular  inconsistency,  he  conceives  the  second 
of  the  chapters  chronoloj,nc:iUy  to  precede  the  third  :  and,  consequently,  since 
the  third  treats  of  the  same  era  as  the^ir^r  (aid  fourth,  tlie  second  must,  accord- 
ing^ to  his  scheme,  precede  the_///\sf  andyo.vrr//,  no  less  than  the  fA/r</.  Such  a 
nio(k^  of  interpretation  completely  destroys  the  beautiful  simplicity,  vith  w  hich 
the  little  book  is  arranged.  .HI  its  chapters,  as  1  have  just  observed,  must  be 
cither  sucdasiTe  m  parallel  to  each  other.  Tiiis  being  the  case,  if  Bp  New- 
ton makes  the  third  chapter  succeed  the  second,  he  ought  likewise  to  make 
the  second  succeed  the  fir  at,  and  the  fourth  the  third  :  instead  of  -Rhich  he 
selects  one  of  tlie  middle  cliapters  of  the  hook,  and  makes  it  precede  all  the 
fl«/if;.,,  wbicli  he  supposes  to  run /»arrt//e/ to  each  other.  This  he  does  in  di- 
rect opposition,  both  to  tlie  plain  language,  and  tlie  plain  tenor,  of  the  littk 
bo'ik.  Us  three  fnt  chapters  respectively  declare,  that  tliey  treat  of  the  events 
of  the  1260  years  :  (Kev.  xi.  2,  o.  xii.  6,  14  xiii.  .5.)  heme  it  is  evident,  that 
liiey  must  be />rtni//e/,  not  snccensix'e,  \.o  each  other.  Asfor//<f  last  chapter, 
(ttev.  xiv)  tho;jgh  no  such  declaration  is  explicitly  made  respecting  it,  yet  it-s 
contents,  as  Bp.  Newton  rightly  observes,  suiUcicntly  shew,  tliat  '•  it  delineate.-;, 
byway  i.f  opposition,  tlie  state  of  the  true  C'hurcli  during  the  same  period,  its 
struggles  and  contests  v.ith  the  heast,  and  tlie  judgments  of  (iod  upon  its  ene- 
mies." On  the  whole,  I  think  it  abundantly  evident,  that  all  the  four  chapter.; 
of  the  little  h'jot,  run  paralUl  to  each  other  :  consequently  Che  s.cor.d  of  them 
can  tia\e  no  connection  with  the  age  of  C'/int'ii'tnic. 

•  Bp  Newton  supposes  the  tnoon  here  lo  mtmn  the  Jeiiish  ntfu-  moons  &nd 
f,.'stivals,  as  well  as  all siihluruuii  tluiin-a  .-  but  I  cannot  find,  that  this  interprc- 
t«ti'»ii  at  all  tallies  wilh  the  general  analogy  of  symbolical  language.  When //•.- 
.))Uit  means  a  temporal  so-.r)-ci}ni,  the  .Mnnii,  as  Sir  Isaac  Newton  very  justly  ob- 
serves, and  as  i  have  stated  in  my  chapter  upon  symbols,  is  "  put  for  the  bvdy  oj 
ihe  ouivioii  pc'-ple,  considered  .is  the  kin^if'swry}  :"  when  the  Sun  is  Christ,  the 
JSlotH  Will,  m  a  similar  manner, signify  his  mvstical  wife  the  Church. 

t  1.  Thcss  ii.'l9. 


59 

Jiere  represented  with  seven  heads  and  ten  hor?iSy  to 
shew  us  by  whose  visible  agency  he  should  persecute 
the  woman  ;  nanielj  by  that  of  the  seven-herded  a:  d  ten- 
honied  beast  mentioned  in  the  next  chap  cr  :  and  he  is 
said  to  be  in  heaven,  because  the  enipiic  which  he  used 
as  his  tool,  made  prolession  of  Christianity  ;  and  there- 
fore constituted /wr4  although  an  apostate  part  of  the 
visible  Church  general.^-- 

As  he  is  described  with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns  in 
allusion  to  the  Jirst  apocalyptic  beast,  or  the  Papal  Ro 
man  empire  ;  so  he  is  said  likewise  to  have  a  tail,  in  ve- 
iexence  io  the  corrupt  superstition  so  successfully  taught 
hj  the  second  apocalyptic  beast,  or,  as  he  is  elsewhere 
styled,  tiie  false  prophet.  With  this  tail  he  draws  the 
third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  casts  them  down 
to  tlie  earth  :  in  other  words,  he  causes  those  Christian 
bishops,  whose  sees  lay  in  the  /lou/an  en/pi re,^  to  apos- 
tatise irom  the  purity  of  the  apostolic  faith.  ,Thc  ap- 
pointed time,  during  which  he  is  permitted  to  reign,  is 
ihe  V260  ijcaj's  of  the  great  Apostacij  :  hence  the  woman 
is  said  to  flee  from  his  face,  during  precisely  that  period, 
into  the  wilderness,  as  Elijah  heretofore  did  from  the 
face  of  Ahab  :  and  there,  in  the  midst  of  tht  spiritual 
barrenness  wAnch.  spreads  far  and  wide  around  her,  she 
is  fed  with  the  heauenlij  manna  of  the  word  in  her  pre- 
pared place  ;  as  Elijah  was,  in  the  waste  and  howling 
desert,  by  the  ravens. 

Thus  far  the  prophecy  is  sufficiently  easy  of  interpre- 
tation, but  the  character  of  the  man-child  is  attendee?, 
with  wonderful  difficulties.  That  he  must  be  Christ  in 
some  sense,  is  manifest,  as  Mr.  Mede  very  justly  ob- 
serves :X  but  the  matter  is,  how  we  are  to  interpret  his 
character,  so  as  to  make  it  accord  with  the  general  tenor 

*  It  is  observable,  that  our  reformers  never  thoag'ht  &( laicfiiirching  the. 
church  of  Kome  ;  tlinugh  they  freely  declared  it  to  have  "  erred,  not  only  in 
Wv'ing  and  manner  of  ceremonies,  but  also  in  matters  of  faith."  Hence,  whilo 
tliey  rejected  its  abominations,  tliey  did  not  scruple  to  derive  from  it  their  liiio 
of  episcopal  and  sacerdotal  ordination  ;  well  kno\vin|^  that  IwUnfss  of  office  is 
u  perfectly  distinct  tliini^  from  hou'ivas  of  character,  and  that  the  consecration 
of  n  Judas  was  no  less  raUd  than  that  of  a  Paul  or  a  Pitzi: 

t  We  have  already  seen,  that  f/ie  Roman  Evi/d'e  is  frequently  represented 
in  the  Revelation  as  beinp;  a  third  pari  o^  the  sumbolicul  Universe. 

+  "  Cum  verba  sint  C/insti  peripliraeis,  r.eccs33  est  ut.iisJcm  C/iriiius  alir/uin 
^esijjnetur."  Comment.  Anoc  in  loc. 


60 

of  the  prediction.  It  seems  at  once  extremely  harsh, 
and  altogether  incongruous  with  the  univcisal  pl.ras -ol- 
o^y  (f  Scripture,  to  suppose  that  the  cbsolu'e^y  literal 
Christ  can  be  inten^led  by  this  symbol  ;  for  our  Lord  ig 
inv:n  uibly  represented  as  ike  husband^  never  as  ilie  son, 
of  his  Church.  Hence  ISlr.  Mede  co'.ceives,  and  per- 
haps not  without  reason,  that  t/ie  viystic  Christ  is  here 
meant,  or  Christ  considrrcd  in  his  members  ;  in  other 
words,  Xhathy  the  maii-chf Id  we  are  to  understand  the 
whole  body  of  the  aithjuU  or  the  spirit val  chUdrcv  of 
the  CJiv.rcli.  The  greatest  difliculty  however  yet  remains. 
Supposing  this  interpretation  ol  the  symbol  to  be  the 
right  one,  how  are  we  to  interu'eave  it  with  the  pTedic- 
tron,  so  as  to  make  them  properly  harmonize  toge trier? 
Mr.  Mede  believes  'he  pains  cf  lite  ivoiian  pnvio:  io 
7ierprrturi'ionio(h\v'>t.e  the  persecutions  of  the  Chwfi 
'during  the  dap  of  paganism  s  and  fhe  cat  chine:  >-p  of 
the  child  f  the  tiirnne  of  Crcd  to  signify  the  introdtfctioii 
of  the  Christians  into  srrcreigv  pon-er  by  the  covvers'njt 
of  the  Reman  eihprc  nrder  Covstanfine.  Tius  inlcipre- 
tation  however  l)oih  completely  violates  (as  f  have  al- 
ready observed)  the  chronology  ol  the  propliccy,  by 
carrying  us  back  to  a  period  long  prior  to  the  comii-jnce- 
hientot  tiie  I'^GO  years  ;  and,  in  other  respects  likewise, 
is  vciy  far  from  being  unexceptionable.  If  'he  men- 
child  denote  the  whole  body  of  Chris^raus,  why  i-h'v'd 
they  be  said  to  be  born  more  in  the  ago  oi  Constrtuine 
than  in  any  other  age?  And,  if  numbers  of  spiritual 
children  s!  ill  continue  to  be  born  to  the  Church  !\y  the 
laverof  regeneration,  how  can  the  pangs  of  the  jvrnum 
signiiy  'he  pagan  persecutions  ? 

Mr.  Lowman\*.  scheme  appears  to  me  liable  to  much 
fewer  objections  than  Mr.  Mode's.  Like  myself  he 
Q,ox\\i\}c^  the  n  hole  war  betrceeii  Lie  iionian  and  the  drag- 
on to  the  period  oi  the  VH'O  ye-rs,  instead  of  g''ng 
back  to  ihe  days  of  j)rimitivc  C  hiistianity,  and  th.e  age 
of  Constiintine;  and  most  justly  observes,  that  {he  pre- 
diction "plainly  describes  an  afllicicd  and  persecuted 
state  cf  the  Chvrch  in  general,  during  tliis  p-^riod." 
Having  taken  this  ground,  which  to  myself  at  le::st  ap- 
pears obsoluteiy  impregnable,  inasmuch  as  it  is  twice  so 


61 

particularly  marked  out  by  the  Apostle,^'  lie  paraphrases 
the  passage  relative  to  he  birth  of  the  man-chiUl,  as  fol- 
low-;. **  The  woman  ready  to  be  delivered  br  uglit  lorth  a 
man  child-,  to  intimate  that  the  Christian  Church  should 
be  continued  by  a  constant  succession  of  converts,  not- 
withstanding all  opposition.  Thus  Christ's  kingdom 
should  prevail  over  all  enemies,  and  break  all  opposition, 
as  the  ancient  oracies  prophesied  concerning  him,  That 
he  should  rule  all  vat^-iis  as  with  a  seep' re  of  iron. 
As  soon  as  this  child  was  born,  I  beheld  it  caught  up  to 
God  and  his  throne,  to  intimate  God's  care  and  protec- 
tion of  the 'rue  Christian  Churchy  and  the  safety  of  the 
Church  in  God's  protection. 't 

This  exposition  is  incomparably  the  best  that  I  have 
hitherto  met  with.  In  the  fust  place,  Mr.  Lovvman  as- 
signs the  prophecy  to  its  right  chronological  era  ;  namely 
the  period  of  the  1  QfiO  y^ars.  In  the  next  ])lace,  he 
very  justly,  I  thir'k,  supposes  ^/?e  frrti7«i//;/:  oftJieivoman 
to  "  mean  her  iruit  ulndss,  aadto  denote  the  numh^r  of 
conve  ■■'.<  'o  true  religion  ;  rather  than  the  afjli  tions  of 
the  Chnrcii  on  account  qj  her  profession^''  as  Mr.  Mecle 
imagines.  And  he  j.-'^H}' adopts  the  in ''■st  natural  inter- 
pretation oi  the  ca'ching  up  oj  the  man-chiULo  the  throne 
oj  God  ;  namely,  that  it  signiliis  the  superimending  care 
xvi'h  which  the  Almig  lily  for  ever  guirds  his  foil  hful  Deo- 
pie  Yet  even  this  eX'  ositioa  is  not  free  from  every  .oh- 
jeoLion.  The  quest  on  vvill  still  recur,  Why  shov Id  if//e 
woman  be  represented  as  bringing  forti;  the  man  child 
iniaiodiately  before  her  flight  into  the  wilderness  during 
the  1260  da.js-  rather  than  at  any  other  era.?  Did  she 
bear  no  spirliUal  children  before  thai  e'a  ?  Has  she  borne 
none  since  ?  It  the  text  indeed  will   sanction  the  gloss 

*Rev.  xii.  6,  14. 
fLowman's  Paraph-  in  loc.  He  adds  m  a  note,  "  Grotins  supposes,  I  think, 
with  greiC  probability,  that  these  expressions.  ^/; .  her  c/dld  ti'ns  caught  up  unto 
Gjii  anx  hit  t/i  one,  are  an  allusion  to  the  perse.vatioii  of  Joash,  in  the  time 
of  '.'  haliah's  usurpation,  when  she  put  to  death  all  tht-  n  st  of  the  r(  \  al  tamily. 
('.  Kr.;';*' XI  -,  3.)  Jtnos/iebu/i  took  Jcasli  the  son  of  Ahaziah,  avd  stole  iuni, 
fi  Oh}  ar\:ong  the  king''s  sons  voliich  were  slain — .Ind  he  lUi.i  h.icl  i.  the  house  of  the 
Lo'd  iixr/ea  s  lie  was  kept  safe  ii.  o""e  of  the  chambers  of  the.  temple,  till  he 
was  br>)u;'-h-L  (,ut  by  Jehoiada  the  hij^h-pnest,  and  restored  to  the  king;  cm  of 
David  T'lustm  irue  worshippt  rs  of  Gon  sludl  not  all  be  destroyed  h\  t)ie 
eneiTi.e.  '"f  e'.!/ion  :  some.  Lk  Joush.  shall  be  kept  sifr.  r.s  if;n  heavfi-..  the 
true  temple,  tiil  they  shall  appear  pubiiciy  with  victory  ever  their  enemies." 


6^i 

which  Mr.  Lowmaii  has  put  upon  it,  that  the  brhiging 
forth  of  the  man-chdd  intimates  that  the  Christian 
Church  should  be  continued  by  a  constant  succession  of 
converts  A  \\'o\x\<\\vi{ho\ii  hesitation  adopt  the  whole  of 
his  exposition  ;  but  I  am  not  perfectly  satisfied,  that 
such  a  gloss  is  allowable.  Let  every  person  however 
judge  for  himself.  The  symbol  of  the  man-child  lias  al- 
ways appeared  to  nie  by  far  the  most  difficult  iii  the 
whole  Apocalypse  ;  whether  wc  consider  its  general  in- 
terpretation, or  its  particular  apphcation  to  the  prophecy 
in  question.  Hitherto  I  have  met  with  no  exposition, 
tii.at  gives  me  entire  satisfaction  :  but,  at  the  same  time, 
I  readily  confess,  that,  after  much  thought  and  labour 
bestowed  upon  the  subject,  I  can  produce  nothing  that 
pleases  me  better,  or  indeed  so  wclU  as  this  exposition 
of  Mr.  Lowman.*  In  short,  I  consider  the  symbol  of 
the  mancliild  as  a  complete  crux  cridcorum.  Much  has 
been  written  on  the  subject,  but  I  have  read  nothing 
that  is  who U if  unobjectionable.  It  is  possible,  that  some 
future  commentator  may  be  more  successful  in  his  in- 
quiries than  those  who  have  preceded  him. 

But,  whatever  difficulty  there  may  be  in  satisfactorily 
interpreting  the  symbol  of  the  mnn-child,  every  other 
symbol  and  every  other  particular  in  this  vision  are  suffi- 
ciently plain.  The  whole  prophecy  relates  to  the  perse- 
cution of  the  true  Church,  by  the  papal  Roman  empire 
nnder  theinfluenreofthc  devil,  during  the  allotted  period 
of  Ihrte  times  and  a  half  or  1260  days. 

•'  And  there  was  war  in  heaven  :  Michael  and  his 
angels  fought  against  the  dragon :  and  the  dragon  fought 

•  The  Jesuit  Cornelius  i  Lapide  supposes,  like  Mede  and  Lowman,  that  the 
wan-child  denotes  th  faithful  people  of  God.  "  Proprie  et  {genuine,  Jilius  mas- 
cuius  est  popului Jidclis  it  sanctus,  quein  Chrlsto  parit  Ecclesia  "  (Comment,  in 
Apoc  in  loc  )  The  objection,  viiicli  I  urge  jointly  to  the  opinion  of  Mede  and 
Lowman,  he  rather  cuts  through,  than  answers.  "  The  Church,"  says  he, 
"  brings  forth,  and  chiefly  in  the  end  of  the  world  will  bring  forth,  a  viaxculine 
ojfspnug  to  Christ,  that  is  the  faithful."  This  however  by  no  means  meets  the 
cjueslion.  The  point  is,  if /At- m««-c/«W  denote  tlic -whole  hodif  of  the  faithful y 
•u-hy  is  he  said  to  be  born  at  one  era  rather  than  at  another  ?  The  prophecy 
does  not  represent  the  •woman  as  incessantly  brini^ing  him  forth.  1  once 
tliought,  that  the  vianchilti  or  the  mystic  ('hrist  miglil  denote  the  'i.ord  of  God, 
both  Christ  and  the  Scriptures  being  ttjuuUy  so  denominated  by  a  conversion 
of  terms  not  unusual  among  the  sacred  writers  ;  and  I  bestowed  some  labour 
upon  an  attempt  to  prove  tliis  point :  hut  1  wholly  faiU-d  of  success,  and  1  am 
convinced  that  such  an  exposition  is  altogclliei-  untenable. 


63 

and  his  angels,  and  prevailed  not  ;  neither  was  their 
place  found  any  more  in  heaven.  And  the  great  dragon 
was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent,  called  the  devil  and  Satan, 
which  deceiveth  the  whole  world  :  he  was  cast  out  into 
the  earth,  and  his  angels  were  cast  out  with  him.  And  1 
heard  a  loud  voice  saying  in  heaven,  Now  is  come  salva- 
tion, and  strength,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the 
power  of  his  Christ :  for  the  accuser  of  our  brethren  is 
cast  down,  which  accused  them  before  our  God  day  and 
night.  And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony;  and  they  loved 
not  their  lives  unto  death.  Therefore  rejoice,  ye  heav- 
ens, and  ye  that  dwell  in  them.  Woe  to  the  inhabiters 
of  the  earth  and  the  sea  !  for  the  devil  is  come  down  unto 
you,  having  great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth  that  he 
hath  but  a  short  time. 

*'  And,  when  the  dragon  saw  that  he  was  cast  unto 
the  earth,  he  fstillj  persecuted  the  woman,  which 
brought  forth  the  man  child.  (Now  to  the  woman  were 
given  two  wings  of  a  great  eagle,^'  that  she  might  fly 
into  the  wilderness,  into  her  place,  where  she  is  nourish- 
ed for  a  time,  and  times,  and  half  a  time,  from  the  face 
of  the  serpent.)  And  the  serpent  cast  out  of  his  mouth 
water  as  a  flood  after  the  woman,  that  he  might  cause 
her  to  be  carried  away  of  the  flood.  And  the  earth  helped 
the  woman  ;  and  the  earth  opened  her  mouth,  and  swal- 
lowed up  the  flood  which  the  dragon  cast  out  of  his  mouth 
And  the  dragon  was  wroth  with  the  woman,  and  went  to 
make  war  with  the  remnant  of  her  seed,  which  keep  the 
commandments  of  God,  and  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  present  prophecy,  we 
cannot  too  attentively  keep  in  mind,  that  tlie  dragon  is 
neither  the  Roman  empire  nor  the  Pope,  although  the  /??- 

*  This  idea  is  manifestly  taken  from  that  of  Exodus,  wherein  the  sojourn  oi" 
the  Israelites  in  the  wilder>:css,  from  the  face  of  fAe  Effvpt: an s.  is  dtiscv'ihul 
precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  the  sujourn  oithe  r.-uman  in  the  spiritual  -inii- 
tkr7iess,(vomihvi'dCe  of  the  serpem.  "Ye  have  seen  v.  iiat  1  Uid  unto  the 
Es'yptians  :  and  how  I  b:ife  you  on  eagie\i  wmj.?,  and  brought  you  u;ko  my- 
self" (Exod.  xix.  4)  Hp.  Nev/ton,  agreeably  io  tlie  plan  of  interpreiation 
upon  which  he  set  out,  and  which  I  cannot  bul  tJiink  wroig-,  seems  to  imasfiive, 
tliat,  the  eagle  being  the  lioTinr.  r.vw.o--;,  thr  •-■  o  t^v -.cs  tTiv>\  ai'.ndc  lo  *he  F.".-':.U.rn 
and  Wesiernempiret. 


64 

stigator  of  them  botli,  but  simply  the  devil:  for  this 
clear  discrimi!iali<'n  of  character,  which  the  Apostle 
anxiou.^ly  as  it  we^e  insists  i;poii,  will  alone  lead  us  to  a 
rif^ht  uiuierstajidiiig  of  what  is  meant  by  his  fa^  jrom 
heaini  to  earth.  So  long  as  Satan  found  an  apostate 
Church  a  convenient  engine  for  persecuting  the  faitlitul 
followers  of  C hirst,  just  so  long  ho  contijiued  in  it :  but, 
when  the  age  of  superstition  and  ecclesiastical  t\nanny 
was  past;  when  the  pajjal  thunders  were  no  longer  re- 
garded ;  and  when  he  found,  that  the  two  witnesses  as- 
cended up  into  htnvcn  not  only  in  Gannani/,  but  in 
Bri-'^in^  Swedoi^  and  Denmarky  in  despite  of  all  his  at- 
tempts to  prevent  them  ;  then  it  became  time  for  hira 
to  quit  his  ancient  station,  and  to  seek  some  more  con- 
venient battery  against  the  siimboiical  W(»na)2.  Driven 
from  heaven  or  the  Church,  and  linding  that  he  could  no 
longer  execute  bis  gigantic  plans  of  mischief  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  Papacy,  he  next  took  his  stand 
iijjon  the  earfh,  and  again  renewed  his  attacks  upon  the 
woman  and  her  nn/s/ic  offspring  with  more  virulence  than 
ever.  Not  but  that  he  still  retained  his  iniluence  over 
the  apostolical  heave^u  and  over  many  of  those  stars 
whom  his  long-'bsfered  superstition  had  cast  down  to 
the  ground :  but  the  Human  church  was  henceforth  only 
an  iujerior  consideration  with  him  :  like  a  worn  out  in- 
strument, its  blows  were  not  now  attended  with  their 
orme  r  effects  :  a  new  station  must  be  assumed,  whence 
in  an  a?e  of  literature  and  relinement  the  woman  and  tlie 
remnant  of  her  seed  might  be  assailed  with  a  greater 
prohalility  of  vicvory.  This  station,  we  learn  from  the 
prophet,  was  the  earth  or  the  secular  Roman  empire. 
Satan,  no  longer  arrayed  like  an  angei,  of  light,  like  a 
iviiiister  of  the  Church  cf  Christ,  now  asb^umed  the  garb 
of  Innnanily,  liberality,  candour,  and  philosophy:  ajid 
prepared  to  vomit  forth  from  the  dark  dens  of  atheism  and 
inlidelity  tiiat  flood,  with  which  he  hoped  to  carry  away 
his  enemy. 

Flcctcrc  si  ncqueo  superos,  Acheronta  moyebo. 

From  this   general  statement,  1  shall  descend  to  par- 
ticulars.    The  war  between  Michael  and  the  dragon  does 


6.5 

■not,  I  appi'ehend,  relafe  exctusively  to  the  wnr  between 
the  .citiitsses  O'ld  the  'jeast,  mentioned  latOe  pre  cdng 
Citrp  cf'y  although  it  doubtless  comprehends  ii  as  a  part 
q;  one  gre'it  nlide.  The  diileience  between  thera  is 
su  iicienrly  striking  tojustify  this  supposition.  The  n'ar 
of  tlie  witnesses  took  place  in  only  one  paHicidar  street 
of  the  great  city.  The  xvu-r  of  M'Cliael  was  carried  on 
in  the  Church  ,qe:u  nil.  T'le  war  of  the  zvitnesses  was 
fought  upon  e^^/r/// ;  whence  we  may  conciude,  that  it 
was  iiot  only  aspirHunl  oie^  as  being  fought  hy  ike  wit- 
9iesses  ;  hut  ais"^  a  literal  o'/e^  like  those  oi  tae  Sara^  euic 
locuis  and  Turkish  horsemen^  as  being  io  ugh  i  it  pan  earth, 
and  with  a  material  enemy,  the  lasL  head  of  the  beast. 
The  war  of  Mchael  was  tought  in  heaven;  and  liie 
weapons  of  his  soldiers  were  ii:it  carnal,  but  spiritual  ; 
for  they  overcame  the  dragon  ''  by  the  bipod  of  the 
Lainbi  a  nd  by  the  word  of  their  testimony,  and  they  lo\'ed 
not  their  lives  unto  death."  This  second  war  therefore 
comprehends  the  spiritual  ihowghnot  the  literal,  part  of 
the  former  war  of  the  witnesses.  It  was  not,  like  tiie 
firs^  begun  and  ended  within  the  space  of  a  few  years; 
but  it  was  a  long-continued  struggle  between  the  powers 
of  ligii%  and  the  powers  of  darkness.  It  commenced 
WiCh  the  Apostai  V  itself ;  it  raged  with  dreadful  fury  in, 
the  age  oi  the  VV^aldenses  and  Albigcnses:  it  issued  in  a 
signal  victory  at  the  time  of  the  reformation,  the  victory 
here  celebrated  by  the  prophet:  but  it  will  continue, 
with  abated  violence,  even  alter  Satan  has  chosen  a  dif- 
ferent and  more  formidable  station,  to  the  very  en  1  of 
tae  1-260  years  ;  for,  throughout  the  whole  of  tiiis  pe- 
riod, are  the  saints  to  be  gi\en  into  the  hand  of  the  papal 
horn,  and  the  witnesses  to  ]):ophecy  in  sackcloth.  At 
the  era  of  tiie  refrmationihQn,  the  great  victory  of  Mj.- 
chacl  over  the  dragon  was  achieved.  Then  it  was,  that 
"  salvation,  and  st.ength,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  God, 
and  the  power  of  his  Christ,"  were  nianiiested.  'Then 
it  was,  that  "  the  accuser  of  our  brethren  was  cast  down, 
whicii  accused  tliem  before  our  Cod,  day  and  niglit," 
of  the  very  same  crimes  which  he  had  iierctofore  allcJg- 
ed  against  the  primitive  mai  t\n"3  and  confessors  ;  jironis- 
:uo(is  fyrmcation,  infanticide,  and  even  bestnilily.  Then 
vox,  I].  i) 


66 

n  was,  that  "'  the  heavens^  and  the}^  that  dwell  in  them,'^ 
were  called  upon  to  rejoice  ;  heavens^  because  the  boast- 
ed Catholicism  oi  the  Roman  henrcii  was  now  annihilated, 
and  mnfii/  relornied  heavens  or  churches  wevQ  establishedy 
difienng  indeed  unhappily  in  ecclesiastical    polity,  but 
holding  one  head,  even  Christ.     And  then  it  was,  tha'  a 
xcoc  was  proleptically  denounced  against  "  the  inhahiters 
of  the  eartii'  or  the  papal  Reman  empire  in  general,  and 
"  of  the  sea,''  or  apart  of  it  zehi  h  was  shortly  to  be  con- 
raised  by  revolution  hi  particular  ;  even  that  third  rvoCy 
which  was  to  he  so  much  more  tremendous   than  cither 
of  its  f:co  predecessor:  :    "  for  the  devil  had  come  down 
unto  them,  havinji;  great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth  that 
be  hath  but  a  short  time^     lie  had  many  years  reigned 
triuni'fhant  in  the  Church  under  theji  stand  second  woesy 
daring  the  long  period  of  the  latter  days,  during  the  age 
of  superstition  and  idolatry  :  but  his  linul  great  attempt 
to  destroy  the  xvoihan  under  the  third  woe,  during  the  pe- 
riod of  the  last  days,  during  the  age  oi  atheism  and  pro- 
fane mockery,  is  to  be  comparatively  only  a  short  time^ 
He  was  cast  indeed  from  heaven  under  the  secnd  uoe  ; 
hu{  h\i^  peculiar  Ume,  the  sho'-i   time  alluded  to  by  the 
Ajy'stlf  ,  connnenced  with  the  sounding  of  the  third  noe- 
trumpet.     For  this  last  great  woe  he  had  been  diligently 
preparing,   ever  since  his  signal   defeat  by  Michael  and 
ins  angels:    but  his  scheme  was  not  ripe  for  execution, 
till  the  blast  of  the  scveu'h  trumpet  gave  the  signal  for 
the  0}ien  developement  of  infernal  anarchy,  and  undis- 
guised hostility  to  the  God  of   heaven.      The  seventh 
trumpet,  as  we  have  seen,  began  to  sound  on  tbe  I'^th  of 
August,  in  the  year  1 793,  immediately  after  the  last  shock 
of  the  earthquake  on  the  lOih  of  August,    when  the 
French  revoluti'm  may  be  considered  as  accomphshed. 
Now,  supjio  ing  the  Apostacy  to  have  commenced  in  the 
year  60G,  it  will  he  evident,  that  of  the  U260 years  only 
71  remained  umlapsed  in  t/ie year  [79^:  consecjuently 
Satan  had  but  a  very  short  ti.ne  tor  the  accomplishnient 
of  his  last  plan,'  compared  u-ith  the  preceding  centuries 
of  his  sway  in  the  church  of  Rome. 

In  order  the  more  fully  to  perceive   the  exact  fulfil- 
Tnent  of  the  pro{)hecy  now  under  cousidcration,  it  viW 


07 

fee  proper  to  trace  the  step«?  of  the  dragon,  after  he  was 
cast  out  of  heaven,  and  be^'ore  liv^  c^iiiplcte  re\elaiion  of 
uint'c/irist  took  place  under  the  third  xvoetrumpel. 

At  the  revival  of  letters  in  Europe,  the  first  discovery, 
that  was  made,  was  that  of  the  multifarious  absurdities 
maintained  by  the  Church  of  Rome.  These  had  long 
been  held  up  to  the  world  as  the  essentials  of  Christianity.; 
and  every  impii,G;ncr  of  them  had  been  treated  as  a  here- 
tic. The  consequence  was,  that  the  mummeries  of  Po- 
pery were  charged  upon  the  Gospel :  and,  because  they 
were  evidently  ridiculous  superstitions,  it  was  thought  to 
he  ridiculous  superstition  likewise.  Hence  arose  scepti- 
cism ;  which  the  subtle  enemy  of  mankind  soon  matured 
into  infidelity,  and  even  into  atheism. 

The  prophecy  teaches  us,  that  when  tiie  dragon  quit- 
ted heaven,  he  retired  to  t^ie  earth,  and  the  sea  :  and  his- 
tory testiiies,  that  it  was  not  long,  ere  the  fruits  of  iiis 
labours  were  abundantly  evident  in  France,  Gcrinamj-, 
and  Italy.  "  It  is  certain,"  says  ISIosheim,  "  that  in  the 
sixteenth  century  there  lay  conceahd  in  different  parts  of 
-Europe  several  persons,  who  entertained  a  virulent  en- 
mity against  religion  in  general,  and  in  a  more  especial 
manner  against  the  religion  of  the  Gospel  ;  and  who, 
both  in  their  writings  and  in  their  private  conversation, 
Bowed  the  seeds  of  impiety  and  error,  and  instilled  tlieir 
odious  princij)les  into  weak  and  credulous  minds.  It 
is  even  reported,  that  in  certain  provinces  of  France  and 
Italy,  schools  were  erected,  whence  these  impious  doc- 
trines issued."*  These  continental  infidels  may  be  con- 
sidered as  the  real  fathers  of  our  English  free-thinkers. 
Accordingly  "  the  histories  of  those  times  bear  witness, 
that  our  English  youth,  who  travelled  even  so  early  a& 
the  reign  of  James  the  First,  returned  too  often  with  the 
seeds  of  vice  and  infidelity,    which  they  gathered  with 

*  It  is  proba4)le,  that  from  some  one  of  these  secret  schools  proceeded  the 
famous  pamphlet  of  tne  three  imfiostovs,  mear.int^  JM'oses,  Christ,  and  JMoIuitn- 
ined  :  if  indeed  there  ever  were  such  a  pamphlet.  Infidelity  prevaiK  d  even 
among  the  Popes  themselves  ;  as  if,  disg'iisted  with  the  absurdities  of  the  very 
SiU])erstition  which  was  so  profitable  to  them,  they  had  soug-ht  refugee  in  the 
iiosom  of  atheism.  The  blasphemy  ofl'jeo  the  tenth  is  well  known.  "  l  his  foible 
sf.lesus  Christ."  haid  he  to  Cardinal  Bembo,  "  hath  done  us  good  service  " 
Accordintj  to  the  Homanrst's,  f  jv-r?/  Pope  Jc  inf;).]\'''l<^  ■  '^^'hat  sentiments  \\\i\ 
'«!vpy  enterfnin  of  li€o  ? 


the  knowledge  and  the  manners  of  more  polished  coun- 
tries :  and  the  conrt  of  Charlef?  the  second  displays,  in  a 
very  striking  manner,  the  [irinciples  and  habits,  which 
the  King  and  his  Nobles  had  learned  upon  the  continent 
The  general  detestation  of  the  hypocrisy  and  fanaticism 
of  the  Pnrit.^ns  tended  to  heighten  their  irreli^^on,  and 
encoui^ged  them  to  pid)lish  their  opinions  :  but  the 
kingdom  at  large  was  not  infected  by  them  ;  and  the 
following  reigns  exhibit  in  ever  rank  of  people  an  at- 
tachment to  religion,  and  a  zeal  in  its  cause,  which  the  an- 
nals ol  no  other  nation  can  furnish  "* 

For  a  considerable  length  of  time,  however,  infidelity 
was  confmcd  to  the  higher  and  the  literary  orders ;  the 
humble  and  unambitious  Christian  was  happily  placed 
witlnnt  the  s})here  ot  its  influence.  Tbe  project  of  /he 
wily  se?'pe.ni  was  r?  yet  in  its  inf»ncy :  and  little  did  those 
Bobles,  who  encouraged  it,  imagine,  that  they  were  un- 
warily hel;iing  to  construct  an  engine  destined  for  their 
own  destruction.  But,  as  the  period  of  the  third  woe- 
tniynpet  approached,  Satan  took  at  once  both  a  wider  and 
more  systematic  rans:e.  Infidelity  was  diffused  in  a  man- 
ner  unknown  in  any  former  age.  No  class  of  society- 
was  exempt  from  its  poison.  Publications,  adapted  to 
the  compreliension  of  the  lower  orders,  were  zealously 
distributed  throughout  every  country  in  Europe  by  the 
secret  clubs  of  the  illuminated :  and,  as  a  mind  unused 
to  argument,  can  readily  see  an  objection,  without  being 
able  accurately  to  follow  the  train  of  reasoning  which 
pervades  the  confutation  of  it,  a  captious  doubt,  once  in- 
jected into  the  head  of  a  poor  and  illiterate  man,  can 
scarcely  ever  be  removed  even  by  the  clearest  demon- 
stration of  the  evidences  of  Christianity .t     Impudent  as- 

•  Hist,  the  Inter.  Vol  IF  p.  1.15. 
•f  A  loarn^il  .ind  much  revered  friend  of  mine,  (the  Rev.  R.  Hudson,  A.  IVi. 
lieid  master  of  the  Grammur  scliool  at  Ilipperiiolme,)  some  time  since  put 
into  my  hands  a  small  tract,  which  was  indiustriously  circulated  in  his  neigh- 
bourhood. It  waa  replete  with  a  v.iriety  of  quibbling- qucslion-s,  which  the 
merest  sciolist  in  thcoi!);^'y  wcu'd  fuid  little  difFu-ully  in  answering-,  but  which 
were  perfectly  well  adapt' d  to  puzzle  the  intellect  of  a  plain  unsuspecting 
labourer.  In  order  to  a>uid  tlu-  necessity  of  annexing  tite  printc's  tiaineXo  u 
pubiiration,  itwas  ing-eniously  antc-daied.  "  It  was  liy  small  tracts  of  thi.f: 
tiort,'  says  the  present  worthy  Risliop  of  London,"  disseminated  amonp  the 
lower  oj-ders  in  every  part  oiTrancc,  that  tlie  great  body  of  the  people  thert- 
vas  prepared  for  that  most  astonishing  2\ent  (which,  without  sucli  prepara 
'(iP«l>  could  never  have  been  so  sadtleidy  and  so  generally  brought  about),  ;{j' 


iSerfion  now  occupied  the  place  of  proof ;  and  a  convlo 
tionof  fii'Se  reprosentation  was  little  regarded  by  those, 
whose  object  ^vas  to  disseminate  error,  and  who  had  i-eg- 
ularly  calculated  that  an  atheistical  publication  would 
be  read  by  majiy  tjiat  would  probably  never  see  the  an 
swer  to  it.  Formerhj  infidelity  was  conveyed  in  the  shape 
of  a  professed  tr<mtise  ;  and  they,  who  chose  to  peruse 
it,  were  at  least  aware  of  what  they  might  expect.  Hence 
a  carelul  Christian  parent  knew  how  to  secure  his  inex- 
perienced offspring  from  the  effects  of  its  poison.  But 
now,  there  is  scarcely  a  book  which  he  glares  to  trust  in 
the  hands  of  his  children,  without  first  thoroughly  examin- 
ing it  himself :  and,  even  aiter  all  his  precautions,  his  son 
may  accidentally  take  up  a  treatise  on  bnt ni)  ox  geolgy^ 
and  rise  from  the  perusal  of  it,  if  not  an  infidel,  yet  a  seep- 
tic.  In  short,  the  lurking  poison  of  unbelief  has  of  late 
years  been  "  served  up  in  e  ery  shape,  that  is  likely  tQ 
allure,  surprise,  or  beguile  the  imagination  ;  in  a  fable^ 
a  tale,  a  novel,  a  poem  ;  in  intersjjersed  and  broken  hints  ; 
remote  and  oblique  surmises ;  in  books  of  travels,  of 
philosophy,  of  natural  history  ;  in  a  word,  in  any  form 
rather  than  that  of  a  professed  and  regular  disquisi- 
tion."* 

The  sure  word  of  prophecy  has  taught  us  w"here  to  look 
"lor  the  real  origin  of  these  infernal  productions.  "  Woe  to 
the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  and  of  the  sea  !  for  the  devil  is 
Gome  down  unto  you,  having  gre  st  wrath,  because  he  know  • 
eth  that  he  hath  but  a  short  time."  It  has  done  more.  It; 
has  explicitly  described  to  us  the  character  of  those  aban- 
doned men,  those  hardened  scoffers,  whom  Satan  was  about 
to  employ  as  his  wretched  tools  in  the  last  days.\  The 
existence  of  such  men  we  have  witnessed  with  our  own 
eyes  :  but,  till  lately,  we  were  not  aware  of  their  exist- 
ence in  any  other  than  their  mere    individual  capacity, 

J)ublic  renunciation  ci  the  Christian  Faith.  In  order  to  produce  the  very  same, 
elFects  htre,  and  to  pave  the  way  for  a  general  apostacy  from  the  Gospel,  by 
^contaminating'  the  principles  and  shaking  the  faith  of  the  inferior  clasbf.s  ot;"' 
the  people,  tlie  same  arts  have  been  employed,  the  same  breviates  of  inSuelity 
have,  to  my  knowledge,  been  published  and  dispersed  v.ith  great  activity,  ami 
at  a  considerable  expence,  among  the  middhng  and  lower  classes  of  men  in. 
this  kingdom."    Charge  1794. 

•Paley's  Moral  Philosophy 
t  See  the  prophecies  relative  to  the  Ian  times  collected  together  in   ''"  'A/--"' 
'-■iciptei^  of  this  Work. 


70 

We  have  at  present  however  upon  record  the  confession 
of  an  arch-atheist,  that  there  has  h^ng  been  in  Europe, 
particularly  in  «/;7/ Europe,  a  systematic  combination  of 
the  scoffers  of  tue  last  days,  for  the  purpose  of  at  once 
overturning  the  throne  and  the  altar,  of  letting  loose  at 
ow<:<?  thos'^  Uvi  dogs  of  h  dl,  a)tarch))  and  athehm. 

*'  There  was  a  cl  iss  of  men,"  says  the  notorious  Con- 
dorcet,  "  which  was  soon  formed  in  Europe,  with  a  view, 
not  so  much  to  discover  and  ma  e  deep  research  alter 
tnitlh  as  to  difTuse  it :  whose  chief  object  was  to  attack 
prejudices  in  the  very  asylums,  where  the  clerg}^  the 
schools,  the  governments,  and  the  ancient  corporations, 
had  received  and  protected  them:  and  who  made  their 
glory  to  consist  rather  in  destroijvyg  papula  errors  than 
in  extending  the  limits  of  human  knowledge.  This, 
though  an  indirect  method  of  forwarding  its  progress,  was 
not,  on  that  account,  either  less  dangerous  or  less  useful. 
In  England,  Collins  and  Bolingbroke  ;  in  France,  Bayle? 
Fontenelle,  Voltaire,  Montesquieu, and  the  sc'icls  J  rm- 
ed  by  these  iitoh  combated  in  favour  of  iriith.^  They 
alternately  employed  all  the  arms,  with  which  learning 
and  phiioso[)hy,  with  which  wit  and  the  talent  of  writ- 
ing could  furnish  them.  Assnmins;  every  tone^  taking 
everij  shape iirom  the  ludicrous  to  the  pathetic, /rrwz  tlic 
most  learned  and  extensive  compiUiiion  to  the  novel  or  *Me 
petti/  pamphlet  of  the  day  ;  covering  truth  with  a  veil, 
which)  sparing  the  eye  that  was  too  iveak  to  bear  eV,  left 
to  the  render  the.  pleasure  of  guessing  it ;  insidinusly  ca- 
ressing pi^ejnd  ceSi  in  order  to  strike  at  them  with  more 
cerUdnty  wul  effect ;  seldom  menacing  more  than  one  at 
a  time,  and  that  only  in  part  ;  sometimes  soothing  the  ene- 
mies of  reason,  by  seeming  to  ask  but  for  a  half  toleration 
iji  religioU)  or  a  half  liberty  in  polity  ;  respecting  despotism 
when  they  combated  religious  ahsiirdities^andreligion  when 
they  attacked  tyranny  :  combating  these  two  pests  in  theiu 
very  princi[)les,  thoifgh  apparently  inveighing  against  ri- 
diculous and  disgusting  abuses  ;  striking  ot  the  root  of 
those  }>estiferous  trees,  whilst  they  appeared  only  to  wish 

*  What  the  Iruth  was,  for  which  Voltaire  combated,  a  long  life  laboriously 
9p«nt  in  the  service  of  a  hard  task-master  has  amply  sl^ev.'n ;  av»d  Frcvics  has  i\p 
less  amply  tested  the  fruits  of  it. 


71 

-tn  lop  the  straggVnf^  branches  :  at  me  time  pointing  out 
si'per  tit  ion,  which  covers  despotism  with  its  in.  1)ene^r  bJe 
shifli/,  to  the  friends  o/'lihert  /,  as  'hcjirst  vic'im  zvhick 
they  aretoimvtola'e^  the  fir  t  chain  to  >e  cleft  asunder ; 
at  another  denouncing  superstition  to  d  spots  as  the  real 
enemy  of  tiiirp  xver-,  and  larming  them  xvvh  a  repre- 
sen  a'ion  o  its  hyporritic  I  plots  and  sanguinary  rage  / 
bu'  never  ceasing  to  claim  theind-pe  dene  oj  reason,  and 
the  liberty  o  the  press,  as  the  right  and  safeguard  of 
■mankind  ;  inveighing  with  enthusiastic  energy  against 
the  crimes  of  fanaticism  and  tyranny  ;  reprobating  every 
thing  wiiich  bore  the  character  of  oppression,  harshness, 
or  barbarity,  whether  in  rehgion,  administration,  morals, 
or  laws  ;  commanding  k'ngs,  warriors,  priests,  and  ma- 
gistrates, in  the  name  of  nature,  to  spare  the  blood  of 
men  ;  reproaching  them,  in  a  strain  of  the  most  energetic 
severity,  with  that  which  their  pohcy  or  indifference  prodi- 
gally lavished  on  the  scaffold,  or  in  the  held  of  battle  ; 
in  fine,  adopting  the  words  reason,  toleration,  and  human- 
ity, as  their  signal  and  call  o  arms.  Such  was  the  mod- 
ern philosophy,  so  much  detested  by  those  numerous 
classes  which  exist  only  by  tie  aid  of  prejudices.  Its 
ehiefshcid  the  art  of  escaping  vengeance,  whiiethey  expos- 
ed themselves  to  hatred  ;  of  conceahng  themselves  from 
persecution,  while  they  made  themselves  sufficiently  con- 
spicuous to  lose  nothing  of  their  glory."* 

In  order  as  it  were  that  the  meaning  of  this  rhapsody 
may  not  possibly  be  mistaken,  the  same  Condorcet  plainly 
tells  us,  what  efiects  this  sort  of  truth,  propagated  by 
Voltaire,  did  produce.  Celebrating  the  glories  and  ben- 
efits of  the  French  re'oolu'ion,  he  observes,  *'  that  it 
would  ha\^e  been  impossible  to  shew  in  a  clearer  light 
the  eternal  obligations  which  human  nature  has  to  Vol- 
taire. Circumstances  were  favourai)Ie.  He  did  not 
foresee  all  that  he  has  done,  but  he  has  done  all  that  xve 
now  ^ee/'t  In  order  moreover,  that  we  may  not  too 
candidly  fancy,  that  Voltaire's  zeal  was  only  directed 
-against  the  abuses  of  Popery,  while  he  respected  genuine 

Cited  by  Kett  from  Esqttisse  d'un  tableau  historique  des  progres  de  V esprit  hu- 
;naz7j,  par  Condorcet.     For  the   original,  see  t.'ic  Annual  Upgister,  p  2U0  :  for 
tlie  extract,  Barniel's  Mem.  of  .Tacc^binism,  Vol  ii.  p  133. 
\  lAfe  of  Veltare,  cited  by  Kett. 


Christianity,  he  himself  unequivocally  informs  us,  that 
iht  very  Gospel  o'' the  Messiah,  niiother  embraced  by 
prwtestanls  or  papists,  was  the  real  object  of  his  ani:n  )si- 
ty.*  "  I  am  weary,"  sa3^s  the  {jseudo-philosopher  of 
Ferney,  "  of  hearing  peo.le  repeat,  thai  twelve  men  'lave 
been  su'Iicient  to  establish  (  hristianit}^ :  and  I  will  prove, 
that  one  may  suffice  to  overthrow  it — Strike,  but  conceal 
your  hand — The  mysteries  of  IVTithras  are  not  to  be  di- 
vulged :  the  monster  must  fall  pierced  by  a  thouyand  Zw- 
'jyi.yi/^/ehands  :  yes,  let  it  fall  beneath  a  thousand  repeat- 
ed blows — 1  fear  you  are  not  sufficiently  zealous  ;  ynu 
bury  your  talents  ;  you  seem  only  to  con'emn,  whilst 
you  should  abhor  and  destroy  the  monster — Crush  the 
wretch." 

By  the  incessant  labours  of  Voltaire,  his  diabolical 
principles,  even  before  the  foundation  ot  Weishaupt's 
order  oitlic  Illuminated,  were  protected  by  tlu  sovereigns 
of  Russia,  roUuuL  and  Prussia,  and  by  an  innumerable 
host  oi  La nc/o- raves,  Marsi'ravex,  Dukes,  and  Pr  rces. 
They  had  penetrated  into  Bohemi-.,  Austriay  Spauh 
Sivitzerland,  and  flaly.  They  liad  many  zealous  advo- 
cates in  England:  they  had  thorougiily  impregnated 
France:  and,  in  short,  had  more  or  less  pervadod  the 
'whole  Roman  ea  tli,  where  the  dragon  had  now  taken 
bis  station  alter  his  expulsion  from  the  symbolical  heaven. 

It  is  not  however  perfectly  ascertained,  that  \'oltalrc 
wished  for  more  than  the  overthrow  ot  religion  and  roy- 
nbty.  Proud  of  his  talents,  he  at  first  "did  not  pretend 
to  enli.f^htcn  housemairls  and  shoemakers,  equally  con- 
temning the  rabble,  whether  for  or  against  hun  :"'  but, 
after  the  German  union,  a  yei  more  extensive  plan  of 
3nischief  was  resolved  upon.  The  inlcrnai  ingenuity  of 
W'eishaupt  contrived  a  method  of  subverting  not  only 
'.'cligion  and  royalty,  but  all  gnvertiments  ivhatsoever  : 
and  Jacobinism,  that  consummation  of  united  German 
and  r'rench  \illan3',  proposed  to  set  mankind  Irec  Irom 
■every  restraint  l)oth  of  human  and  ^/ivw^  law,  and  to  let 
them  loose  lik'  wild  beasts  uj)on  each  other,  an  infuriated 
herd  ol  anurchists  and  atheists. 

*  The  reader  will  liave  observod,  that,  in  one  of  the  clauses  of  Uie  forefroinp: 
dcclamatiun  of  Coiulorcei,  religijn  is  w.scil  us  ihe  b)»onyniof  religious  absurdi 
j/<i  .•  and^'ourr/imr.r  and  rcl;j/oH  are  clcclund  to  be   Ific  ttvj  pfst*',   wbicli   the 
lew  pliilosojlliy  combats  in  their  vrru  primifiltt. 


In  this  nifinner  it  was,  that  the  dragon,  quitting  heaven 
lor  earth,  and  "  having  great  wratli  because  he  kiioweth 
tliiit  iie  hath  but  a  short  time,"  prepared  to  vomit  against 
the  symbolical  woman  a  noisome  y?<?<?^  of  mock  philoso- 
phers, German  and  PVcnch,  ilhuninated  and  niasoiiic. 
''  with  all  their  trumpery;"  of  phihintJiropic  cut  throats> 
civic  thieves,  humane  anarciiists,  and  candid  atheists  ; 
of  high-born  Catihnes,  and  low-born  bufloons  ;*  of  en- 
lightened prostitutes,  and  revolutionary  politicians;  of 
popish  priests,  and  protesiant  ecclesiastics,  united  only 
by  the  common  bonds  of  apostate  profligacy  ;  of  Jews.> 
Turks,t  infidels,  and  heretics  ;  oiihecatharmata  of  the 
prisons  of  Lyons  and  Paris,  wretches  who,  escaping  the 
just  sentcjice  of  the  law,  comm-^nced  the  refoririers  of 
the  world ;  in  short,  of  ail  the  tilth  and  oilscouring  of 
all  the  kennels  of  &Jl  the  streets  of  the  great  mystical 
city  Babylo7L  At  the  sounding  of  tJic  third  ivoe-tvumpeU 
t\\tJiood  was  at  its  height  ;  and  threatened  to  carrj^  away 
in  wild  indiscriminate  confusion  every  thing  sacred  and 
venerable,  every  thmg  salutary  and  dignified,  every  tiling 
wise,  every  thing  ioveiy,  everything  that  adorns  this  life. 
every  thing  that  fits  us  for  a  belter  life.  Woe  to  the 
inlsabiters  of  the  Roman  earth  ;  for  the  scourge  of  an 
unheard  of  war  impends  over  their  devoted  heads  !  Woe 
to  those  that  flounder  in  the  miry  wa\es  of  "-the  xasty 
detpy' ihe  tiirhid  sta  of  re})ublican  uproar  *' foaming 
out  its  own  shame ;'  for  the  darkened  sky  portends  a 
tempest  of  strange  miseries  hitherto  unthought  of!  Short 
was  the  time  that  elapsed  between  the  great  e.trthiiaake 
and  the  blast  of  the  stxenih  angelywixQwrexolutionary 
France,'\n  the  phrenzj  of  democratic  enthusiasm,  estab- 
lished atheism  and  ow  rchy  by  law;  held  out  the  right 
hand  of  fellowship  to  the  insurgents  of  every  nation ;. 
commenced  a  tremendous  massacre  of  her  enslaved  citi 
zens  ;   proclamied  the  Son  of  God  to  bean  impostor,  and 

*  During'  the  French  revolution,  a  covudian,  dressed  as  a  "  priest  of  the 
illummat),  publicly  appeart-d,  personally  attacking^  A-Imiglity  fjod,  saying-, 
J\'o,  ttimi  litist  not  tJ-'i-.t  If  thou  k-.st  Jhvcr  over  i/u-  t/mnJer-O'ts,  grat/i  them, 
aim  thi-m  at  the  man  w/.o  dne.-i  set  thee  .U  dfance  in  tlie  f.ce  of  thy  altars.  Ji.it 
110,  I  b,<(sphcme  thee,  and  J  siiL  live  ;  no,  f/iou  dost  not  ejist  "  (Uarruel's  iMoni. 
of  Jacobinism,  Vol  iii  p. 'J)".)  To  the  catalofjiie  oi"  low-born  buflboRS  AJr, 
Tijomas  Paine  may  witli  jriiicii  propriety  h-  added. 

t  See  liiat,  the  lutcrj).  Yvl.  ji.  p.  ?6r 

•VOL.  II.  ]0 


74 

his  Gospel  a  forgery;  swore  to  exterminate  Christianity 
and  royalty  from  oil  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  she  had 
blotted  thorn  both  out  of  her  own  dominions  ;  and  madly 
unsheathed  the  sword  against  every  regularly  established 
government.  But  the  Church  of  the  Lord  is  founded 
upon  a  rock  ;  and  he  hath  promised,  that  "  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  never  prevail  ?igainst  it."  Although  "  the  hea- 
then rage,  and  the  people  imagine  a  lie ;"  although  the 
destroyers  of  the  earth  "  set  themselves  in  array,  and  the 
rulers  take  counsel  togetiier  against  Jehovah,  and  against 
his  anointed ;  Let  ts  break  their  bancb asunder,  and  cast 
away  their  cords  from  us  ;"  yet  *'  he,  tiial  sitteth  in  tlie 
heavens  shall  laugh  ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  deri- 
sion." Congregated  Europe,  so  God  wdled,  met  the  infi- 
dels in  arms.  Long  and  bloody  was  the  contest ;  for  ike 
whole  ^^  earth  helj^ed  thezvoman.'''  Yet,  notwithstand- 
ing the  various  successes  of  the  atheistical  re))nblic,  when 
the  general  paciiication  took  place  in  thr  y  ar  1801,  the 
earth  hadsv;allowed  up  the/ioody  which  the  dragon  cast 
out  of  his  mouth.  A  trial  had  been  made  of  modern 
philosophy  ;  and  even  French  vanity  was  compelled  to 
own,  that  tliis  its  favourite  child,  however  beautiful  in 
theory,  was  but  ill  calculated  for  practice.  Atheism  was 
displaced  from  liis  throne,  and  Christianity,  the  ajos^atc 
Christianinj  ir.de  ed  oj  tue  Church  of  Honey  was  nomi- 
nally at  least  reotored.  This,  although  an  unwilling 
liomage  paid  to  religion,  was  nevertheless  not  the  tri- 
umph of  tiie  mystic  xcoman.  For  that  triumph  we  must 
look  to  r(?/(9;vwef/ countries  ;  and  in  a  peculiar  manner,  I 
appiehenti,  to  Bri'ain  and  her  virtuous  sovereign.  Here 
tlic  ragirg  Jiood  has  l)c*'n  in  a  ren^-irkahic  manner  swal- 
lowed up.  Jiurstingas  it  did  with  hellish  violence  over 
[v\pA\Ger  am/,  Italy,  and  Spain  ;  here  its  proud  waves, 
by  Ihe  in;i:\clinus  interposition '>f  Providence,  have  heen 
stayed.  Superior  to  all  Europe,  France  was  unabie  to 
break  the  si ngi<j  strength  of  England,  even  when  repub- 
lican artihces  had  banded  agamst  h<r  the  united  lorce  of 
J\ussia.  Sweden,  Denmark,  and  Spain;  for  Knglandstay- 
4'aI  herself  uj^on  her  God.  Adopting  her  Ha\iour's  rule 
of  judging  mt^n  by  their  fruits,  she  perceived,  ere  long, 
that  nijviejn  phiioso])hy,  notwithstanding  its  high  pretcn- 


75 

sions,  was  any  thing  but  heaven-hovn.  In  tins  favoured 
land  its  absurdities  have  been  more  ably  and  more  fully 
exposed  than  elr.ewhere.  Here  peculiarly  hath  the 
Scripture  been  accomplished,  that  the  scoffers  of  the  last 
days,  those  resisters  of  the  truth,  "  men  of  corrupt 
minds,  reprobate  concerning  the  faith,  should  proceed 
no  further  ;  for  their  folly  should  be  manifest  unto  all." 
//^fr^- Christianity  is  still  as  little  likely  to  be  overthrown, 
as  it  was  before' Voltaiie  and  his  miscreant  associates 
first  drew  the  breath  of  heaven.  Here  the  woman  is 
still  nourished  in  her  "  place  prepared  of  God,"  though 
surrounded  by  a  wilderness  of  Popery y  Molumimediswy 
and  Infidelity.  Here  she  is  still  holpen  "  from  the  face  of 
the  Serpent"  and  from  the  raging  waves  of  the  flood. 
Resolute  in  honouring  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  in  giv- 
ing glory  to  his  holy  name,  both  the  sovereign  and  the 
people  of  England  have  hitherto  been  enabled  firmly  and 
successfully  to  resist  alike  the  secret  artifices  and  open 
assaults  of  the  infernal  serpent. 

"  And  the  dragon  was  wroth  with  the  woman  ;  and 
went  to  make  war  with  the  remnant  of  her  seed,  which 
keep  the  commandments  of  God,  and  have  the  testimony 
of  Jesus  Christ." 

We  are  repeatedly  informed  by  St.  John,  that  the  Ut- 
ile book  extends  through  the  whole  period  of  the  \:Q0 
days,  though  a  more  particular  account  of  the  last  tirne.^ 
under  the  seventh  triuhptt  is  reserved  for  the  prophecy 
that  immediately  succeeds  the  little  bonk.  Such  being 
the  case,  it  is  evident,  that^///^  war  of  the  dragon  against 
tlie  woman,  being  mentioned  at  the  very  eid  of  the  whole 
history  oftlic  dragons  machinations,  \a  ill  take  place  at 
the  very  end  of  the  1Q60  days,  or,  as  Daniel  expresses  it, 
at  the  time  of  the  end.^  But,  if  it  take  place  at  the  timr 
of  the  end,  it  must  be  the  s.ime  as  the  expedition  of  the 
infidel  king  predicted  by  Daniel,  and  as  the  ivar  foretold 
by  St.  John  as  about  to*  be  undertaken  by  a  confederacy 

*  I  have  already  observed,  that  f/je/;«r  chapters  of  the  little  io,-/i- run  parallel 
to  one  another  ;  each  extending  from  the  beginni/i^-io  the  •  nd  of  the  whole  iJbU 
Jays.  This '.var  therefore  bctiueen  the  dragon  and  the  wowih^  will  syncliron-xe 
\\\\.\\  some  part  of  the  blest  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
chapter  :  in  other  words,  it  will  syncliroiiize  with  some  one  of  tke  seven  vials, 
all  of  which  ;u-e  included  under  the  i.S'zvr.f.h  tnaipi-t. 


.76 
••• «• 

of  the  heosti  the  false  prophet^  and  the  liivgs  of  the  Roman 
earthy  under  the  seventh  vial.  As  yet  therefore  it  is  fu- 
ture. It  will  be  the  last  gi^eat  effort  of  Satan  against 
the  Church  previous  to  the  corameneement  of  the  ^■il- 
lennium  ;  an  effort  made  by  his  two  agents,  Infidelity 
and  Pope y I/,  unnaturally  then  as  at  t^rescnt  leagued  to- 
gether, to  oppress  the  faithful  worsliippers  of  Gody  and 
to  prevent  the  restorafion  of  the  convej^ted  Jews.^  From 
the  declaration,  that  it  sliall  be  a  war  against  the  remnant 
of  the  woman  s  seedy  and  from  other  pandlel  declarations,! 
I  think  we  may  infer,  that  it  will  be  a  sort  of  crusade  or 
holy  war  i  a  war,  entered  upon  hy  Infidelity  and  Popery > 
under  the  pretext  of  relig-iun  and  under  a  pretence  ol 
zeal  for  the  catholic  chnrehy  against  those  that  have  come 
out  of  the  mystic  Bahylony  and  have  refused  to  be  par- 
takers of  her  sins.  If  I  be  right  in  this  opinion,  tJic 
powerful  protestant  kingdom  oj  England  will  certainly 
be  one  of  the  principal  objects  against  which  the  wrath 
of  the  dragon  Avill  be  directed.  Her  courage  and  wis- 
dom have  long  been  the  main  instruments  under  God, 
of  confounding  all  his  measures,  and  of  frustrating  all 
his  attempts.  While  he  yet  reigned  in  th»  symbolical 
heavejiy  she  was  his  grand  opponent,  and  thence  obtained 
the  glorious  title  of  the  bulwark  of  the  Reformation  : 
and  now  that  he  has  been  cast  out  into  the  earthy  she 
hath  still  proved  his  most  indefatigable  and  successful 
adversary,  blasting  his  schemes,  exposing  his  nefarious 
projects,  withering  the  arm  of  his  wretched  vassals,  and 
in  the  presence  of  the  enslaved  Rom«in  empire,  bearding 
them  to  their  face  with  stern  deliance.  Hence  we  must 
expect,  that  his  almost  e.rclusive  rage  will  be  directed 
against  her.  The  end  however  is  not  yet.  This  war, 
professedly  undertaken  against  flie  woman  and  the  rem- 
nant of  her  seedy  has  not  yet  commenced  :  and,  when 
it  docs  connnence,  whatever  temj)orary  and  partial  suc- 
cess may  attend  A)ilichrist  and  his  rebel  rout,  it  will 
eventually  and  speedily  terminate  in  their  confusion  and 
utter  overthrow.  At  the  close  of  the  I'iGO  days  the  dra- 
gon shall  begin  to  gather  together   l)y  secret  diabolical 

*  More  will  be  said  upon  tliis  subject  hereafter. 
\  These  will  be  coiibiUcred  in  a  iuttirc  cbaplcr. 


11 

agency  the  beast,  the  false  prophet^  and  the  kings  of  the 
papal  earth,  to  the  appointed  place  of  their  destruction 
at  Armageddon;  and  shall  cause  his  minister,  the  infuid 
tyrant,  then  become  the  avoxved  champion  of  the  false 
prophet,  to  "  go  forth  with  great  fury  to  dest'roj^  and  re- 
ligioudy  to  devote  to  extermination,  man}^"  But,  all 
though  he  shall  succeed  in  "  planting  the  curtains  of 
his  pavilions  between  the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  moun- 
tain,'' yet  in  vain  shall  he  "sanctify  war ;"  in  vain  shall 
he  assemble  his  enslaved  multitudes  against  that  mia-hty 
7naritime  nation,  which  is  destined  to  take  the  lead  in 
turning  the  captivity  of  God's  ancient  people.  Unable 
to  impede  the  progress  of  those  "  swift  messengers"  of 
the  Lord  "  unto  a  nation  dragged  away  and  plucked,  un- 
to a  people  wonderful  from  their  beginning  hitherto,  a 
nation  expecting,  and  trampled  under  foot,  whose  land" 
thesymboHcal "  rivers"  of  foreign  invaders  **havespoiled;" 
unable  to  frustrate  the  least  of  the  high  purposes  of  Je- 
hovah, this  lawless  despiser  both  of  things  human  and 
things  divine,  shall,  in  the  fatal  battle  ofArmageddoUf 
"  come  to  his  end,  and  none  shall  help  him."*  Into  these 
yet  future  matters  however  we  must  not  dare  to  pry  be- 
yond what  is  expressly  xvritten.  The  book  of  iuturity  is 
as  yet  sealed ;  and  who  shall  open  it  before  ih.^  appoint- 
ed season  ?  We  have  in  our  hands  the  prediction  of  the 
war  betzveen  the  dragon  and  the  remaining  seed  of  the 
woman.  We  have  it  iw  strict  chronological  connection 
with  other  prophecies.  We  have  abundant  reason  to 
conclude,  that  this  war  will  commence  at  the  close  of  the 
I'^GO  days,  in  the  last  times  of  atheism  and  profanencss. 
We  know,  that  it  must  commence  after  the  drao-on  has 
been  cast  out  of  heaven  ;  after  he  has  taken  his^station 
upon  earth  ;  after  he  has  vomited  forth  a  food  Rgaimt 
the  mystic  woman  ;  after  the  earth  has  swallowed  up 
the  flood  ;  when  every  current  event  bears  testimony,  that 
the  third  xcoe-trumpet  is  sounding,  that  the  vials  of  the 

*  The  proposition,  that  some  great  marititr.e  and  commercial naiicn  vill  be  vtrti 
much  concerned  in  bringing  about  ti,c  r<  storation  of  the  Je-^,,  is  admirably  proved 
by  the  present  Bp.  of  St.  Asaph,  in  his  letter  vfiomU  IBt/i  chapter  l/lsuiaf:. 
\\  liatever  degiee  ofpro:wbi!i/v  there  might  be  in  the  conjecture,  hi«  Lordship 
does  not  veniurero  r«sm,  that  England  v.\n  he  thi,  gr\at  maritime  and  com- 
yiercxal  natiun ;  and  his  prudent  reserve  upon  that  poirii  I  cannot  do  be»ter  than 
iTiiuate. 


78 

last  plagues  nrc  pouring  nut,  and  tliat  Sa'an  is  come  down 
to  the  inhabito's  ol  tkc(ar!li  and  ih'  scu  having  great 
wath  ;  nnd  rr/rv/ jJiojihelic  trulhand  chronological  com- 
putation d(<:.a.e  wiih  nniforl  voic.^  that  "  he  hath  hut  a 
short  tiinc,"  that  the  period  of  the  great  Apostocy  is 
neaHy  cxj.'irrd.  To  this  era,  thus  \ari  aisly  pointed  out, 
the  time  of  tlie  end,  or  the  close  of  the  V2Q0  di-ys, 
alone  corresponds  in  every  particular.  May  we,  hke 
Daniel,  rest,  and  stand  in  our  lot  at  the  £nd  of  the 
days.  * 

SECTION  III. 

Concerning  the  len-horued  beast  of  the  sea. 

The  prophet  after  having  conducted  us  as  it  were,be- 
hind  ^he  scenes,  and  shewn  us  that  every  string  botli  of 
the  great  Ajystacy,  and  of  the  tyranny,  of  Antichrist,  is 
in  reality  woiked  by  the  infernal  serpent-,  next  proceeds 
to  bring  us  acq'iainted  Avith  fh(;  chitracters  of  the  osten- 
sible :>^onts,  bywhi seins'rumentaii'y  and  tJir  ugh  zchose 
instigation  Uie  Church  was  to  be  in  a  jjersecuted  state 
througii  the  long  pi  riod  of  V2G0  yerij\<i. 

*'  And  )  st'-odr  upon  the  sand  of  the  sea,  and  saw  a 
l)east  rise  up  out  of  the  sea,  having  seven  lieads  and  ten 
horns,  and  i..;oii  his  heads  the  name  of  blasphemy. 
And  the  I)east,  which  I  saw,  was  like  unto  a  leopard, 
and  his  feet  were  as  the  feet  of  a  bear,  and  his  mouth 
as  the  mouth  of  a  lion  :  and  the  dragon  gave  him  his 
power,   and   his  seat,   and  great  authority.     And  I  saw 

•Mr.  Galloway  is  riglit  in  his  general  idea  respecting  this  prophecy,  tliat  a 
prediction,  immediately  c-jiiiirted  rjir/i  the  1260  dtiis,  cannot  posiibiy  rcl  .te  to  the 
ila.s  of  Comtantim  :  but  hf  ap])ears  to  me  to  be  almost  invariably  wrong  tn 
his  particular  c.i-/)ositio'i  of  it-     Soc-  Comment,  p    120 — 157- 

+  'l"he  Latin  cojiies,  the  Alcvandrian  M.S  ,  unci  the  Syiiac,  Tt&dand he  stood, 
mcaninf^  the  d  agou  ,•  atul  accordingly  join  the  clause  and  he  stood  upon  tand  of 
/Ac  at'd  to  thf  piLCfiing  chapter  (I'ol  Synop  in  loc.)  I  know  not  however 
wliy  we  shdvild  give  up  the  common  reading,  whicl)  is  that  of  all  the  Creek 
tiopics  with  the  single  exception  of  the  Alexandrian  followed  by  Aldus,  and 
•which  agi-c.-s  remarka!)ly  well  with  tiit-  context..  Mr  ."Mccle  wislies  to  adopt 
it,  bccausL  he  iliinks,  tiiat  it  coifirms  his  interpretatiim  of  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  sliews  that  the  rise  tfthe  ten-horned  heast  is  pc)steri»;r  to  tlit  war 
ofihr  dragon  ivith  the  -,vi,man.  This  however  it  certainly  cannot  do,  even  if  it  be 
adopted  ;  for,  as  I  have  alieudy  stati  d  very  suflicii-ndy  the  vovunCt  sojourn  in  the 
■wilderr.ess  of  12G0  days,  pl.iinly  intimates,  th.il  the  iiuir  of  the  dragon  is  the  very 
same  ;  -liod  as  ;/if  4-'  moittht  ttiranmi  if  the  beast  ,-  an.l,  conscfjuenlly,  tlial  the 
■^iir  cannot  in  point  of  time  precede  the  tvran»ii,  us  Mr.  Mede  and  Bp.  Ncwloii 
suppose. 


79 

one  of  his  heads  as  it  were  woiinderl  to  death  ;  and  his 
deadly  wound  was  healed :  and  all  the  world   v.ondcred 
after  the  beast.     And  they  worshipped  flie  d:  agon,  wliich 
gave  great  power  unto   the  beast,  sayinn;,  AVho  is  like 
unto  the  beast  ?  who   is  able  to  make  war   with    \vm  ? 
And  there  was  given  unto  him  a  mouth   speaking  great 
things  and  blasphemies  ;  and  power  was  given  unto  him 
to  continue*   forty  and  two  months.     And   he  opened 
Lis  mouth  in  blasphemy  against  God,  to  b!as})henie  his 
name,  and  his  tabernacle,  and  them  that  dwell  in  heav- 
en.    And  it  was  given  unto  him  to  make  war  with   the 
saints,  and  to   overcome  them  :    and  power   was   "iven 
him  wer  all   kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations.     And 
all  that  dwell  upon  the  earth    shall    worship  hini,  wftose 
names  are  not  written  in  the   book  ol  life  of  the  i.amb 
slain  from  the   foundation  of  the   world.     If  any  man 
hi^ye  an  ear, let  him  hear.      He,   that  leadrth  into  cap- 
tivity, shall  go  into  captivity;    he,  tiiat  kiilcth  with  the 
sword,  must  be  killed  with  the  sword.     Here  is  the  pa- 
tience and  the  faitii  of  the  saints." 

In  the  preceding  chapter,  i/ie  drago^i  is  represented  as 
persecuting  the  zvoinan  witli  his  scve7i  e  ds  and  feti 
horns  ;  hero  we  have  the  symbol  of  a  beast,  v\hich  has 
likewise  sccen  hends  and  ten  horns  Now,  since  the 
dragon  is  declared  to  be  Uu.  dtvll,  the  hc.uls  <}m\  horm, 
wiiich  he  is  described  as  usincj  a.o;a-nsi  iheaoman,  must 
be  the  heads  and  hums  of  some  poxver  siib.-er\  lent  to  iiis 
views.     This  power  is  now  brou,;ht  upon  the  s  age. 

According  to  Mr.  Kett,  "  the  first  heost  of  .'he  Berc- 
lation,  and  the  little  horn  of  Daniel,  are  generaiiy  allow- 
ed to  mean  Me  same  poxver,\\hiiie\QY  t)ia'  poxve-  may 
be."t  and  he  aiterwaids  asserts,  that    this   ten  horned 

*  Or  r:i{.her,  to  practise  /;rosprvr,jts/t/.  The  word  wot),T«i  does  not  so  mticU 
describe  his  rxister.ce,ns  b\s pro -p  r,ty.  Atthe  clost-  of  the  42  m..nt.s  tlio  jiulff- 
tnents  of  (Jod  will  bet;in  to  }f„  turth  ugaiiist  him  :  and  lie  is  then  considered,  if 
1  may  use  th.  expression,  as  dead  in  lav,  aUhout^h  some  time  wid  <  lap.-e  liefore 
Jie  IS  hnaily  slain.  There  is  reason  'o  belitve  from  IM^ith  thai  this  time, 
M  .vch  he  styles  the  time  oft  e  end,  which  is  the  period  of  C;  ,/-.v  :<reaC  coiitrovir.'.y 
t^'tn  the  nation.,,  and  uh,ch  b\nchror.w-Ls  with  'he  lent  J^i'l,  wi.l  octupya 
space  ot  ut  lc:.si  3U  i/cars  (Sec  Dan.  xii.  11  1 J  )  indeed  t/ie  ivho!e  time  of  the 
end  seems  to  occupy  a  space  of  7  years. 

t  Hist,  the  Inltrp.  Vol.  \.  p.  383. 


,  80 

least  is  tJic  Pupacy,*  or,  as  he  terms  it,  the  Papal  Anti- 
christ.\ 

Nearly  the  same  opinion  is  maintained  by  Mr.  Gallo- 
way. He  does  not  indeed  allow,  that  the  first  heard  of 
the  Reveltition  is  the  same  as  the  I'Utle  horn  of  DanwU a 
fourth  be'ist,  ^or  he  asserts  that  tiiat  liiile  horn  is  the  re- 
"votutionary  power  of  France  ;X  but  lie  has  written  a 
whole  dissertrttion  for  the  express  purpose  of  shewing, 
thdt  the  fen-horvcd.  apocalyptic  beast  is  the  Papacy.^ 

lip.  Newton,  with  much  more  propriety  than  either  of 
these  two  authors,  observes,  that  "  no  doubt  is  to  be 
made,  that  this  heastwas  designed  to  represent  the  Ro- 
man onpire  ;  for  thus  far  both  ancients  and  moderns, 
papists  and  protestants,  are  agreed,"|l  Had  his  Lord- 
ship steadily  adhered  to  this  simple,  and  indeed  unde- 
jiiable,  proposition,  I  should  have  had  the  happiness  of 
being  able  to  sanction  my  own  views  of  the  subject  with 
the  authority  of  one  of  our  ablest  commentators  upon 
prophecy  :  but,  quitting  the  assertion  witli  which  he 
originally  set  out,  he  soon  entirely  diverts  the  attention 
of  his  reader  from  the  gj^eat  secular  Jioman  beast  (as  the 
Bishop  himself  If  styles  it)  to  that  spiritual  power  which 
Daniel  symbolizes  by  the  little  horn  of  the  beast.  He 
commences  his  discussion  with  saying  very  truly,  that 
iJie  beast  is  the  Jioman  empire  ;  and  this  beast  he  after- 
wards pronounces  no  less  truly  to  be  a  secular  beast  : 
yet,  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  pages,  he  informs  us, 
that  the  bea.st  is  evidently  the  little  horny  which  he  had 
already  proved  with  irrefragable  arguments  to  be  the 
Papacy.  Now  the  beast  is  said  by  St.  John  to  be  the 
same  as  his  oxvn  last  head  ;**  hence  the  Bishop,  having 

*  Yet  he  elsewhere  teaches  us,  tliat  the  little  horn  is  the  same  as  the  second 
rT/iocfl/)'/"/cie<Kf, which  he  conceives  to  be  /'rtvicA  Lifideliiy.  (Ibid.  p.  3'17)  I 
have  cited  tl\e  whole  passage,  where  this  assertion  is  made,  at  the  beginning- 
of  the  'ith  c/iapler  of  the  present  ivork. 

+  Ibid.  p.  .'59'.i — and  Vol.  ii.  p.  1 — 66. 

♦  This  point  has  already  been  fully  discussed  in  tlie  4:th  chapter  of  the  pre- 
sent laork. 

§  PjopiieticHist.  of  the  (Church  of  Home.  II  Dissert,  on  Rev.  xiii. 

If  Dissert,  on  Ucv.xiii.  Mr.  Mcde,  in  a  similar  manner,  althougli  his  opin- 
ion be  the  same  as  that  of  the  liisnop,  cbpccially  styUs  the  (ir.st  apocalyptic 
beast  the  secular  Ocast,  and  the  second  the  fcclaiastical  heait.  Sec  his  Com- 
•Tient  Apoc  in  loc. 

••  "  1  lie  beast,  that  was,  and  is  not,  even  he  is  the  eiphth,  and  is  of  the 
seven  ■'    (Kev.  xvii.  11.)    Some  suppose,  that  this  is  spoken  by_v/»y  of  syncc- 


81 

pronounced  the  beast  to  be  the  little  horn  or  the  Paf^acy, 
of  course  pronounces  the  Papacy  to  be  the  last  he  id 
likewise  :  that  is  to  say,  he  makes  a  spiritual  poxver  to 
be  the  last  head  of  the  beast ,  and  consequently  the  whole 
be"sty  notwithstanding  he  had  declared  that  this  *very 
beast  is  a  secular  empire. 

Respecting  this  opinion  it  may  be  observed,  that,  if 
the  beast  be  a  secular  empire,  it  is  impossible  that  his  last 
head,  which  is  identified  with  himself,  should  be  a 
spiritual  power ;  because,  if  that  were  the  case,  the  beast 
would  no  longer  be  a  secular  empire,  but  a  spiritual  one.. 
Popery  indeed,  like  3Iohammedism,  is  symbolized,  mere- 
ly as  an  ecclesiastical  kingdoniy  hy  ah^rn originally  smalU 
and  afterwards  becoming  so  poxverfil  as  to  have  a  look 
more  stout  than  ilsfelloivs,  and  as  to  influence  the  acPons 
of  thexohole  beast;  nor  is  there  any  inconsistency  in  re- 
presenting symbolically  what  has  really  happened,  name- 
ly the  rise  of  an  ecclesiastical  kingdom  out  of  a  secular 
empire ;  but  I  can  form  no  idea  how  it  is  possible,  that 
the  papal  horn  should  be  considered  as  the  last  head  of 
the  secular  beast,  when  that  head  is  declared  to  be  the 
same  at  its  first  rise  as  the  xvhole  secular  beast  himself. 
The  Pope  can  only  be  the  last  head  of  the  secular  beast 
cither  in  his  spiritual  or  in  his  secular  character.  He 
cannot  in  his  spiritual ;  because  the  last  head  of  the  beast 
is  to  be  the  xvhole  beast;  and  no  ingenuity  can  shew, 
that  an  ecclesiastical  kingdom,  as  such,  is  the  same  as  a 
secular  empire.  He  cannot  in  his  secular,  as  sovereign 
of  St.  Peter  s  patrimony :  both  because  it  is  unreasona- 
ble to  esteem  a  petty  temporal  prince  the  head  of  a  great 
secular  empire ;    and  because,  as  I  have  just  observed, 

floche  ;  but  1  know  not  Mhat  liirht  we  have  to  tamT)cr  with  the  plain  declaru' 
lion  of  the  Apostle.  (See  Pol.  Synop.  in  loc.)  1  consider  it  as  a  very  leading 
part  of  the  prophecy,  and  as  being  studiously  introduced  to  prevent  any  pos- 
sibility of  mistake  respecting  zAe/i&Tuer  intended  hy  the  last  bead-  The  iem. 
poral de7ninion  of  all  the  six  first  heads,  springing'  up  as  they  respectively  did  be- 
fore the  division  of  the  Empire,  extended  over  the  ivhole  of  the  Empire  ;  and 
we  are  here  assured  by  St.  John,  that  the  tempo-al  dominion  oi'tke  last  head,  not- 
withstanding the  division  of  the  Empire  into  f/je  ten  horna^  shall  extend  over 
the  lu/iole  oftheEmbire  likewise.  Would  we  then  discover  the  last  head,  we  must 
seek  for  a  power  whose  dominions  have  been  commensurate  with  the  whole 
Western  Empire  ,•  for  this  last  head,  whatever  it  may  be,  is,  like  itc  six  Jtredtas- 
cors,  to  be  the  ivholc  benst. 

VOL.  IT.  11 


m 

the  last  head  was  to  be  the  tvhole  secular  beast  at  its  first 
rise,,  w  hich  the  Fope  as  a  temporal  prince  never  was. 

I  am  perfectly  aware,  that  to  this  objection  Bp.  New- 
ton would  reply,  that  the  P<pe  is  "  th^  head  of  the  hlate 
as  well  as  oi  the  church,  the  king  <f  kings,  as  well  as  the 
bishop  of  bishops i'^*  that  there  is  no  contradiction  in  a 
person  being  at  once  the  head  both  of  the  state  and  the 
church  ;  and  consequently  that  the  Pope,  although  a 
spiritual  character,  may  be  justly  esteemed  the  head  of 
the  .^cculav  heost  in  his  capacity  of  ^^  king  of  kings.''''  I 
am  aware  likewise,  that  the  canonists  assert,  that  "  there 
is  no  sovereign  pow^r  but  in  the  Pope  f  and  that  the 
Popes  have  repeatedly  maintained,  that  all  regal  authori- 
t}^  is  derived  from  them,  as  in  that  remarkable  instarce 
when  Boniface  the  eighth  wrote  to  Philip  the  Fairy  "  We 
will  have  thee  know  that  thou  art  subject  to  us  both  in 
leriiporals  and  spirituahy-\  But  to  all  such  arguments 
as  these  the  answer  is  sufficiently  obvious :  there  is  a 
very  wide  difference  between  only  claiming  and  really 
■possessing  temporal  supremacy.  Now  the  Popes  have 
been  sufficiently  importunate  in  claiming  the  title  and. 
authority  of  "  king  of-  kings ;"  and,  had  they  succeeded 
in  establishing  such  a  claim,  I  could  readily  have  allowed 
that  they  might  be,  what  Bp.  Newton  supposes  them  to 
be,  the  lat  head  of  the  secular  beast :%  but,  if  we  con- 

*  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Rev.  xiii. 

t  Whilaker's  Comment,  p.  2. 9— 234,  256,  2^7- 
i  Mr  \yhitaker,  who  mars  Bp  ISJevvton's  much  more  simple  exposition  by 
fancying  that  the  Papacy  is  the  iJictalorial  head  revived,  cites  Dr.  Barrow  as 
nsserting,  that  in  the  last  Lateran  council,  "  one  bishop  styled  the  Pope  prince 
cj  the  -world :  another  orator  called  him  kiu^  of  kings  cmdmonarch  of  the  earth  ; 
another  great  prelate  said  of  iiira,  that  Ac  had  all  power  above  all  powers  bo'h  of 
heaven  and  earth."  (Wliitaker's  Comment,  p.  256.;  He  likewise  cites  a  ser- 
inon  oi  J'ope  I>:nocent  the  third  as  containinif  the  following  passage.  "The 
church,  who  is  my  spouse,  does  not  at  her  marriage  come  to  me  emptv  banded. 
She  has  bestowed  a  precious,  an  invaluable,  dowry  on  me  ;  an  absolute  power 
in  spirituals,  an  extensive  authority  in  temporals.  She  has  given  mc  the  mitre 
for  the  ensign  of  my  spiiitual,  and  the  crown  of  my  temjoral,  jurisdictinii  :  the 
mitre  as  priest,  the  crown  as  king  ;  constituting  me  his  vicar,  who  bears  this 
inscriptidn  written  on  his  thigh  and  his  vestment,  A'i?)^  vf  Un^s  and  Lord  of 
ior.:s"  ,  ibid.  p.  234  "i  He  further  cites  a  bull  of  .SVx.m*  ihe  f/:h  agJiinst  the 
kni^  of  J\''axarrc  &r\d  the  jRrince  of  Conde,  wherein  it  is  declared,  that  "  tlie 
authraity  delegated  to  St.  Petei  and  his  successors,  b\  the  iniiiiite  power  oi" 
■ih^  Eternal,  is  above  all  power  of  the  kings  of  the  ean.h  ;  tliat  theirs  it  is  to 
ioiforce  tlie  observance,  and  to  punish  the  infringers  of  it,  by  pulling  ihem  from 
tliew  thrones,  how  powerful  soever  they  be,  and  casting  them  to  the  earth  a^ 
^linisters  of  Satan  "  Ibid,  p  2C9  )  In  all  these  declarations  howivc  r  I  can 
d'ocover  nothing  like  a  proof,  th^t  the  J'cte  is  head  of  the  state,  and  th<;refora 


83 

Suit  history,  we  shall  find  that  th&  very  reverse  is  tiie 
case :  the  claim  has  ofren  been  madey  but  it  has  never 
been  alUwed*  hy  the  great  European  powers  :  conse- 
quently, if  it  has  never  been  allowed,  but  on  the  contra- 
ry strenuously  res'sted,  with  what  propriety  can  we  ad- 
mit the  scheme,  which  makes  the  Pope  to  be  the  last 
head  of  the  secular  hea^t,  as  being  "  the  head  of  the 
statt^  as  weil  as  of  the  church,  the  king  of  kings  as  well 
as  hi  shop  ofhis'iops?'' 

When  Fope  Hil'^ ebra?! d excommuhicaied  and  deposed 
the  Emperor  Nemy,  that  prince  called  an  assembly,  and 
asked  their  opinion  respecting  the  pretended  right  of  the 
Pope  to  depose  cm  Emperor  :  upon  which,  all,  both 
Germans  and  Italians,  unanimously  pronounced,  that 
the  Pope^  instead  of  having  power  over  the  Emperor^ 
owed  him  obedience.t  So  likewise,  although  the  Em- 
peror Frederic  condescended  to  hold  the  Popes  stirrup, 
he  first  declared,  that  this  was  no  mark  of  homage,  but 
only  a  compliment  paid  to  his  holiness  as  the  spiritual 
representative  of  Christ.J  Tlie  same  Emperor,  in  order 
to  shew  his  independence  of  the  Pope,  repudiated  his 
wiie  by  his   own  authority  :sS  and,  when  tJie  Pope  had 

a  head  •fthe  secular  beast.  I  learn  from  them  most  undeniably,  that  the  Potes 
have  repeatedly  daimed  a  temporal,  no  less  than  a  spiritual  supremacy  :  but, 
before  1  can  allow  that  they  constitute  a  head  of  the  beast,  I  must  have  it  shewn 
to  me  that  their  claim  has  been  a/^weof.  Till  this  be  done,  we  are  only  in- 
fo.  med  what  the  Popes  have  been  styled  by  then.selves  and  their  flatterers,  not 
what  th  y  reallij  are  and  have  been  Exactly  the  same  remark  applies  to  Mr. 
bharpes  observations  upon  the  same  subject.  The  Po/>e  may  c«// himself 
Ilestor  Uibis,  and  claim  an  autliority  over  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  so  lorn?  as 
he  pleases  ;  but  this  alone  will  never  prove  that  he  is  tlie  ruler  of  the  world,  oc 
that  any  such  aqthonty  is  a//o7m/ to  him.  (Append,  to  an  Inquirv  into  ibe 
description  of  Babylon  p.  11.)  It  is  not  unworthy  of  notice,  that  even  the 
claim  ot  temporal  supremacy  was  not  made  by  the  Popes,  tiU  a  considerable 
period  after  they  had  been  declared  suprcne  head  of  the  Church.  The  insolent 
Grtgorij  the  second,  throughout  his  whole  quarrel  with  Leo  haiu-kus  respecting 
image-worslup  m  ^/^e  ^/tar  7^7,  though  he  vehemently  clamied  the  power  of 
excommunicating  even  sovereign  princes,  presumed  i:ot  to  assert  that  he  pos- 
sessed any  temporal  supremacy  over  the  Emperor.  In  one  of  his  epistles  to  Leo, 
the  limits  ot  civil  and  ecclesiastical  powers  are  defined  by  the  Pontifr.  To 
the  former  he  appropriates  the  body;  to  the  latter,  the  soul  :  the  sword  of 
justice  IS  in  the  hands  of  the  magistrate  ;  the  more  formidable  weapon  of  ex- 
cortim>iiucation  is  entrusted  to  the  clergy ;  and,  in  the  exercise  of  their  divine 
commission,  a  zealous  son  will  not  spare  his  offending  father  5  the  successors 
'     i  p  M   xr  ^''^  lawfully  chastise  the  kings  of  the  earth."     (Hist,  of  Dechne 

^\n  f  ;  :,''  'f  •  P-  ^^'--^  ^"'^^^'^  •'^^^'■^^  y^^""^  afterwards,  it  is  sufficientiv 
man.test,  that  </ze  Pope  was  a  mere  feudal  vassel  of  Charlemasne,  whom  he 
aci^n.Avledged  to  be  (us rightful  sovereign. 

*  !^\}^^^^  "ever  allowed  with  any  continuance,  and  certainly  never  allowed 
Uy  uU  the  gi  eat  powers  at  the  same  time. 

t  Mod.  Univ.  Hist  v^i,  ^sis  r.  St^         t  Ibi^l   p  1 18,        §  rh^d  p   1 1" 


S4 

presumed  to  assert  that  he  bestowed  upon  him  ike  Em- 
pire as  a  fief  of  the  holy  see^  he  published  a  manifesto,  in 
which  he  openlv  gave  the  he  to  all  those  who  should 
dare  to  say,  that  he  held  his  crown  of  any  other  than 
God  himself,  declaring  that  he  would  rather  resign  it  al- 
together than  suffer  it  to  be  debased  in  his  possession.* 
In  a  similar  manner,  when  Pope  Innocent  the  third  ex- 
communicated and  deposed  the  Emperor    Philips  the 
German  nobility  of  his  party  complained  in  a  letter  to 
the  Jvpe-,  that  his  hohncss  had  intermeddled  in  the  elec- 
tion oi  a  king  of  the  I\onians,  contrary  to  the  rights  of 
the  German  princes  and  the  duty  of  his  own  pontificate, 
v\h,ch  originally    depended   upon    the  imjierial  crown.t 
So  again,  when  Pope  Ho  tor  us  threatened   to  excom- 
municate the  Emptror  Frederic  the  second  on  account 
of  his  expelling  In  ni  then  sees  some  bishops  who  were 
creatures  of  the  Pope,  he  was  plainly  informed,  that  the 
Emperors  had  always  possessed  an  authority  and  sover- 
eign jurisdiction  over  the  ecclesia^tical   state,   that  liis 
grand-lather  and  father  had  maintained  this  jurisdiction 
in  full  force,  and  that  he  neither  could  nor  would  divest 
himself  of  it  to  the  prejudice  of  the  Empire  and  his  suc- 
cessors-i     I  he  E7nperor  Albert  indeed  was  com  el  led 
by  the  exigencies  of  the   times  to  own,  that  kings  and 
er/;eror5  received  the  power  oi"  the  temporal  sword  from 
the  Pope  .i  but  afterwards,  when  Pope  John  declare<l 
the  imperial  digni'if  to  be  a  lief  of  the  holy  see,  the  /i^i- 
Jl;eror /.oe/i*  assembled  all  the  learned  men  of  Germany, 
both  of  the  clergy  and  the  laity,   to  give  their  opinion  of 
the  bull  which  contained  such  a  claim.     These  all  con- 
cluded, that  it  was  unjust,  unreasonable,  and  contrary' 
to  the  Christian  religion,  as  tending  to  abolish  the  sov- 
ereign power  of  princes  ;  and  the  states  of  the  Einpirc 
requested  the  Emperor  to   take  care,  that  the  imperial 
dignity  should  not  be  trampled  upon,  nor  the  Germanic 
liberty  reduced  to  bondage.  |J     Finding  however  that  tht 
Popes  still  from  time  to  time  renewed  their  pretensions, 
the  princes  of  the  Empire^  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  secu- 

•  Mod.  Univ.  Ifist.  Vo'.  xxix.  p,  120,  121.  f  Il>iJ-  P  168. 

?  Ibid.  p.  186.  §  Ibid.  p.  257.  (!  Ibid.  p.  294,  '.295, 29f . 


85 

iar,  at  length  enacted  the  famous  constitution  by  whic^ 
the  Ejnph^e  was  declared  to  bs  forever  independent  of 
the  PoTie."^ 

If  from  the  Empire  we  pass  to  Flmigaryy  we  shall  find, 
that  the  temporal  supre^nacy  of  the  Fope  was  in  the  year 
loOS  so  steadily  resisted  in  that  country,  that  his  holi- 
ness himself  was  excomnuinicated  by  'he  Hangarian 
bishops,  in  consequence  of  his  Laving  presumed  to  lay 
the  city  of  Buda  under  an  interdict,  because  his  pretend- 
ed right  to  dispose  of  tlie  crown  of  that  kingdom  was 
resolutely  denied. f 

In  our  own  country,  when  Pope  Hildebrand  summon- 
ed JVilliain  the  Coiiqjierorio  do  homage  Jor  the  Idngdom 
cf  Engiandy  as  a  fief  of  the  Roman  see,  William  replied, 
that  he  held  his  crown  only  of  God  and  his  own  sword ; 
and,  when  the  nuncio  threatened  him  witli  the  censures 
of  the  Church,  he  published  an  edict,  forbidding  his  sub- 
jects to  acknowledge  any  Pope  but  such  as  he  should  ^1p- 
prove,  or  to  receive  any  order  from  Rome  without  his 
permission. J  England  indeed  submitted  to  the  Pope 
in  the  disgraceful  reign  of  king  John  :  but  in  that  of  his 
successor  the  English  agents  at  the  council  of  Lyons 
protested  against  the  act,  and  declared  that  John  had  no 
right  without  the  consent  of  his  barons  to  reduce  the 
kingdom  to  so  ignominious  a  servitude.^ 

As  for  Francey  when  Boniface  the  eighth  claimed  a 
temporal  superiority  over  Philip  the  Fair,  the  states  of 
the  kingdom  formally  disavowed  the  authority  of  the 
Pope,  and  maintained  the  independent  sovereignty  of 
that  prince  || 

So  likeAvise,  when  Gregory  the  se'centh  claimed  the 
same  superiority  over  the  di^erent  kingdoms  of  Spainy 
Don  Alonso  and  the  other  sovereigns  unanimously  declar- 
ed, that  they  were  independent  princes,  and  would  owb, 
no  superior  upon  earth. If 

Thus  it  appears,  when  we  descend  to  facts,  upon 
%vhat  very  slender  grounds   Bp,  Newton  makes  ?/ig  Pope 

*  Mod.  Univ.  Hist.  Vol  xxix.  p.  311.  t  H^id  Vol.xiii.  p  32. 

t  Smollett's  Hist,  of  England,  Vol.  i.  p.  418- 
§  IMod.  Univ  Hist  Vol.  XX-xix.  n,  174.  W  Ibid.  Vol.  xsiii.  p.  3?.*. 

^Ibid.  Vol.  XX.  p.  63. 


86 

to  be  the  last  head  of  the  secular  beast,  *'  the  head  of  the 
state  as  well  as  of  the  cimrchy  the  king  0/  kings  as  well 
as  the  bishop  of  bishops!' 

Nor  is  this  tfie  only  objection  to  which  the  system  of 
Bp.  Newton  is  liable.  In  a  propliecy  of  Daniel  already 
considered,  foit?"  great  beasts  or  iin.versal  empircsy  arc 
described  as  rising  successively  out  oi  the  sea.  The  last 
of  them,  like  the  apocalijptic  beost  now  under  considera- 
tion, is  said  to  have  ten  homsy  to  be  exceeding  terrible, 
and  to  be  difTerent  from  those  which  preceded  it.  Hence 
I  collect,  that  the  fourth  beast  of  Daniel,  and  the  first 
beast  of  St.  John,  are  designed  to  symbolize  the  same 
power.  No  doubt  however  is  entertained,  that  Daniel's 
fourtli  beast  is  the  Ronutn  empire  ;  it  follows  therelore, 
agreeably  to  Bp.  Newton's  original  proposition,  that  St. 
John's  first  beast  is  the  Roman  empire  likewise  at  some 
period  or  other  of  its  existence.  Now  this  fourth  beast 
of  Daniel  is  said  to  have  a  little  horn,  springing  uj) 
among  his  ten  larger  Iwms  :  which  little  hern  has  been 
shewn  to  be  the  Papacy.  If  then  the  little  horn  be  the 
Papacy,  and  if  DanieVs  fourth  beast  be  not  the  Papacy, 
but  the  Ro7nan  empire  out  of  which  the  Papacy  sprung ; 
St.  Jo/m's  first  beast,  being  the  same  as  Daniel's  furth 
beast,  must  assuredly  be  the  Roman  empire  likewise,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  the  Papacy.  To  me,  I  must  be  free 
to  confess,  it  is  a  matter  of  no  small  wonder,  that  the 
first  beast  of  St.  John  should  ever  have  been  thought  to 
symbolize  the  Papacy  ;  for,  if  this  beast  be  the  same  as 
DanieV s  fourth  beast,  a  point  maintained  even  by  Bp. 
Newton  himself,  he  certainly  cannot  be  likewise  the 
same  as  only  the  little  horn  of  tliat  very  identical  beast. 
The  reason  is  manifest :  such  a  supposition  as  this  doesm 
fact  make  Daniels  fourth  beast  precisely  the  same  as  his 
own  little  horn  ;  a  supposition  to  the  full  as  unwarranta- 
ble, as  to  conclude  that  he  is  the  same  as  any  one  of  his 
other  ten  horns.^     Yet  does  Bp.  Newton,  not  regarding 

•  Such  a  supposition  cannot  be  better  confuted  than  in  the  foUo'Alng'  pas- 
gage.  "  Si  Malvcndx  et  Lessio  fides  habeatur,  bestia  haec  Johannis  dccacornis 
et  septiccps  nihil  aliud  erit  qnam  cornu  illuJ  parvulum  bestx  quartx  Dan- 
ielis  :  et  proinde  decern  cornua  apud  Danielem  non  crunt  cornua  bcsti<e.  sed 
parvi  istius  corniculi,  quod  tamen  post  ilia  decern  cxortum  est,  septemquft 
ranita  apud  Johannem  ejnsdem  corniculi  capita  erunt.     Quo  quid  absurdius  * 


87 

this  manifest  violation  of  symbolical  analogy  and  figura- 
tive propriety,  adopt  the  inconsistent  scheme  of  typifying 
the  Papacy  both  by  the  eleventh  horn  of  a  beast,  and  by 
the  identical  beast  himself  to  whom  that  eleventh  horn  be- 
longs,* 

The  seven-headed  and  ten-horned  apocalyptic  beast 
then  is  the  same  as  the  jourth  and  ten-horned  beast  of 
Daniel:  in  other  words,  he  is  the  Boman  enpire  ;  which, 
according  to  the  sure  declaration  of  prophecy,  is  the  last 
universal  empire  with  which  tJie  Church  shall  be  con- 
cerned. Daniel  does  not  mention  the  seven  heads  of 
this  beast,  nor  does  he  specially  define  his  form  ;  he 
only  observes,  that  he  was  dreadful,  terrible,  and  strong, 
and  that  he  was  diverse  from  all  the  beasts  that  were  be- 

Certe  si  bestiallla  quartaliomanum  est  imperium,  sunt  hsec  corinia  ips'ms  bes» 
tiae,  h.  e.  Ilomani  status,  vel  re.^es  pvovinciarum.  in  quas  imperium  illud  divi- 
dendum  est."     Downliam  :  apud  Pol.  Synop.  in  loc. 

*  It  was  observed  to  me,  with  his  usual  acuteness,  by  the  present  Bp-  of  St. 
Asaph,  in  a  conversation  upon  this  very  subject,  tliat  it  is  impossible;  for  cnc  of 
the  horns  of  a  symbolical  beast  to  mean  the  same  thing  as  the  symbolical  bean: 
himself.  A  head,  importing  as  it  does  a  form  of  government,  must  necessarily 
be  in  some  sort  identified  with  the  beast  or  empire  over  which  it  presides,  be- 
cause they  jointly  form  only  a  single  body  politic  :  but  a  horn,  importing  one  of 
the  kingdoms  tvhich  have  sp.ung  out  of  an  empire,  can  never  be  identified  with 
i/te  tviiole  empire,  of  wliich  it  constitutes  only  a  single  pari.  Hence  St.  John 
^oesnot&diyAlvAt  the  six  frst  heads  of  the  beast  SiVe  respectively  the  same  as 
the  be  st  himself,'  because  such  an  obser -ation  would  have  been  plainly  super- 
fluous, the  empire  under  all  its  six  heads  being  in  an  undivided  state,  and 
therefore  of  course  universally  subject  to  its  six  successive  forms  of  govern- 
tniht-  but  he  specially  observes  that  iAe  Lst  head  should  be  the  beast  him- 
qelf ;  because,  although  ?/;e  ej»/)ire  previous  to  the  rise  of  this  lau  head  had 
branched  out  into  tefi  hor>is,  yet  this  last  mighty  head  should  at  its  first  rise  so 
completely  swallow  up  most  of  the  ten  separate  horns,  as  to  become,  like  each 
of  its  six  predecessors,  the  xub.le  beast,  however  unexpected  such  an  event  might 
be  after  the  division  of  thv  empire.  Apoiver  may  indeed  be  symbolized  both 
by  the  little  fwn  of  one  beast,  and  by  the  tvhole  body  of  another  distinct  beast,  as  is 
the  Case  with  the  Spiritum  kingdom  of  the  Papacy  expanding  into  a  spiritual 
empire  :  but  it  certaiiih  cannot  be  synibolized  borh  by  the  horn  of  a  beoit  and 
by  the  very  identical  beast  to  whom  that  horn  is  attached. 

Mr.  Bicheno  adopts  and  stales  the  commonly  received  interpretation  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  plainly  confute  itself.  "  What  is  here  (Dan.  vii. 
8.)  represtriiled  under  the  emblem  of  a  horn  of  the  fourth  beast  ia  the  same 
tyranny  which  is  shewn  to  John  (Rev.  xiii.  1 — 10.)  as  a  beast.  In  this  all  our 
best  commentators  are  agreed.  Nor  let  it  seem  strange,  that  what  is  here 
\n-efis^nredhy  a  horn  of  the fou'th  beast,  the  Roman  dominion,  should  be  re- 
presented in  another  vision  as  a  beast  with  sevn  heads  and  ten  hornsy  (Signs 
of  the  times.  Part  I  p.  13.)  To  me,  I  must  confesSj  such  a  mode  of  exposi- 
tion appears  very  strange  The  ten-horned  beast  of  Daniel  is  manifestly  the 
(en-horned beast  of  St  John  ;  how  then  can  the  little  horn,  which  sprung  up  long 
after  the  rise  off/it  beast,  be  the  beast  himself;  and  how  can  the  apocalyptic  beast, 
pixof  whose  heads  acc<.rdingto  Mr.  Bicheno's  own  plan  are  secular  heads,  syw.  • 
Idolize  nothuig  except  the  ecclesiastical  Roraaji  power  ? 


$8 

fore  bim :  but  St.  John  amply  supplies  tliis  deficiency, 
hy  informing  us,  that  he  had  not  only  the  ten  horns  no- 
ticed by  Daniel,  but  likewise  seven  heads ;  and  that  his 
^/idpe  vvas  compounded  of  all  /he  three  beasts  which  pre- 
ceded him,  the  Babijloniaii  linn,  the  Medo-Persian  bear, 
and  the  M'tcedoniin  leopard. 

I,  This  general  position  being  established  with  the  full 
original  consent  even  of  Bp.  Newlon  himself,  the  first 
point  to  be  considered  is,  in  what  sense  St.  John  c  mid  be 
said  prophetically  to  behold  the  rise  of  th^  Roman  empire^ 
when  it  had  already  been  in  existence  many  ages  belore 
he  was  born,  and  when  even  he  himself  unequivocally  de- 
c;larcs  such  to  be  the  case.* 

The  Apostle  affords  us  two  distinct  solutions  of  this  im- 
portant question  :  first  by  teaching  us  that  the  beasts  after 
his  rise  from  the  sea-,  should  have  power  given  him  to  con- 
tinue/or^y  two  months  or  l^QO  i^ears,^  the  very  period 
during  which  his  ill  tie  horn  was  to  carry  on  its  persecu- 
tions i^gainst  the  saints;  and  aflerwards  by  telling  us, 
that  this  Si.me  beast  "  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is." 
Hence  it  appears,  that,  in  some  sense  or  anothery  the  Ro- 
nian  beast  was  to  possess  a  wonderiid  peculiarity  which 
should  most  essentially  distinguish  him  from  his  th^ee pre- 
decessors in  universal  empire :  he  was  first  to  <' .r/,s/! ;  after- 
wards he  was  to  cease  to  exist ;  and  lastly,  he  was  again 
to  come  into  -existence. 

"  The  mystery  of  the  Vv^oman,  and  of  the  beast  that  car- 
rieth  her,  which  hath  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  The 
beast,  that  thou  sawest,  was,  and  is  not;  and  shall  ascend 
out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  go  into  perdition  :  and  'hey, 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  shall  wonder,  v.  hose  names  were 
not  written  in  the  book  of  life  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  when  they  behold  the  beast,  that  was,  and  is  not, 
and  yet  is." 

From  comparing  this  passage  with  St.  John's  asser- 
tion, that  lie  saw  the  beast  rise  out  of  the  sea,  and  that 

»  Sl-C.  Rev.  xvii.  10, 
•j-  •'  Power  was  ^ivcn  unto  liim  i>>  continue  forty  and  two  months."  What  is 
here  translitod  cmitinuc  ouglit  rather  to  be  translated  llebraicaUy  practise  or 
prosper.  Now  ilw  lloman  bpas'  revived,  and  beg"an  to  practtnc,  when  he  deliver- 
ed the  sain's  into  the  hand  oi' his  litdc  /torn  .-  consequently  the  ptrtodof  liis  prac- 
■tzsi  q,  and  the  rtign  of  his  liL^e  horn,  are  necessarily  commensurate.  See-  Bp. 
Newton's  Dissert,  on  Uev.  xiii. 


S9 

having  thus  arisen  lie  was  to  possess  power  forty  two 
months ;  it  will  be  manifest,  that  the  second  per  ion  of  tlie 
beast\<  existence  begins  with,  terminates  with,  and  is 
therefore  exactly  commensurate  M'ith,  the  I960  years 
of  the  great  Aposiacy  consequently,  that  it  precisely  co- 
incides with  the  tyrannical  reign  of  his  own  little  horn 
during  a  timey  times,  avd  half  a  time  ;  with  the  treading 
o( the  holy  city  under  foot  du'ivg  foi^ty  two  months  s  with 
the  prophesying  of  the  'zvo  witnesses  during  I960  days  ; 
and  with  the  flight  of  the  woman  into  the  wilderjiess; 
from  the  face  of  the  dragon.,  during  the  same  period.* 

The  near  alliance  of  the  Apnsfacy  and  the  beast  will 
lead  us  to  the  right  understanding  of  what  is  meant  by 
liis  having  heen,  his  not  being,  and  his  renewed  cxitence.^ 
**  A  beast,""  as  Bp.  Newton  mos!  truly  observes,  and  as  I 
have  already  very  fully  stated  in  apreceding  chapter,  "  A 
beast,  in  the  projihetic  style,  \s2i  tyrannical  idolatrous  em- 
pire :  the  kingdom  of  Gd  and  of  Christ  is  never  repre- 
sented under  the  image  of  a  beast'''  This  being  the 
case,  an  empii^e  is  said  to  continue  in  existence  as  a  beast, 
so  long  as  it  is  a  tyranwcaUy  idolatrous  empire :  when  it 
puts  away  its  idolatry  and  tyranny,  and  turns  to  the  God. 
of  heaven,  the  beast,  or  those  qualities  whereby  the  em- 
pire pjas  a  beast,  ceases  to  e.vist,  though  the  empire  itself 
may  still  remain  :  and,  when  it  resumes  its  idolatry  end 
tyranny,  though  they  may  not  perhaps  bear  precisely  the 
same  names  as  its  old  idolatry  and  tyranny,  it  then  once 
more  recommences  its  existence  in  its  origina'  character  of 
a  beast.  So  singular  a  circumstance  as  this  never  hap- 
pened either  to  the  Bahijlonian  beast,  the  Medo- Persian 
beast,  or  the  Macedonian  beast.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  sentiments  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  Darius  the  Mede, 
and  his  nephew  Cyrus ;  whatever  decrees  they  may  have 
promulged  in  favour  of  true  religion  througliout  their 
widely  extended  dominions;  whatever  privileges  they 
may  have  granted  to  the  ancient  people  of   God :    the 

•  See  the  preceding  5th.  chapter  of  this  foorh.  This  coincidence  of  times  seems 
to  have  been  the  principal  reason  why  the  ten-honied  beast  has  been  so  tre- 
quently  confounded  with  his  own  little  horn  or  the  Papacy  .-  each  was  to  con- 
tinue in  power  1260  days. 

+  "  — the  beast  that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is  "    The  Cornplur^nsian  edi- 
tion reads  "  was,  and  isoot,  and  yet  shall  be." 
VOL.  II.  19 


DO 

■^  oice  of  liistory  bears  ample  testimony,  tlmt  their  sub- 
]ecls,  as  a  bodij,  never  ceased  to  be  idolaters.*     But  this 
singular  ciicumstance  has  ha})pened  to  ilic  Roman  beast, 
and  to  the  llomnn   beast  alone.     That  empire  was  origi- 
nallv  a  beast,  by  its  profession  of  paganism,  and  by  its 
persecution  oi  the  first  set  of  men  of  undci'  tand  ng  men- 
tioned by     Daniel  :t  it  ceased  to  be  a  beast  under  Con- 
stant ine  the  great,  when  it  embraced  Christianity,  and 
became  the  protector  of  the  church  :  and  it  again  relapsed 
into  its  bestial  state,  when  it  set  up  the  tyrannical  supre- 
macy of  tJie  Pope,  adopted  the  worship  of  saints  and 
martyrs,  ajid  bitterly  persecuted  the  second  set  of  mev  of 
under standingX     Now  tlie  beast  erected  the  spiritual  do- 
mination of  the  Pope   in    the  year  606,   by  conferring 
upon  hiin  the  prerogatives  of  universal  episcopacy.    Con- 
sequently///e;/  it  was  that  the  beast  arose  out  of  the  sea, 
or  out  of  the  tarhalent  times  of  Gothic  invasion,  in  his 
third  or  revived  state :   and  he  may  be  considered  as 
having  firmly  taken  his  station  upon  the  shore,  when  in 
the  year  607  idolatry   was  openly  re-established  in  the 
old  heathen  Pantheon.     In  this  state,  ^/;(?  dragon,  or  Sa- 
tan, is  said  to  have  given  him  "  his  power,  and  his  seat, 
and  great  authority;"  in  the  same  manner   as  he  had 
given  them  to  him  before,  wdien  the  resolute  advocate  of 
paganism.^ 

•Though  the  Persians,  in  the  time  " of  Xerxes's  famous  expedition,  were 
professed  iconoclasts  ;  yet,  notwitlistanding-  Dr.  Hyde's  laborious  attempt  to 
prove  the  contrary,  1  cannot  but  think  it  sufficiently  evident,  that  they  wor- 
shipped, possibly  not  altoj^^ethei  excluding  the  true  God,  the  Sun,  the  Moon, 
and  the  Host  of  Heaven,  in  conjunction  with  their  diluvian  ancestors. 
f  Dan.  xi.  o.,-  1  Ver  35. 

§  It  is  in  tlii^  same  third  or  papaliij  idolatrous  state  that  i/ie  beast  "  shall  go 
into  perdition,"  or  be  utterly  destroyed,  as  St.  John  in  perfect  harmony  with 
"J):»niei  specially  informs  us.  (Kev.  xvii.  11.— Dan.  vii.  1 1.)  After  his  divi- 
sion into  Jen /tj^jj^-ffoj/^s,  and,  "  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  which 
the  horn  spake  ^'  tliat  is  to  say,  when  he  has  again  become  a  beast  by  upiiold- 
ingthe  papal  superstition,  as  he  was  before  n  bcaat  by  supporting  the  abomina- 
tions of  paganism  ;  in  this  last  state  he  goeth  into  perdition.  •'  He  shall  not., 
as  he  did  before,  cease  for  a  time,  and  revive  again  ;  but  shall  be  destroyed 
for  ever."  (I'.p  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Kev.  xvii.)  Hence  we  may  conclude, 
that,  since  ih  icant  is  to  be  destroyed  on  account  oHiis  little  horn,  he  will  con- 
tinue fn-mly  leagued  with  his  Utile  horn  to  the  very  time  of  the  end.  Accord- 
ingly, as  Daniel  describes  the  beast  and  his  little  horn  as  perishin<;  '.ogether,  so 
St*.  ,lohn  teaclics  us  tliut  the  same  beast  and  the  false  prophet  shall  be  involved  in 
vne  common  ruin  Hgiiting  against  the  Word  of  (Jod.  (Uev.  xix.  JO.)  The 
jiecessarv  result  of"  this  statement  i.s,  that  we  must  not  expect  any  further  re- 
formation ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  t!uit  the  followers  of  the  J'epe  will  become 
hardened  in  their  false  doctrines,  and  judicially  blind  to  the  clear  denuncia- 


91 

11.  The  next  point  to  be  considered  is  the  sj-mboh'cal 
import  of  the  seven  heads  of  tJie  beast-,  and  especially  of 
his  last  head. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  that,  although  tJu^  seven-headed 
mid  ten-horned  beast  arose  out  of  the  sea  in  the  year 
wherein  the  Apostacy  commenced,  we  are  not  on  that 
account  to  suppose,  either  that  all  Jiis  seven  heads  were 
//ie«  in  existence,  or  all  his  ten  original  horns. ^^  The 
symbol  of  an  Empire  must  be  so  constructed  as  to  take 
in  the  whole  history  of  tJtat  Empire  :  whence,  if  we 
contemplate  it  at  any  given  period  previous  to  its  fmal 
dissolution,  so7ne  members  of  the  symhol  will  unavoida- 
bly relate  to  j^ast  events-,  some  to  present  events-,  and 
ethers  to  future  events.  This,  we  are  specially  inform' 
ed  by  St.  John,  is  the  case  with  the  present  symbol. 

*'  Here  is  the  mind,  which  hath  msdom.  The  seven 
lieads  are  seven  mountains,  on  which  the  woman  sitteth. 
They  are  also  seven  kings  (or  forms  of  government :) 
five  are  fallen,  and  one  is,  and  the  other  is  not  yet  come  ; 
and,  when  he  cometh,  he  must  continue  a  short  space. 
And  the  beast,  that  was,  and  is  not,  even  he  is  the 
eighth,  and  is  of  the  seven,  and  goeth  into  perdition." 

From  this  passage  we  learn,  that  the  seven  heads  have 
a  two-fold  mysticcd  signification  ;  alluding  both  to  the 
seven  hills  upon  which  the  city  of  Rome  was  founded, 

lions  of  Scripture,  so  that  like  the  Jews  of  old  they  shall  unwittingly  accom-, 
plish  the  oracles  of  God.  As  blindness  in  part  hath  happened  unto  Israel  ;  so,  * 
because  the  Papists  received  not  the  love  of  truth  that  they  might  be  saved,  God 
hath  sent  them  strong  delusion  that  they  should  believe  a  lie.  (See  2  Thess. 
ii.  10,  li.)  Mr.  Whitaker,  to  whom  the  thanks  of  every  Protestant,  particu- 
larly at  the  pi'esent  juncture,  are  due  for  his  well- tiroecl  and  masterly  state- 
mojit  of  the  abominatioQs  of  Popery,  observes,  that  '-above  a  century  ago 
Puftendorff  expressed  an  opinion,  that  for  the  future,  in  all  probability,  the  tope 
would  by  degrees  gain  ground  on  the  protestants,  and  stated  wliat  makes  any 
real  reformation  in  the  doctrine  of  his  followers  impossible  ;  that,  if  it  sliould 
once  be  granted,  that  the  I'ope  has  hitherto  maintained  but  one  single  erroneous 
point,  liis  infallibility  would  then  fall  to  the  ground  :  ami,  if  that  were  removed, 
the  whole  superstructure  of  his  eccle£iastical  sovereignty,  v/liich  is  founded 
on  it,  must  fall  too."  (Comment,  p  4&0.)  Ought  not  this  consideration  to  put 
protestants  ujDon  their  guard  hov/  they  give  any  encoui-agement  to  the  en- 
croaching spirit  of  Popery  ? 

*  T~Mo  oithe  three  horn.'i,  v/hich  were  lobe  plucked  up  before  the  little  horn, 
namely  the  kingdom  of  the  Hcruli,  and  tlie  kivgdom  of  the  Ostrogoths,  were  fall- 
en previous  to  i/iCJ/tfrtr  606  ;  as  were  likewise j?*e  out  of  rAe  seven  heads,  or 
forms  of  government.  Sir  Isaac  Newton  justly  remarks,  that,"  whatever  was 
their  number  alterwards  -they  ("the  ti':i  hfjnisj  arc  still  called  t':e  tc;:  hingvfvon* 
tlieir  fii-st  number." 


92 

and  to  seven  different  forms  of  s^^vernment  which  either 
had  arisen  or  sliould  rise  in  the  Roman  mpire.  ^t  the 
time  when  St.  John  wrotc,y/i?e  of  thtsejonns  had  already 
fallen,  and  the  sixth  was  then  in  actual  existence  :  there 
is  no  difficulty  therelore,  and  consequently  no  dispute, 
in  settling  what  is  mtunt  hy  tne  jirst  six  heads  of  the 
beast  Two  Roman  historians  indc-od  have  satisfactorily 
decided  this  point  for  us,  by  ^eachi  ig  us,  that,  previous 
to  the  sixth  or  imperial  form  under  which  St.  John  li  .ed, 
their  country  had  !^een  subject  to  exactly  j^t7<*  o^/?er,9; 
namely  kings,  consuls,  die  ators,  deconvirs,  and  military 
tri'uncsxvith  consular aiilkoiiy.  The  •  niy  point  ttien, 
liable  to  dispute,  is,  xvhat  form  of  .^Ionian  gov  eminent  is 
intended  by  ihe  last  head  :  and  here,  I  thini-.,  there 
cannot  be  much  dispute,  if  we  only  compare  p?'o/?/i6'Cj/ 
and  historij  together. 

I  have  stated,  that  the  heast  aro^e  out  of  the  sea  in  the 
year  ^06,  v.hei;  he  delivered  the  sai  ts  iiito  the  nand  of 
his  tittle  horn  by  conferring  upon  the  Pope  the  right  of 
universal  supremacy.  Then  it  v\as,  tiiat  he  relapsed 
into  his  bestial  state  ;  and  consequently  then  't  was,  that 
he  began  to  exist  afresh.  Hence,  sincey/re  of  his  heads 
had  laden  in  the  days  of  St.  John  ;  and  s  nee  the  same 
imperial  sixth  head,  that  was  originally  an  idolatrous  head, 
and  atterwards  ceased  to  be  so,  consututed  the  Bishop  of 
Home  a  tyrant  over  the  Church  :  hence,  I  say,  it  appears, 
that  the  beast  began  to  exist  afresh  iindei  his  sixth  :  that 
is  to  say,  the  beast  both  zviis,  z^  not,  and  beg'Ui  again  to 
be-,  under  one  and  the  same  sixth  head :  conseqiently, 
in  point  of  chronology,  when  the  beast  revived,  his  last 
head  had  not  arisen.  In  lho  symbol  however  it  w^s 
necessary  that  he  shou!d  be  epresented  complete  in  all 
ins  members,  though  some  of  those  n)embers,  as  I  have 
iust  observed,  unavoidably  relate  to  Jiast  events,  some  to 
presf?it  events,  and  some  iojuture  ev  nts.  According- 
ly the  bcasty  when  he  emerged  i  -^m  the  sea,  a})peared 
to  St.  John  complete  with  all  his  seven  heads,  notvvith- 
standingy/rtw^ 7//o.9e  heeds  were  already  fallen,  and  not- 
withstanding the  last  head  was  not  as  yet  in  existence, 
in  order  to  assist  us  in  our  inquiries  after  this  last  head, 

*  Liv.  Hist.  L.  6.  C- 1.— Tacit.  Annal.  L-  1  in  initio  cited  by  Dp.  Newton. 


9S 

the  prophet  observes,  tliat,  whenever  it  did  come,  it 
should  be  a  double  h(f<  d,  consistinc;  of  the  sec?itk  head 
melting,  as  it  were,  into  the  eighth  head;  ani  rhat  it 
should  likewise  be  the  beast  that  was,  and  is  720* :  it 
should  in  some  sense  or  another,  be  tlie  beast  that  7vas, 
mid  is  not,  although  the  beast  revived  under  his  sivlli 
head;  and  it  shot  ill  moreover  be  so  powerful  at  its  hrst 
rise,  that  it  should  in  a  manner  be  identified  with  the 
xvhole  beast  himself y  notwithstanding  his  tm  honiSj  and 
his  additional  littte  liorn  mentioned  hj  Daniel. 

I  know  not  any  better  method  of  ascertaining  what 
power  is  intended  by  the  last  head  of  the  beast,  or  the 
last  form  of  Roman  government^  than  simply  to  follow 
the  current  of  history  from  the  davs  of  St.  John.  The 
sixtJi  or  imperial  head  was  flourishmg  in  the  height  of 
its  glory  when  the  Apostle  wrote;  and  W"  know,  that 
tlielast  headh^d  not  then  arisen,  both  from  the  testimony 
of  history,  and  from  the  unequivocal  declaration  thai  it 
was  "  not  yet  come."  Now  the  first  remarkable  ev^nt, 
that  St.  John  notices  in  the  history  of  the  sixth  head,  is, 
that  it  was  wounded  to  dealh  or  dain  by  the  stroke  of  a 
szvord.-'^  Before  any  attempt  can  be  made  to  explain 
this  part  of  the  prophecy,  we  must  endeavour  to  acqun-e 
a  clear  idea  in  the  abstract  of  what  is  meant  in  the 
language  of  symliols  by  a  beast's  being  slain;  for,  till 
this  idea  be  acquired,  it  will  be  a  vain  labour  to  seek 
for  what  we  may  perhaps  fanc^  to  be  a  corresponding 
event. 

A  beast  \s  a  tyrannical  idolatrmts  empire.  The  life  of 
a  beast  therefore,  or  t'),e  vital  principle  nherchi)  he  is  a 
beast,  must  necessarily  mean  his  tyranny  and  idnlotry. 
Consequently //ze  death  (f  a  beast  must  be  the  very  re- 
*verse  of  his  life  :  that  is  to  sa\,  a  be^-st  is  slain,  not  when 
a  temporal  empij'e  is  subverted,  but  when  he  ceases  to  be 
a  beast  by  abjuring  his  iitohiiry  and  tyranny,  80  again  : 
as  the  death  of  a  beast  is  his  abjuration  (f  tyranny  and 
idolatry,  the  revival  of  a  beast  is  his  relapsing  a  scco^id 
time  into  tj/ranny  and  idolatry.  In  sliort,  the  symho/ical 
imagery  oi  a  beast  being  slain,  of  his  continuing  drad  jor 
a  certain  spacC)   and  ni'  his  afterwards   coming  to  life 

*  Iv-'V.  siii.  3.  14. 


agnin/\s  precisely  equivalent  to  the  literal  prediction  re- 
specting tlie  Roman  hen.sly  that,  as  he  hcl  been, ^o  he 
.should  cease  to  be,  and  afterwards  siioidd  again  be*' 
This  being  the  case,  the  ten-homed  bead  received  his 
deodlij  woitvd-,  and  ceased  !o  he  (for  these  two  phrases  ar»., 
only  dilVerent  modes  of  expressing  the  same  thinj;,)  ut 
the  period  when  Constantine  embraced  Christianity,  and 
became  the  protector  of  the  (.'hurch :  and  liis  deadly 
wound  was  healed,  and  he  began  again  to  be  (for  these 
two  phrases  in  a  similar  manner  are  only  diderent  modes 
of  expressing  the  same  thing,)  when  Phocas  set  up  a 
spiritual  tjn-ant  to  wear  out  the  saints,  and  when  the  em- 
pire relapsed  into  idolatry.  It  is  specially  said,  that  the 
sixth  head  was  slain,  and  that  Vic  self -same  sixth  head 
revived :  in  other  words,  Uie  beast  both  received  his 
deadly  wound,  and  had  that  deadly  wound  healed  so  that 
he  "did  live,"  imder  one  and  the  sa7?te  si.v fit  head.  The 
Jive  preceding  heads  sim\)\yJeU :  they  died,  as  it  were, 
natural  deaths,  and  continued  pagan  from  their  fust  rise 
to  their  final  fall.  But  the  sixth  head  was  to  be  slain: 
it  was,  like  its  five  predecesso  s,  to  be  pagan  at  its  Ih'st 
rise,  but  it  was  not  to  continue  so :  it  was  to  cease  to 
exist  as  the  head  of  a  beast,  and  was  to  die  a  violent 
death  in  the  height  of  its  strength,  its  life  or  bestial 
principle  being  taken  away  from  it  by  the  powerful 
preaching  of  the  word,  that  sword  of  the  Spirit  which 
is  twice  in  the  Apocalypse  represented  as  issuing  from 
the  mouih  of  the  Messiah.  Not  that  all  tejnporal  au- 
thority was  to  be  annihilated  throughout  its  dominions ; 
but  simply  its  life,  or  the  principle  whereby  it  was  the 

*  Vide  supra  Chap:  2.  I  shall  here  once  more  cite  Mr.  Mede's  excellent  de- 
finition o^  figurative  death.  "  J\Tori  ea  notione  dicilur  qui  in  quocunqiie  statu 
constitntus;  si\'e  politico  sive  ecclesiastico,  sen  quovis  alio,  desinit  esse  quod 
fuit  ;  unde  et  occiditqui  talimortequemquam  afficit."  When  the  beast  then  was 
wounded  to  death,  he  ceased  to  be  what  he  liad  been  before  :  but  a  Least  is  a 
tyrannical  tdolutvous  empire  ;  therefore //le  Jloviun  Least,  wlien  slain  by  the 
BWord,  did  not  experience /)&/;</ca/ «K6r;fr«cK  (as  Bp.  Xewton  supposes,)  but 
simply  ceased  to  be  what  lie  had  been  before,  namely,  a  tyrannicnl  idolatrous 
emptre.  Mr.  Lownian  very  justly  thinks,  thatf/je  life,the  death,  and  tin  revival  uf 
the  beast,  mean  the  very  same  as  his  beings  his  ceasifigto  be,  and  his  benii^  agaiv  .• 
but  he  stems  to  me  greaily  to  mistake  the  import  of  the  two  seis  of  phrases, 
in  supposing  thatthty  dt-note  the  oi'trt/n-'j'u  of  the  liimian  empire  bij  the  fJolhs, 
and  the  revival  r>f  it  bi'  the  rise  of  the  J'lipac,:  In  fact,  the  lion  an  empire  under 
its  sixth  hea<t  was  not  overthi-own  b>  the  Goths  ;  but  still  continued  to  subsist 
undi  r  thai  same  head  at  Constantinople,  whither  the  seat  of  governnocnt  Uad 
been  transferred  long^  before  the  loss  of  the  western  pi'ovincpa. 


95 

Jiead  of  a  tyrannical  Uolatmus  empire,  was  to  be  taken 
away.  Yet,  notwithstanding  its  being  thus  skiu,  it  was 
after  a  certain  period  to  revive  ;  its  deadlij  wound  was  to 
be  healed :  the  vital  principle  of  bestiality,  which  was  for 
a  time  extinct,  was  again  to  be  infused  into  it :  it  was 
once  more  to  become  the  living  head  of  a  beast,  or  an 
empire  in  direct  opp>wtion  to  the  Gospel:  and  all  the 
world  was  to  go  a  wondering  after  the  new  idolatry  of 
the  revived  beast,  as  they  had  formerly  wondered  after 
his  old  pagan  idolatry.  Accordingly  we  learn  from 
history,  that  the  Roman  beast  was  both  slaiyi,  or  ceased 
to  bey  under  his  sitth  head  ;  that  the  empire  continued 
as  a  Christian  state  under  the  same  sixth  head  ;  and  that 
under  the  ame  sixth  head  hkewise  it  revived,  and  once 
more  caine  into  existence  as  a  beast.  In  tJie  year  3\3 
then,  when  Constantine  published  his  famous  edict  for 
the  advancement  of  Christianity,  the  beast  was  wound- 
ed to  death  iu  his  sixth  head;  and,  in  the  year  606, 
when  he  delivered  the  saints  into  the  hand  of  an  idola- 
trous spiritual  tyrant,  his  deadly  wound  was  healed,  he 
became  a  living  atiti-evangelical  power,  and  he  com- 
pletely resumed  all  the  bestial  functions  of  his  former 
pagan  character.  The  space  therefore  between  the  year 
oiS  and  the  year  606  is  the  space  of  time,  during  which 
the  beast  was  dead,  or,  as  St.  John  otherwise  expresses  it, 
was  not.^ 

This  interpretation  of  the  death  and  revival  of  the 
Roman  beast  under  his  sixth  head  will  be  found  to  be 
the  only  one  that  accords  with  the  general  tenor  of  sym- 
bolical language.  In  Daniel's  vision  of  the  four  beasts 
we  read,  that  the  Roman  beast  is  tohe slain-\  at  the  end 

»  I  Iifive  l^een  inrormed  by  a  friend  who  has  paid  much  attention  to  the  sub- 
ject of  prophecy  (the  llev.  T.  White,)  that  this  very  interpretation  oi  the  ckatli 
and  rcvi-uat  of  the  beast  was  given  many  years  ago  by  Dr.  Henry  More.  He 
says,  that  tlie  beast  was  slain  under  his  sixth  headhy  ceasing  to  be  idolatrous, 
and  t!iat  he  revived  by  relapsing  a  second  time  into  idolatry.  I  have  never 
had  an  opp>ortunity  of  reading  the  JMystern  of  Iniquity,  but  I  feel  myself  con- 
sideral)ly  strengthened  in  my  opinion  by  the  sanction  of  so  able  a  writer. 

t  St.  Jolm  predicts  his  destruction  in  somewhat  different  terms-  Instead  f'f 
saying  that  he  should  be  slain,  be  represents  liim  as  heinj:^  cas'.  miv;-  into  he:!.  'll)e 
discrei^ancy  hov/ever  is  more  apparent  tlian  real.  Daniel  briefly  describes  the 
subversion  of  his  power,  and  intimates  that  his  body  should  be  given  to  the 
burning  flaxpc  ;  St.  John  describes  at  large  tlie  manner  in  whicii  the  apostate 
faction  v^lU  be  overthrown,  tuul  the  future  punishment  of  those  that  were  mem- 
bers of  llio  ^fasf  hvrcceivinjj' /•/.'J  ??!«••'' anci    W'jrshipning  his  hnur^c.     Though 


96 

of  tJic  1260  years-,  but  that  the  lives  of  the  oiher  beasts 
are  to  br  prolonged  for  a  season  and  a  time,  though  their 
dominion  be  taken  away.  Now,  since  the  triumphant 
re  f?:n  of  the  saints  \\\io\\Qaxi\\  is  to  succeed  to  the  death 
ol  the  Roman  beasts  I  know  not  what  warrant  there  is 
for  imagining  that  all  government  within  the  precincts 
of  the  Roman  empire  is  utterly  to  lie  at  an  end.  It 
seems  moro  reasonaSle  to  suppose,  that  a  Iiappy  evangel- 
ical o'der  of  things  will  succeed  to  the  present  distracted 
Popish  state  of  the  Roman  world.  Such  being  the  case, 
the  death  of  the  .''Cast  must  evidently  mean,  not  the  an- 
nihilaiion  of  all  Icavful  Christian  gnvenmienty  not  a  Jac- 
obinical subvi  rsion  of  the  p;nvers  tliat  be  upon  the  lawless 
principles  of  the  frantic  lifth-monarchy  men  in  the  six- 
teenth century;  but  the  iitte^  destruction  of  iliose  de- 
tectable maxhns  and  d'Ctrines  which  constitute  his  best- 
ialiti/i  which  Sixe  his  very  Ife,  which  are  interwoven  even 
■w/ith  his  existence  as  a  brasty  without  the  profession  of 
which  he  would  not  be  a  beaU.  This  is  yet  further 
niar.ifest  from  the  predicted  fate  of  the  otiier  beasts, 
Th'ji  •  lives,  or  bestial  principles,  are  to  be  prolonged  dur- 
ing the  period  of  the  Millennium ;  though  their  domin- 
io  ,  or  pozver  of  injuring  the  Church  is  to  be  taken  away : 
while  f'C  Roman  beast  is  to  be  sla  n  ;  his  principles  are 
to  be  utterly  destroyed^  never  more  to  revive ;  and  with 
the  destruction  oi  those  principles  the  dominion  of  his 
little  Iwrn  is  to  be  finally  taken  away;  for  all,  both  gov- 
ernors and  governed,  will  form  one  congregation  of  faith- 
ful worshippers,  one  great  empire  of  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High.*  Accordingly  we  find,  that  the  beasts 
whose  lives  were  prolnnf^edy  in  other  words,  the  vatirns 
which  shall  adhere  to  the  canities  of  the  Gentiles,  make 
a  grand  altack  at  the  close  of  the  Millennium  upon  the 
Church  :  but,  their  (ln,>/iwon  being  now  taken  away,  thcy^ 
entirel}?  fail  of  success,  and  are  consigned  to  the  same 
punishment  as  those  that  professed  and  taught  the  apos- 

c/ifftfrt.?;  sliiillbesiu  to  be  sbinwUen  the  1260  days  shall  have  exi)lred,  and 
thoui^h  a  neu  .ind  happy  order  of  things  will  succeed  to  his  destruction,  that 
cW  slruction  will  not  U'  accomplisiii  d  without  a  dreadful  slaughter  of  his  ad- 
Tleienls;  "  there  shall  be  a  lime  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there 
was  a  nation  even  to  that  same  time.'  Compare  Dan.  vii.  11,  26.  .\ii  1  with 
R.vxix.  11—21 

•  Dan.  vii.  11, 26. 


97 

tate  principles  d"  the  Roman  beast. ^—The  conclusion  to 
be  drawn  from  the  preceding  view  of  Danicrs  prophecy 
is  this.     Since  the  firal  dtath  of  the  Roman  beast,  there 
mentioned,  means  thedestruciionof  his  principles,  and 
since  the  p-oiongation  of  the  lives  of  the  other  beasts, 
means  the  prolonged  existence  of  their  privciples  ;  .the 
first  death  of  the  Roman  beast  under  liis  si:vlh  head,  men- 
tioned by  St  John,  must   mean  (arguin,?  at  least   from 
analogy)  the  destruction  of  his  idolatrous%ra}iny  by  the 
sxcordof  the  Spirit,  while  his  revival  by  the  healing  of 
his  deadly  wound  must  in  a  similar  manner  signify  -the 
renewed  existence  of  his  idolatrous  tyranny.     This  inter- 
pretation is  yet   further  confirmed  by  the  declaration, 
ih^Xthe  beast  in  his  revived  or  papally-idolatrous   state, 
and  under  his  last  head,  should  go  into  perdition,  or  be 
utterly  destroyed.     "  A  beast,  in  the  prophetic  style,  as 
we  before  observed,  is  atyrannical idolatrous  empire:  and 
the  Roman  empire  was  idolatrous  under  ^/^e  heathen  Ern- 
perors;  and  then  ceased  t©  be  so  for  some  time  under 
t\\Q  Christian  Emperors;  and  then  became  idolatrous 
^g^inmxdQx  the  Ro77ian  Pimtiffs,  and  so  hath  continued 
ever  since.     It  is  the  same  idolatrous pozver  revived  again, 
but  only  in  another  form  ;    and  all   the   coirupt  pa?t  of 
mankind,  whose  names  are  not  inrolled  as  good  citizens 
in  the  registers  of  heaven,  are  pleased  at  the  revival  of  it  • 
butinihislast  form   it   shall  go  into  perdition;  it  shall 
not,  as  It  did  before,  cease  for  a  time,  and  revive  a^ain, 
out  shall  be  destroyed  for  erer/'f 

I  have  made  this  citation  with  great  pleasure  from  the 
writings  of  Bp.  Newton,  as  containing  what  I  believe  to 
be  the  true  explanation  oifhe  existence,  the  non-existence 
r     li^  re-ej^e^/e^^c^  of  the  Roman  beast.     All,  that  his 
Lordship  has  said  upon  this  subject,  is  excellent,  and  im- 
mediately to  the  purpose  :  my  wonder  therefore  is,  that 
alter  having  adopted  so  judicious  ^nd  consistent  a  mode 
of   exposition,  he   should  so  completely  have  departed 
horn  It  in  what  he  says  relative  to  the  death  and  7'eviva< 
o  the  beast  under  his  sixth  head.     In  explaining  this  par; 
oi  the  prophecy,  instead  of  strictly  maintainin|tlie  am,!    " 

, *  f ''; ;^^'  ^'  ^'  ^^  t  Bp.  Nev^ton's  Dissert.  on-I?ev.  x^m 

VOL.  II.  i^ 


98 

ogy  of  symbolical  language,  and  adhering  to  the  plan  of 
exposition  which  he  himself  lays  down,  he  sud^'' nly 
adopts  an  entirely  new  system,  and  suppose?  the  death 
of  the  beast  under  his  sixth  head  to  mean  the  sabvnsio7i 
of  the  IVestern  empire,  and  his  revival  to  mean  ihe  rise 
of  the  Carlovingian  empire.  *'  The  sixth  heady'  savs  he, 
"was  as  it  were  wounded  to  death,  when  ihe  Roman 
c?7e/^/7'e  was  overturned  by  the  northern  nations,  and  an 
end  v\'as  put  to  the  very  name  of  Emperor  in  Moniyllus 
Augustulus  :  or  rather,  as  the  government  of  the  Gothic 
kings  was  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  Emperors,  wirh 
only  a  change  of  the  name,  this  head  was  more  effectu- 
ally M'ounded  to  death,  when  Rome  was  reduced  to  a 
poor  dukedom,  and  made  tributary  to  the  Exarcliate  of 
Ravenna — But  not  only  one  of  hi  heads  was  as  it  were 
wounded  to  death,  but  his  deadly  wound  was  healed.  If 
it  was  the  sixth  head  which  was  wounded,  that  wound 
could  not  be  healed  by  the  rising  of  the  seven' h  head  as 
interpreters  commonly  conceive  :  f/ie  same  head,  ^v  hich 
was  wounded,  must  be  healed:  and  this  was  effected  by 
the  Pope  and  people  of  Rome  revolting  from  the  Exarch 
of  Ravenna,  and  proclaiming  Charles  the  great  Augfs'us 
and  Empei'or  of  the  Bomnns.  Here  the  wound,  a  impe- 
rial head  was  healed  again,andhathfiubsis*edever  since."* 
This  scheme,  independent  of  its  manilest  violation  of  that 
plan  of  symbolical  exposition  which  the  Bisljop  himself 
had  so  justly  laid  down  respecting  the  existence,  Ihe  ?ion- 
exisfence,  and  the  revival,  oithe  beas!,  is  certainly  unsup- 
ported by  history.  According  to  the  prophecy,  the  sixth 
he  'd-,  in  some  sense  or  another,  was  to  be  wounded  to 
dealh  or  slain  by  a  sxvord,  and  was  afterwards  to  revive 
again.  But,  according  to  the  Bishop's  explanation,  the 
sixth  head  was  most  assuredly  not  slain  in  the  sense  in 
which  lie  understands  the  expression.  The  xvestern 
branch  of  ihe  sixth  or  imperial  head  was  indeed  sub'  ert- 
ed  by  Odoacer  and  his  mercenaries  ;  hwt  the  sixth  head 
itself  was  not  slain,  (supposing  the  phrase  zvouided  to 
death  by  a  sword  to  mean  political  subversion^  ti'l  many 
ages  after.     It  still  subsisted  in    the  person  of  /^//c'  Con- 

*  Dissert  on  Rev.  xiii 


99 

stani'inotiolitan  emperor  ;  and  was  not   finally  ^/^/i«,  or 
wounded  to  death,  (supposing  with  the   Bishop  that  the 
\)\vc-dst  meaim  poll!  icrd  subversion  J  WW  the  days  of  the 
Turkish  horsemen  under  the  second  woe.     And  wiien  at 
length  it  was  thus  fimdly  slahi  by  the  arms  of  the  Turks, 
it  has  never  since  revived,  nor  is  it  likely  to  7'evive.  Hence 
it  is  manifest,  that  we  must  seek  for  some  other  mode  of 
explaining  the  death  and  revival  of  the  sixth  head;  and 
I  know  not  any  events  in  its  history,  which  will  satisfac- 
torily explain  those  circumstances  in  a  manner  agreeable 
both  to  the  language  of  symbols,  and  to  the  collateral 
prediction  that  the  beast  should  be,  should  not  be,  and 
should  be  again,  except  its  dijnig  in  the  qacdiiy  of  a  head 
of  the  beast  by  embracing  Chisti unify,  and  its  reviving 
in  the  same  qudity  by  its  relaps  ng  into  an  idolatrous 
tyranny  the  same  in  nalure  ihough  not  in  name  as  its  for- 
mer idolatrous  tyranny  while  in  a  pagan  state. 

The  scheme  of   iMr.  Whitaker  seems  to  me  to  depart 
yet  more  widely  from  symbolical  analogy,  and  to  be  stili 
less  tenable,  than  that  of  Bp.  Newton.     Notwithstanding 
St.  John  informs  us,  that  Jive  of  the  heads  were  fallen 
-when  he  wrote,  thereby  plainly  shutting  them  out  from 
having  any  connection  with  the  prophecies  which  he  was 
comnrssioned   to  deliver,  Mr.  Whitaker   supposes,  that 
the  wounded  head  was  not  the  imperial  hv^Uhe  dictatorial 
head :  that  it  received  its  deadly  ivound  by  a  sword  when 
Julius  Cesar  was  assassinated  ;  that  it  was  healed  by  the 
establishment  of  the  papal  poxver,  which  he  conceives  to 
be  only  the  Dictatorship  revived  :  and  tbit   thus,  com- 
puting as  in  the  days  of  St.  John,  it  had  been,  nas   not, 
and  yet  shall  hereafter  be. — The  arguments,  which  Mr. 
Whitaker  brings  in  support  of  his  opinion,  I  cannot  but 
think  perfectly  inconclusive — Nothing  can  be  more  wild 
than  to  pronounce  the  Papacy  to  be  the  same  head  as  the 
Dictatorship,  merely  because  the  power  claimed  by  the 
Popes  bears  some  resemblance  to  that  actually  possessed 
by  the  ancient  Dictators.     Yet  this  is  the  only  proof  of 
their  identity,  adduced  by  Mr.  W  hitaker.* — Thezvounded 

*  Even  if  the  resemblance  were  perfect,  which  it  is  not,  for  the  Poprs  never 
^oi.ycMet/,  though  they  might c/«z)u,  the  nictatorial  power;  slill  vurc  resem- 
-i/uHC- will  not  constitute  V<:/e/i«i7^.     "■  The  FoUe^'  says  15p.   Newton.  "  13  thp 


100 

head  moreover  was  a  form  of  government ;  coiisequcnrly 
its  deadly  iroicnd,  whatever  the  precise  nature  of  thae 
'icaund  may  be,  must  be  understood  figuratively  :  we  shall 
theretbrc  most  unwarrantably  dejjart  from  the  language 
of  symbols,  if  we  suppose  that  the  death  of  the  head  means 
the  murder  of  an  id^viduat dictator  ;  to  say  nothing  of 
the  inijiossibilit}"  of  shewing  how  the  rise  of  Popery  could 
heal  the  liberal  wounds  of  Julius  Cesa) — Lastl)^the  ex- 
pression was,  is  not,  and  yet  is,  however  commentators 
may  think  proper  to  inter{)ret  it,  can  have  no  relation  to 
the  particular  age  in  which  St.  John  flourished.  It  is 
used  by  the  angel,  not  in  speaking  ol  the  Roman  beast* 
as  he  had  already  been,  then  was  in  the  days  of  the  Apos- 
tle, and  xvas  hereof  er  about  to  be  ;  but  in  sj>eaki ng  of  him 
i«  his  revived  state,  that  state  in  which  he  ascended  out 
oithesen,^ihhi  state  which  is  contradistinguished  both  from 
hisfor/her pagane.ristence, and  his intertnedi'^'eChr'stian 
non-ed'i.tence  in  his  bestial  character.  Now  the  beast  re- 
vived and  ascended  out  oiihe  sea,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
r?60  days,  or  in  the  year  606.  Consequently  in  the  year 
(50f)  the  oeast  began  to  enter  upon  his  new  character :  his 
deadly  )ound  was  then  healed  :  he  received  life  afresh  : 
and  all  thy  world  wondered  after  him,  as  they  had  done 
previous  to  his  death.  He  had  been  :  he  had  ceased  to 
be:  and  now  once  more  was^ — Nothing  in  short,  that 
J\lr.  Whitaker  has  said  relative  to  this  mysterious  phrase, 
induces  me  to  give  up  the  interpretation  of  it  proj^osed  by 
Ep.  Newton  :  and,  had  his  Lordship  only  considered ///t 
death  and  the  revival  of  the  beast  always  in  the  samesense; 
had  he  only  considered  his  dea'h  hy  the  stroke  of  the 
sword  to  be  equivalent  to  his  iion-existencc,  and  his  living 

most  perfect  likeness  and  resemblance  of  the  ancient  RomoKcmperomy  Hence 
supposinif  //if'  image  oj  the  Ixast,  to  menu  the  ej/i^'icx  of  t lie  btaat,  he  supposed 
the  J'opc'io  be  that  ima^e.  Yet  lie  never  fancied,  tluit  tliis  similarity  autiioriz 
etl  him  10  say,  tliat  tlie  I'ope  was  an  Emp-.ror,  or  iJiat  the  Papal  hcid'  was  thf 
Jmpcriul  head  recovertii  from  i:s  (kadly  wound  so  that  f  Ac  Emperorship  and  </is 
J'apacy  constituted  jointly  only  one  head. 

*  We  may  observe  moreover  tliat  this  phrase  is  not  applied  to  a  hrad  of  th: 
hcast,  as  Mr.  \Vl>i:aker's  scliemc  necessarily  supposes,  but  to  tin  beast  himself. 
Tlio  mere  al'Dliiion  ol'  the  liietatorshij)  tlid  not  make  the  Jtwuiv  heast  himself 
cease  to  l)e,in  any  sense  of  which  the  words  are  naturally  capable. 

(  St  Ji:i>i»  seems  t')  liave  first  beheld  i/ic  At  w*/ floundering  in  the  sea  with 
one  of  his  hciid-:  wounded  to  death  Alterwards  he  beholds  him  reach  tLc 
Und  ;  and  imiuedi.ttcly  his  dtradly  woQnd  is  healed 


101 

«gain  to  be  equivalent  to-  his  re-exisience  j  I  should  liav-e 
had  nothing  more  to  do  than  simply  to  transcribe  his  ex- 
position of  this  part  of  the  prophecy.* 

Having  now  fully  considered  ^/^^  death  and  revival  o^ 
the  bead  under  his  sixth  heady  I  shall  proceed  to  state  in 
a  regular  chronological  series  some  of  the  most  promi- 
nent events,  which  took  place  during  the  time  that  the 
beast  lay  dead,  and  after  his  revival ;  in  order  that  we 
may  see,  whether  history  will  not  lead  as  to  some  satis- 
factory explanation  of  the  rise  of  his  last  head. 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  Theodosius  in  the  year 
395,  the  Roman  empire  began  to  be  invaded  by  the 
northern  barbarians :  and  scarcely  had  their  fmy  ex- 
hausted itself,  when  Rome  was  attacked  from  \hQ  south, 
and  its  strength  completely  broken,  by  the  Yandals  in 
tlie  year  455.  Thus  debilitated,  it  still  nevertheless 
preserved  the  name  of  an  empire  till  the  year  476,  when 
Augustulus  was  deposed  by  Odoacer.  These  rude 
shocks  greatly  weakened  the  Roman  empire  considered 
Vi^one  grand  whole-,  and  diminished  its  glory  :  still  how- 
ever it  continued  io  subsist  in  the  East.  All  the  events 
here  enumerated,  are  predicted,  as  we  have  seen,  under 
the  four  first  trumpets.  To  the  kingdom  of  (Jdoacer  in 
Italy  succeeded  the  kingdom  of  the  Ostrogoths  in  tfie 
year  493.  This  subsisted  till  the  reign  of  the  Easter^i 
emperor  Justinian,  when  it  was  subverted  by  the  con- 
quests of  Eellisarius  and  Narses,  whose  arms  delivered 
Rome  and  Italy  from  the  yoke  of  the  barbarians,  and 
united  them  once  more  to  the  erajiire.  The  events,  by 
which  so  great  a  revolution  was  effected,  succeeded  each 
other  in  the  following  order.  Eellisarius,  the  celebrated 
lieutenant  of  Justinian,  began  his  career  of  victory  by  re- 
covering from  the  Goths  the  iVfrican  province  in  the 
years  583  and  534.  His  next  exploit  was  the  invasion 
and  conquest  of  Sicily,  in  the  year  535.  Shortly  after, 
in  the  year  537,  he  entered  Italy  and  reduced  Naples. 
In  536,  he  made  himself  master  of  Rome,  which  the 
Goths  vainly  attempted  to  take  from  hira.  In  539,  he 
subdued  the  Gothic  kingdom  of  Italy,    and  took  Vitiges 

•  Sec  Whttaker'sr'jTrmTOt.  p  -;''';-«'^'1' 


102! 

its  sovereign  prisoner.  Afterwards,  daring  his  absence, 
Rome  was  again  occupied  by  the  Goths ;  but,  in  547,  it 
was  once  more  recovered  by  him.  A  third  time  it  was 
taken  by  the  Goths,  in  .549  ;  and  a  third  time,  in  55%  it 
was  regained  by  the  eastern  Romans,  under  the  eunuch 
Narses.  The  defeat  and  death  of  the  last  Gothic  sov- 
ereign of  Italy  speedily  followed:  but  it  was  not  long, 
ere  Narses  had  to  contend  wi^h  a  fresh  swarm  of  nor 
thern  barbarians.  In  553,  Italy  was  invaded  by  the 
Franks  and  Alemnns :  in  554,  they  were  totally  defeat- 
ed by  Narses :  and  the  period,  which  elapsed  between 
tlie  T/ears  554  a?id  568,  was  occupied  in  the  fmal  settle- 
ment of  Iti.ly.  That  country,  thus  restored  to  its  origi- 
nal masters,*  was  henceforth  administered  as  a  province 
of  the  Eastern  ewpire,  by  an  imperial  ofticer,  styled  the 
Exarch  of  Ravenna :  "  the  remains  of  the  Gothic  nation 
evacuated  the  country,  or  mingled  with  the  people: 
and  the  Franks  abandoned,  without  a  struggle,  their 
Italian  conquests."t 

All  these  events  took  place  during  the  time  that  the 
henst  lay  dead,  or,  as  it  is  otherwise  expressed,  was  not. 
Consequently,  since  he  revived  under  the  same  sixth 
head  that  had  been  mortally  wounded,  we  shall  find  it  a 
fruitless  labour  to  look  during  this  period  for  the  rise  of 
any  power  that  answers  to  the  description  given  of  the 
last  head. 

-  The  Exarchate  of  Ravenna,  though  engaged  in  per- 
petual struggles  with  the  Lombards,  lasted  about  l70 
years,  in  the  course  of  which  time,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
beast  revived,  and  the  papal  little  horn  commenced  its 
tyrannical  reign  of  1^60  prophetic  days. 

The  extinction  of  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna  by  the 
Lombards,  and  the  ambitious  views  of  their  king  Aistul- 
phus,  were  not  beheld  by  the  Pope  with  indifference. 
Though  he  had  thrown  off  his  allegiance  to  the  Const.an- 
tiropolitan  Emperor,  he  soon  found  that  he  was  but  ill 
adapted  to  cope  with  the  arms  of  a  victorious  prince.     In 

♦  That  part  of  Italy  however,  which  lias  since  borne  the  name  of  -Lomburdy, 
was  almost  immediulely  wrested  from  the  Eastern  Emperors  by  Alboia  ai.J 
liis   Lombards.      The  liistory  of  this  event  has   been   stated  in  a  precedinj^' 

o.upe..  ■!■  Hist,  of  Declln';  and  Fall,  Vol.  vii.  p.  399, 


103 

this  emergency,  he  applied  for  help  to  Pi[nn  kincy  of 
France  ;  who  speedily  poured  into  Italy  ..t  the  head  of  a 
lar^e  army,  dispossessed  the  Lombard,  and  conferrcnl  the 
Exarchate  of  Ravenna  upon  the  Pope.  Still  //^?  Bshol) 
of  Rome  found  himselt  too  weak  to  he  an  absolutel\^  in- 
dependent prince.  After  the  grant  of  M^  ^><7r67/rt/e  by 
Pipin,  he  received  from  his  son  and  successor  Chaile- 
magne  the  investiture  of  a  considerable  part  of  I. omhav' 
(h)  and  of  the  D'ikedom  of  Romcy  which  he  held  as  fiefs 
under  that  monarch,  though  fiefs  ol  the  most  honourable 
nature:*  and  in  the  following  reign  of  Louis  the  pious, 
he  obtained  a  grant  of  those  countries  to  hold  them  "  in 
his  own  right,  principality,  and  dominion. "f 

In  return  for  the  various  benefits  which  the  Romans 
had  received  from  the  Carlovingian  ])rinces,  "  the  de- 
crees of  the  senate  and  people  successively  invested 
Charles  Martel  and  his  posterity  with  the  honours  of 
Patrician  of  Rome''  This  aj)pelIation  had  formerly 
been  borne  by  the  Exarchs  of  Raveniuiy  who  were  the 
mere  lieutenants  of  the  Eastern  Emperor.  "  The  lead- 
ers therefore  of  a  powerful  nation  would  have  disdain<-(I 
a  servile  title  and  subordinate  office:  but  the  reign  of 
the  Greek  empeivrs  was  susj)ended ;  and,  in  the  vacan- 
cy of  the  Empire,  they  derived  a  more  glorious  commis- 
sion from  the  Pope  and  the  Republic.  Tlie  Roman  am- 
bassadors presented  these  Patricians  with  the  keys  of 
the  shrine  of  St.  Peter,  as  a,pledge  and  symbol  of  sov- 
ereignty; and  with  a  holy  banner,  which  it  was  their 
right  and  duty  to  unfurl  in  the  defence  of  the  church 

*  The  Popes  "  were  compelled  to  choose  between  the  rival  nations"  of  the 
East  and  tlie  West  ;  "  relig-ioji  was  not  the  sole  motive  of  their  choice  ;  and, 
while  they  dissenVoled  the  f;iilings  of  their  friends,  they  beheld  with  reluct- 
ance arid  suspicion,  the  catholic  virtues  of  tl.eir  foes.  The  difference  of  lan- 
guac^e  and  manners  had  perpetuated  the  enmity  of  the  two  capitals  ;  and  they 
were  alienated  fiom  each  other  by  the  hostile  opposition  of  seventy  vears.  In 
that  schism  the  Romans  had  tasted  of  freedom,  and  thr-  P.ipes  of  sovereignty  ; 
their  submission  would  have  exposi-d  them  to  tlie  revenge  of  a  jealous  ty- 
rant :  and  the  levolution  of  Italy  had  betrayed  tlie  impotence,  as  well  as  the 
tyranny  of  the  Byzantine  con:  t  ;"  while,  by  reviving-  tlie  western  empire, 
'•  the  Roman  church  would  acquire  a  zealous  and  respectable  advocate  ;  and 
und^r  the  shadov/  of  Carlovingian  power,  the  Bishop  miglit  exercise,  with 
honour  and  safety,  the  government  of  the  city"  ( Kist.  of  IJecline  and  Fall, 
Vol.  IX.  p.  169,  170,  171.)  According-  to  Mosheim,  the  t'opes  held  Rome  under 
the  Empire  as  ihe  most  honourable  species  of  fief  or  bvnefice.  5n^tii.  Hibt. 
Eccles.  p.  264,  265.  cited  by  Gibbon. 

+  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  xiv. 


104 

and  city.  In  the  time  of  Charles  Martel  and  of  Pipin> 
the  interposition  of  the  Lombard  kingdom  covered  the 
freedom,  while  it  threatened  the  safety,  of  Home ;  and 
the  Patriciate  represented  only  the  title,  the  service,  the 
alliance,  of  these  distant  protectors.  The  power  and 
policy  of  Charlemagne  annihilated  an  enemy,  and  im- 
posed a  master.  In  his  first  visit  to  the  capital,  he  was 
received  with  all  the  honours  which  had  formerly  been 
paid  to  the  Exarch-,  the  representative  of  the  Emperor ; 
and  these  honoiurs  obtained  some  new  decorations  from 
the  jo}'^  and  gratitude  of  Fepe  Adrian  the  first — In  the 
portico,  Adrian  expected  him  at  the  liead  of  his  clergy: 
they  embraced,  as  friends  and  equals:  but,  in  their 
march  to  the  altar,  the  Idug^  or  P^/ric ?>/;?,  assumed  the 
right  hand  of  the  Pope.  Nor  was  the  Frank  content 
with  tiicse  vain  and  empty  demonstrations  of  respect. 
In  the  9.Q  years  that  elapsed  between  the  conquest  of 
Lombardy  and  his  imperial  coronation,  Rome,  which  had 
been  delivered  by  the  sword,  was  subject,  as  his  own, 
to  the  sceptre  of  Charlemagne.  The  people  swore  al- 
legiance to  his  person  and  family :  in  his  name  money 
was  coined,  ancl  justice  was  administered  :  and  the  elec- 
tion of  the  Popes  was  examined  and  confirmed  by  his 
authority'.  Except  an  original  and  self-inherent  claim 
of  so\  ereignty,  there  was  not  any  prerogative  remaining, 
wdiich  the  title  of  Emperor  could  add  to  the  Patrician 
of  Rome.'"*' 

Thus  it  was  that,  by  the  conquest  of  Lombardy  in  the 
year  774,  Charlemagne  acquired  the  undisputed  sover- 
eignty of  Italy,  llie  Patriciate  of  the  E.varchs  was  a 
subordinate  dignity  emanating  from  the  Constantinopol- 
itan  Emperors  :  The  Patriciate  of  Charles  Martel  and 
Pipin  was  a  mere  title  so  long  as  the  kingdom  of  the 
Lombards  subsisted :  but  the  Patriciate  of  Charlemagne 
was  an  independent  monarch)'',  which  owned  no  superi- 
or, which  exercised  real  authority,  and  which  differed 
from  tlie  Emperorship  that  succeeded  it  in  name  only, 
not  in  essence. 

*  Hist  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  is.  p.  153-7J5p, 


105 

The  memorable  year  800  beheld  the  Carlovbigian  Pa- 
triciate forever  swallowed  up  and  lost  in  the  Gothic  im- 
perial dignity. 

"  On  the  festival  of  Christmas,  the  last  3i^ear  of  the 
eighth  century,  Charlemagne  appeared  in  the  church  of 
St.  Peter;  and,  to  gratify  the  vanity  of  Rome,  he  had 
exchanged  the  simple  dress  of  his  country  for  the  habit 
of  a  patrician.  After  the  celebration  of  the  holy  mys- 
teries, Leo  suddenly  j)laced  a  precious  crown  on  his 
head ;  and  the  dome  resounded  with  the  acclamations  of 
the  people,  Long  life  and  victory  to  Charles y  the  7nost 
pious  Augustus,  crowned  bij  God  the  great  and  pacific 
Emperor  of  the  Romans  1  The  head  and  body  of  Charle- 
magne was  consecrated  by  the  royal  unction :  after  the 
example  of  the  Cc.sars,  he  was  saluted  or  adored  by  the 
Pontiff:  his  coronation  oath  represents  a  promise  t® 
maintain  the  faith  and  privileges  of  the  church  ;  and  the 
first-fruits  were  paid  in  his  rich  offerings  to  the  shrine  of 
the  Apostle.  In  his  familiar  conversation,  f/?e  Emperor 
protested  his  ignorance  of  the  intentions  of  Leo,  whick 
he  would  have  disappointed  by  his  absence  on  that 
memorable  day.  But  the  preparations  of  the  ceremony 
inust  have  disclosed  the  secret ;  and  the  journey  of 
Charlemagne  reveals  his  knowledge  and  expectation: 
he  had  acknowledged  that  the  imperial  title  was  the  ob- 
ject of  his  ambition ;  and  a  Roman  senate  had  pronounc- 
ed, that  it  was  the  only  adequate  reward  of  his  merit  slwA 
services."* 

Let  us  now  examine  how  far  these  historical  facts  will 
enable  us  to  interpret  the  prophecy. 

The  head  or  form  of  gonenwienty  of  which  we  are  m 
quest,  is  represented  by  the  prophet  as  possessing  a  pe- 
culiarity of  character,  which  essentially  distinguishes  it 
from  all  its  predecessors;  it  was,  in  some  meanner  or 

*  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  is:,  p.  173,174  Let  the  reader  sericusly 
consider  the  whole  of  this  and  the  precedini^  citation,  and  then  decide  whe- 
ther the  Pope  appears  -very  much  like  the  last  independent  head  nf  tlie Roman  beast 
in  the  presence  of  his  master  Charlemagne. 

The  coronation  oath  of  Charlemasjne  was  couched,  according'  to  Earonius, 
iln  the  following  terms.  "  lu  nomine  Christi  spondeo  atque  pcUiceor.  ego 
€aroliis  Imperator,  coram  Deo  et  beato  Petro  Apostolo,  me  protcctcrem  ac 
defensorem  fore  hujus  sanclseRomanss  ecclesla:  in  omi  Ibus  uJlitatibus,  qua 
tenus  divinofultus  fuero  adjutorio,  prout  sciero  poteroque."  Annal.  Eccles. 
A,  D.  800. 

lOL.  11,  14 


106 

another,  to  be  a  double  head  ;  it  was  at  once  to  be  both 
the  seventh  and  the  eighth  head  of  the  beast.  That  these 
two  heads,  or  J  onus  of  government,  are  in  fact  but  one, 
may  be  plainly  collected  from  the  words  of  St.  John. 
When  the  seventh  king  "  cometh,  he  must  continue  a 
short  space:  and  the  beast,  that  was,  and  is  not,  even 
he  is  the  eighth,  and  is  of  the  seven."  In  other  words, 
although  the  beast  may  in  some  sort  be  said  to  have 
eight  heads,  or  eight  fumns  of  government,  yet  strictly 
speaking  he  has  but  seven  :  for  his  eighth  head  is  in  re- 
ality the  same  as  one  of  hi^  seven  heads.  The  question 
then  is,  w^ith  lehieh  o)  the  seven  heads  must  tiie  e^gtitk 
head  be  identified  ?  This  eighth  head  certainly  cannot  be 
the  same  as  ani/  one  or  the  five  first  heads  ;  for  they  v.ere 
all  fallen  in  the  tmie  of  St.  John.  Neither  can  it  be  the 
same  as  the  sixth  head  ;  for  that  was  already  existing  in 
the  days  of  the  prophet,  and  was  now  and  for  many  ages 
after  existing  at  Constantinople.  It  only  remains  there- 
fore, as  I  have  already  stated,  for  it  to  be  the  same  as  the 
seventh  head  ;  which,  when  it  came,  was  to  continue  but 
a  short  space  of  time.  To  suppose  otherwise  indeed  is 
introducing  a  sort  of  Hysteronproieron  into  the  sjmbol- 
jcal  character  of  the  Roman  beast :  lor,  if  the  eighth 
head  be  the  same  as  any  one  of  the  six  first,  the  beast, 
instead  of  being  finally  slain  under  his  last  head,  will  go 
into  perdition  under  a  head  w^hich  is  prior  m  point  of 
origin  to  the  seventh  that  continues  only  a  short  space. 
Hence  it  appears,  that,  since  the  seventh  head  and  the 
eighth  head  iUQ  in  reality  one  and  the  same,  we  can- 
not attach  any  meaning  to  the  short  continuance  of  the 
seventh hrad,  except  this:  that  ,yowe/)oa'^r  should  be  a 
head  of  the  empire,  foi-  a  short  time  only,  m  one  capaci- 
ty ;  and  that  alterwards  it  should  still  remain  a  head  of 
the  empire,  e\eii  i\\\  the  final  destruction  of  its  bestial 
principles,  in  another  capadty  :  thus  constituting  at  once 
both  the  seventh  and  eighth  heads  of  the  beast,  or,  if  I 
may  use  the  expression,  his  sep'inio-octave  head. 

At  the  time  when  the  beast  revived,  his  sixth  head 
was  seated  in  the  East ;  consequently  we  must  look 
for  the  rise  ol  his  last  head  m  the  West.  Now  we  learn 
from  the  preceding  historical  statement,  that,  during  the 


107 

jron- existence  of  the  beast,  and  subsequent  to  his  revi- 
val in  the  year  60(5,  the  loUowing  powers  only  have  had 
any  sway  in  Rome  and  Italy :  the  line  of  the  Western 
emperorsy  after  the  division  of  the  empire,  commencing 
With  Honorius,  and  terminating  wnth  Augustulus  ;  the 
three  khigdoms  of  the  Heruli,  the  Ostrogoths,  and  the 
Lombards  ;  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna  subject  to  the 
Eastern  emperors  ;  the  Popedom  ;  and  the  Carlovingian 
empire.  No  change  has  taken  place  in  Italy  subsequent 
to  the  rise  of  the  last  of  these  powers,  either  of  a  suffi- 
cient magnitude,  or  of  a  sufficiently  peculiar  nature,"^  to 
warrant  our  seeking  for  the  last  head  of  the  beast  posteri- 
or to  th-  year  800,  when  Charlemagne  was  crowned 
Emperor  of  the  Romans  :  nor  do  I  think,  that  we  have 
any  just  grounds  to  look  for  it  prior  to  the  revival  of  the 
beast  under  his  sixth  head;  nevertheless,  since  many 
have  fixed  the  rise  of  the  short-lived  seventh  head  pre- 
vious to  the  year  606,  when  the  deadly  zvound  of  th^ 
beast  was  healed,  I  felt  myself  bound  to  notice  the  pow- 
ers which  existed  in  Italy  before  that  year.  Among 
the  powers  then  here  enumerated  we  must  look  for  thti 
seventh  and  eighth  heads  of  the  beast. 

I.  Mr.  Mede  conceives  the  seventh  head  to  be  the  li?ic 
of  Western  emperors,  and  the  eighth  head  to  be  the  Pa- 
pacy, ^y  this  plan  he  makes  the  beast,  agreeably  to  the 
prophecy,  to  have  apparently  eight  heads,  and  really  only 
seven  :  the  line  of  the  Western  E^nperors,  which  con- 
tinued about  d>0 years,  being  in  fact  a  branch  of  the  sixth 
or  imperial  head.  It  appears  therefore,  that  in  order  to 
reduce  the  eight  heads  to  seven)  he  supposes  the  sixth 
and  tite  seventh  to  constitute  jointly  one  imperial  head.\ 

However  plausible  such  a  scheme  may  be,  it  will  by 
no  means  bear  the  test  of  examination,  even  independent 
of  the  objections  that  I  have  already  made  to  the  Papacy 

*  Since  this  was  written,  Buonaparte  has  made  himself  master  of  all  Italy  ; 
but  we  cannot  reasonably  suppose,  that  the  last  head  of  the  beast  has  arisen  in 
him  ;  both  because,  however  great  his  conquests  have  been,  they  have  not 
been  greater  than  those  of  Charlemagne;  and  because,  if  we  suppose  the  last 
head  to  have  arisen  in  him,  we  shall  make  the  beast  headless  during  the  whole^ 
period  that  has  elapsed  between  the  fall  of  the  sixth  head,  by  the  subversipn  cli" 
•.he  'JonstaptinoDolitan  empire,  and  the  present  era,  May  1,  IBOC, 
t  Mede'p  Works,  B,  V,  (?,  U,  p.  ^i% 


108 

being  considered  tJw  last  head  of  ifie  sendar  beast.  It  is* 
not  enough  merely  to  reduce  the  tiight  heads  to  severiy  ac- 
cording to  an  arbitrary  system  of  our  own  invention  :  we 
must  attend  to  tiie  ea^jress  words  of  the  prophecy,  other- 
wise we  in  fact  do  nothing.  Now  the  prophec}^  declares, 
that  the  eighth  head  should  be  one  of  the  preceding  seven : 
but  Mr.  Mede,  on  the  contrary,  makes  the  supposed  sev- 
enth head  to  be  one  of  the  preceding  s'x  ;  and  the  supposed 
eighth  heady  which  the  prophet  had  declared  should  be 
one  of  the  preceding  seveUt  he  makes  to  be  quite  distinct 
from  exeri)  one  of  those  seven.  According  to  the  prophe- 
cy, we  are  first  to  pitch  upon  ,^even  didinct  headSy  and  then 
A\^co\ev  an  eighth  head  \^h\Q\\  shall  he  the 'same  as  one  of 
those  seven  :  according  to  INIr.  Mede,  we  are  to  amalga- 
mate thesLvth  and  the  seventh  heads^  and  then  discover 
an  eighth  which  shall  not  be  the  same  as  any  of  those 
sex- en.  On  ttiese  ground.-,  I  think  the  plan  ot  that  emi- 
Bent  expositor  perfectly  untena'  le. 

^.  ^ '  r .  Sharpe  supposes  the  seventh  head  to  be  the  threes 
Gothic  Idngdoms  that  succeeded  the  imperial  swth  he  d 
in  the  supreme  gm^ernraent  of  Rome,  and  the  eighth  ncad 
to  be  the  Papacy.* 

Tliis  scheme  is  objectionable  in  every  point  of  view. 
Threr  successive  kingdoms  cannot  reasonably  be  esteem- 
ed one  headi  And,  even  if  this  were  no  objection,  others 
would  ifnmediately  arise.  The  kingly  head  was  tne first 
of  the  heads  of  the  beast  :  consequently  Mr.  Shaipe's 
scheme,  admitting  for  a  moment  these  three  ki?}gdo?nsio 
he  a  /i6'<7i/,  amalg'  mates  the  seventh  head  wh.h  thef?'sijas 
that  of  Mr.  Mede  amalgamated  the  seventh  head  with  the 
sio'th.  Such  being  She  case,  every  objection,  that  has 
been  made  to  Mr.  Mede's  scheme,  applies  with  equal 
force  to  that  of  Mr.  Sharpe.  The  eighth  he'd,  according 
to  both  tJ]«^se  plans,  instead  of  being  o)ie  of  the  seven,  is 
perfectly  distinct  from  them  all.  So  again,  the  three 
kingdoms,  which  Mr.  Sharpe  supposes  to  constitute  the 
seventh  head  of  the  beast,  are  tliree  of  his  ten  original 
horns.     If  then  they  be  thi^ee  horns  of  the  beast,  it  is 


«  AppeudiSto  tluree  tvacts,  p.  2S— -IiKiuiry  into  the  description  of  Babylon, 
p.  8,  9. 


109 

siireiy  impossible  that  they  should  likewise,  and  that  m 
the  selfsame  capacity,  be  c7ieof  lus  heads.^' 

3  Bp.  Newton  thinks,  that  t lie  Exarchate  of  Havtyra 
is  tJie  seventh  head,  and  that  the  Papacy,  is  the  eighth 
head.f 

This  supposition  is  in  some  respects  even  more  objec- 
tionable than  the  two  preceding  ones.  In  i he  first  place 
it  does  not  consist  with  his  Lordship's  own  scntimentfi 
respecting  the  Roman  beast.  In  a  former  dissertation  he 
bad  maintained  (erroneously  indeed  I  am  persuaded), 
that  tJie  Exarchate  was  one  of  the  ten  horns  of  the  beast  : 
now  he  represents  it,  as  his  seventh  heed.  But  the  self- 
same power  cannot,  in  the  self-sahie  capaciti/,  be  esteem- 
ed c-t  once  both  fl!  horn  and  a  head  of  the  same  beast— In 
the  second  place-,  no  modification  of  language  will  war- 
rant us  in  admitting,  that,  while  the  independent  Roman 
Emperor  of  Constantvwple  is  tlie  sixth  head,  his  mere 
dipendent  lieutenant,  the  Exarch  of  Ruzenna,  is  the  sev" 
enth  head:  for  this  would  be  to  place,  upon  the  very 
same  footing,  a  sovereign  SLViA  his  viceroy  ;  the  fountain  of 
aidhority  and  the  commissioned  governsr  of  a  provnueX — - 
In  the  third  place,  the  seventh  head,  whatever  it  be,  must 
be  the  same  as  the  eighth  head;  the  two  forming  jointly 
me  double  septiino-octave  head :  for,  unless  this  be  the 
case,  the  beast  will  really  have  eight  heads,  instead  of 
only  seven;  the  very  contrary  of  which  is  expressly  as- 
serted by  the  prophet,  v/ho,  in  order  to  shew  us  how  the 
beast  has  only  seven  heads,  declares  that  the  eighth  is  one 
of  the  preceding  seven.  But  the  Bishop  never  supposes 
the  Exarch  of  Ravenna  to  be  the  eighth  head,  for  that 

*  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  observe,  that,  if  the  three  horns  jointly  cannot 
he  the  seventh  head  <if  tiie  beast,  no  one  of  them  can  separately  Forbes  sup- 
poses, that  the  kingdom  oftht:  Ostrogoths  is  the  seventh  head  (See  Pol  Synop.  in 
loc),  in  which  opinion  Fleming  agrees  with  him  (Apoc.  Key,  p  16)  But 
why  should  ihis  kingdom  be  pitched  upon  in  preference  to  that  of  the  JleruU 
and  that  of  ti.e  Lombards  ?  The  objection  will  equally  apply  to  any  scheme 
that  should  fix  upon  eif^e/- of  ^/ic  oth-^r  t-iuo  kingdorm  in  preference  to  the  ttva 
that  must  necessarily  be  excluded  ;  and  every  other  objection,  that  has  been 
m*de  to  Mr  Sharpe's  scheme,  will  moreover  apply  with  equal  force  to  all 
schemes  similar  to  that  of  Forbes  I  have  already  complained,  that  I  have 
not  been  able  to  discover,  luhat  three  Gothic  kingdoms  Mr.  Sharpe  alludes,  to, 
from  the  circumstances  of  his  limiting  their  joint  duration  to  no  more  than 
70  years. 

t  Disgsrt  on  Rev.  xvii, 
^  — "  the  Exarchs  of  Ravenna,  the  representatives  in  peace  and  war  of  tl:^ 
ETiiperor   f  the  Romans."    Hist>  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Yoi,  vii.  p.  ^9t. 


no 

supposition  would  of  course  be  untenable:  the  eighth 
head  therefore  he  makes  to  be  the  Pope.  Hence  it  is 
manifest,  that,  upon  his  Lordship's  scheme,  the  beast  has 
actually  eight  heads ->  instead  ot  having  only  seven  :  narae- 
l}%  1.  Kings;  '2.  Consuls;  3.  Dictators;  4.  Decemvirs; 
5.  Military  Tribunes ;  6.  Emperors ;  7.  Exarchs ;  and 
8.  Popes.  The  prophet  however  explicitly  declares, 
that  the  eigh'h  head  is  one  of  the  preceding  sevtii,  and 
that  the  beast  has  but  seien  heads :  with  which  then  of 
his  supposed  seven  predecessors  can  the  Pope  be  identi- 
fied ?  Of  this  natural  objection  the  Bishop  seems  to  be 
aware  :  and  accordingly  he  endeavours  to  parry  it,  but  in 
a  manner  to  me  at  least  not  at  all  satisfactory,  even  allow- 
ing (what  I  am  by  no  means  disposed  to  allow)  that  the 
Pope  may  be  justly  considered  the  last  head  of  the  secu- 
lar beast  in  his  character  of  king  of  kings.^  "  But  pos- 
sibly you  may  hesitate,  whether  this,''  namely  the  Ex'tr- 
chate  of  Ravennay  "  is  properly  a  new  form  of  govern- 
ment, Rome  being  still  subject  to  the  imperial  power,  by 
being  subject  to  the  Greek  Emperor's  deputy  the  Exarch 
of  Ravenna  :  and,  according  as  you  determine  this  point, 
the  beast  y  that  zvas,  and  is  7Wty  {zuas,  while  idolatrous;  and 
was  noty  while  not  adolatrous),  willappear  tobe  thesevetith 
or  eighth.  If  you  reckon  this  a  ntzv  form  of  govern- 
menty  the  beast  that  noxv  is  is  the  eighth  ;  if  you  do  not 
reckon  this  a  new  form  of  govenimenty  the  beost  is  oi  the 
seven:  but,  whether  he  be  the  seventh  ov  eighth,  he  is 
the  last  form  of  governmenty  and  goeth  into  perdition." 
To  this  statement  the  answer  is  sufficiently  easy.  St. 
John  first  enumerates  seven  distinct  heads,  and  then  in- 
troduces an  eighthy  teaching  us  that  the  beast  has  never- 
theless no  raoje  than  seven  heads^  for  the  eighth  is  of  the 
seven.  If  then  the  beast  has  seven  distinct  heads  at  the 
rise  of  the  eighthy  and  yet  notwithstanding  the  rise  of  the 
eighth  has  no  more  than  sevcny  that  eghth  must  in  ^orae 
sense  be  the  same  as  one  of  the  seven  But,  upon  Bp. 
Newton's  plan  it  is  not  the  same  as  any  one  of  the  seven  : 
and,  in  order  to  oet  quit  oi  the  si/pposcd  seventh  head  the 
ExarchatCy  so  ihnithe  beast  by  the  addition  of  the  Fapa^ 

*  have  already  shewn  how  entiroly  unsupported  such  an  opinion  is  by  the 
^cstinionv  of  history. 


HI 

ci/  may  still  have  no  more  than  seven,  he  sometimes  con- 
siders the  Exarchate  as  a  head,  and  sometimes  as  not  a 
liead.^ 

4  Some  commentators,  probably  aware  of  the  dilTicu^ 
lies  here  enumerated,  difficulties  which  unavoidably  arise 
from  the  separation  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  heads-,  have 
adopted  the  mode  of  exposition  which  I  believe  to  be  th^ 
true  one  ;  namely,  that  the  two  lieacis  are  one  power  exist- 
ing in  a  two-fold  capacity :  but  unfortunately  they  have 
for  the  most  part  not  attended  to  the  very  accurate  lan- 
guage in  wliich  St.  John  describes  the  manner  of  that  ex- 
istence. It  is  not  sufficient  to  discover  a  power  existing; 
in  a  two-fold  capacity  merely :  but  that  power  must  so 
exist,  that  it  must  cease  to  be  in  one  capacity,  when  it 
begins  to  be  in  the  other.  When  the  seventh  head  *'  com- 
eth,  he  must  continue  a  short  space :"  he  is  not  to  co- 
exist with  the  eighth-,  but  he  is  to  give  place  to  him.  The 
two  heads  therefore  must  be  one  power  existing  in  a  suc- 
cessive i\\'o-{o\(}L  capacity. 

All  the  commentators,  of  whom  I  am  now  speaking, 
suppose  the  Pope  io  be  this  double  or  septimo-octaxe  head. 
Accordingly  some  of  them  fancy,  that  he  is  one  of  the 
heads  in  his  temporal,  and  ano'lier  in  his  spiritual,  capa- 
city ;  Mobile  others  conceive,  that  he  is  one  head  as  the 
sovereign  of  his  own  dominions,  and  another  as  king  of 
the  whole  world] — Now,  even  were  such  schemes  liable 
to  no  other  objections,  it  would  be  sufficient  to  observe, 
that  these  writers  seem  quite  to  forget,  that  the  seventh 
head  is  represented  as  preceding  the  eighth,  and  as  con- 
tinuing only  a  short  space  :  whereas  both  the  temporal 
and  the  spiritual,  both  the  particular-te?nporal  and  the 
universal-temporal  dominion  of  the  Pope,  run  parallel  to 
each  other,  and  are  equally  even  now  in  existence,  each 
having  continued  along  time. J 

Mr.  Brightman  and  Mr.  Mann  of  the  Charter-house 

*  Mr.  Lowman's  interpretation  is  exactly  the  same  as  Bp,  NcWton's,  and  is 
consequently  liable  to  the  very  same  objections. 

+  See  Pol.  Synop.  in  loc. 

i  I  speak  as  adapting*  myself  to  the  scheme  which  I  am  considering.  In 
strictness  of  language  the  universal-tewporat  domhiion  of  the  Pofic  is  neither  at 
present  in  existence,  nor  ever  was  in  existence.  1  have  already  very  fully 
shewn,  that  such  dominion,  tliough  of'.er.  dahmd,  v.as  ii:vir  allowed. 


.  tio-rtainiy  manage,  with  by  much  tlie  greatest  dexterity, 
tho  supposition  that  ike  Pope  is  tlie  ((ouble  or  sepUmG- 
octave  head. 

Mr.  Urightraan  thinks,  that  the  Papacy  arose  in  its 
quality  of  the  seventh  head,  when(  onstanline  renr-ved 
the  seat  of  empire  from  Rome;  that  this  short  lived 
head  continued  only  about  a  century  from  the  age  of 
Coiistantine,  when  it  was  overwhehiied  b}'  the  inunda- 
tion of  the  Goths  and  Vandals;  and  that  the  Papacy 
lastly  arose  in  its  quality  of  the  eighth  head,  wh  ch  was 
to  be  one  of  the  ^even,  when  it  was  established  upon  the 
firm  basis  of  temporal  power  by  the  grants  of  Pipin  and 
Charlemagne.  Then  was  healed  the  deadly  wound 
which  the  seventh  papal  head  had  received  from  the 
Gothic  sword ;  and  then  did  that  sa  ne  head,  considered 
as  the  cightli  p-palhead,  rear  itseli  up  again  with  greater 
vigour  than  it  had  over  possessed* — Independent  of  the 
impropriety  of  c^rt// considering  the  Pope  as  a  hea,i  of 
the  bead,  this  scheme  is  in  of  her  respects  highly  objec- 
tionable. So  far  was  the  Bishop  of  Rome  from  becoming 
a  head  of  the  empire,  by  the  secession  of  Constantine 
from  the  ancient  capital,  that  he  still  continued  a  mere 
subject  of  liis  sovereign,  as  much  a  subject  in  short  as 
any  other  bishop  :  we  mi^y  therefore  safely  pronounce, 
that,  during  at  least  a  century  after  the  Constantinian 
age,  the  period  assigned  by  Mr.  Brightman  lor  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  short-lfved  seventh  head,  no  7iew  head 
whatsoever  arose.  And  again  :  so  far  was  this  sup{)Osed 
seventh  head  from  being  slain  by  the  Gothic  sword,  and 
from  reviving  afterwards  in  the  capacity  of  the  eighth 
head,  thai  the  incursions  of  the  northern  barbarians,  as 
Machiavel  most  justly  observes,  contributed  more  than 
any  circumstance  whatsoever  to  advance  the  powej  of 
the  Papacy.  They  did  not  slay  it;  but  they  noirrtshid 
it,  and  gradually  gave  it  strength  and  co7isistcncy.\ 
Thus  it  ai)pears,  that  Mr.  i3rigiitnian's  scheme  is  wholly 
unsupported  by  history. 

Mr.   Mann,   on   the  other  hand,  conceives,  that  the 

*  F.rightm.in's  Apoc.  Apoc.  Fol.  273,  274. 
t  See  the  citations  fiorn  Machiavel  in  the  A'.h  chajito  of  thisAVork-  See  likc- 
tvise  the  citation  from  Sir  Isaac  Newtc). 


113 

Pope  became  the  se'centh  had  when  he  was  constituted 
supreme  he<!d  of  the  Chmxh  ;*  and  that  he  afterwards 
became  the  eigh,h  heady  when  he  induced  the  Italians 
to  revolt  from  the  Emperor  Leo  on  the  score  of   image- 
worship,! — This  scheme  however  is  as  little  tenable  as 
any  of  the  foregoing  ones.      The  seventh  head  was  to 
continue  but  a  short  space  :  the  ecclesiastical  supremacy 
of  the  Pope  has  continued  down  to  the  present  hour. 
The  seventh  head  of  a  secular  beast  must  be  a  secular 
poroer :   the  ecclesiastical  siipremaCTj  of  the  Pope  is  a 
purely  spiritual  power :  nor   is   it  possible    to  conceive 
how  he  could  become  -a  head  of  the  state  or  the  secular 
beast  by   being  constituted  head  of  the  Church.     The 
eighth  head  rvAx^iXikevjise  be  a  secular  pmver,  and  one 
moreover  so  large  that  at  its  first  rise  it  must  be  (as  we 
are  taught  by  the  prophet)  commensurate  in  a  manner 
with  the  whole  beast :  the  temporal  authority  of  the  Pope 
never  extended  beyond  his  own  dominions;    nor  is  it 
easy  to  imagine,  how  the  sovereign  of  an  Italian  princi- 
pality^ can  be  the  last  secidar  head  of  the  beasty  when  his 
temporal  supremacy  over  the  empire  was  at  no  time  ever 
acknowledged.  J     But,   if  the  Papacy  be  not  the  double 
head  of  the  beast  in  its  two-told  spiritual  and  secular  ca- 
pacity, it  will  be  found  impossible  to  point  out  any  other 
manner  in  which  there  is  even  an  appearance  of  proba- 
bility that  it  might  be  that  head.     For,  supposing  the 
Pope  to  be  intended  by  the  double  or  scptimo-ocJ.ave  head 
of  the  beast y  where  are  we  to  draw  the  line  of  distinction 
between   his   two  cliaracters  ?     At  what  period  did  he 

*  Mr.  Mann  fixes  this  event  to  the  ag'e  of  Justinian  ;  whereas  it  did  not 
really  and  permanently  take  place  till  the  year  606,  in  the  reign  of  Phocas. 
His  scheme  however  is  improved,  instead  of  being  injured,  by  this  remark  ; 
because  it  shortens  the  interval  between  the  rise  of  his  supposed  seH.'auh 
and  eighth  heads,  thereby  making  it  more  consonant  with  the  prophecy, 
j-  Mann's  M.S.  cited  by  Bp.  Newton,  Dissert,  on  Kev.  xvii. 

i;  Let  the  reader  attentively  reperuse  the  preceding  citations  from  Gibbon 
relative  to  the  inauguration  of  the  Carloviiigian  empire,  and  let  him  then  declare 
whether  in  the  presence  of  Charlemagne  the  I'ope  bears  any  resemblance  to  a 
head  of  the  semdarRovian  beast  At  that  period,  wlio  was  the  sovereign  of  liome 
and  Italy;  who,  the  master  of  the  Western  empire  ?  Charlemagne  or  the  Pope  ? 
Yet  so  far  will  a  love  of  system  carry  some  writers,  that  Mr.  Fleming  actually 
speaks  of  the  Pope  becoming  at  this  period  the  real  kif/.g  of  Pome,  and  repre- 
sents the  Roman  Emperorship  of  Charlemagne  as  being  a  mere  emptif  title.  ( Apoc. 
Key.  p.  35.)  The  very  reverse  of  this  is  what  we  learn  from  Jnstory.  Charie- ,, 
magiie  was  the  real  sovereign  of  the  western  empire  :  v^ndthe  PopeliQldfke 
dukedom  of  Rome  lUider  Vini  as  a  mere  feudal  vassal, 

VOL.  II.  15 


114 

cease  to  be  the  seventh  head,  and  begin  to  be  the  eighth- 
head  f  Or  in  what  sense  can  he  be  said  to  have  "  con- 
tinued a  sliort  sp;ice"  as  the  seventh  herd  ?  History  will 
furnish  us  with  no  answer  to  thtse  questions. 

As  for  the  other  grounds  on  which  the  I* ope  cannot  be 
esteemed  the  last  head  of  the  beast,  namely,  because  his 
claim  of  temporal  supremacy  was  never  allowed,  they 
have  already  been  stated  so  fully  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  chapter,  that  it  is  superfluous  here  to  recapitulate 
them. 

5.  It  remains  only,  that  wo  inquire  how  far  the  Car- 
lovingiayi  empire  answers  to  the  prophetic  character  of 
the  aouble  head  of  the  beast. 

The  subversion  of  the  kingdom  of  Lombardy  in  the 
year  774  made  Charlemagne,  already  king  of  France,  the 
undisputed  master  of  Italy  under  the  title  of  Patrieian 
of  Rume.     In  this  capacity,  he  granted  to///e  j'opei\\Q 
fiefs  of  a  certam  part  of  Lombardy  and  of  the  whole  s'ate 
of  Rome,   confirming  at  the  same  time  the  former  grant 
made  by  his  father  Pipin.     Here  then,  in  the  regular 
chronological  order  of  prophecy,  after  the  beast  had  heen 
woutided  to  death  under  his  sijrth  heady  and  alter  iiis  dead- 
ly zvourd  had  l)een  healed-,  we  behold  the  rise  of  th  Ccr- 
lovingvni  Pafriciatey  or  the  s<  venth  indepeuelent  temporal 
head  oj  the  beast.     This  head  however,  when  it  came, 
was  to  continue  only  a  short  space ;   for  it  was  almost 
immediately  to  bo  absorbed  in  the  eighth  hvcuU  .■•  hich  (the 
Apostle  informs  us)  is  in  reality  o//('o/ </Vd  seven  although 
styled  ^//e  e/ «/////,  and  which  (1  have  shewn)  can  only  be 
identilicd  with  i he  seventh  hrad :  consequently  we  are  led 
to  expect,  that  the  two  heads  are  to  be  so  intimately  blend- 
ed with  each  other,  as  to  torm  jointly  only  oneseptimo- 
octave  herd.     Accordingly  we  find,  that,  just  ^^ yen's 
after  its  rise,  the  seventh  head  was  for  ever  lost  m    th& 
eighth  head.  In  the  year  774,*  the  Carlovingian  govern- 

•  I  dale  the  rise  of  the  Patrician  head  from  the  conquest  of  Lombardy,  be- 
cause the  mtie  titular  Patriciate  of  Chailes  .Maricl  and  Pi  pin  then  first  bi-came 
a  real  form  of  govcrimunt  Should  the  reaiUr  however  be  disposed  rather  to 
date  its  riae  from  tlie  lime  ul»en  tht-  tith^  was  confirred  upon  Charles  Martel, 
tlie  propliecy  respeslinfj  tho  tihorlncss  of  its  duration  willbe  no  less  accomplish- 
ed. In  that  case,  it  will  have  continued  about  .'>0  ]/e*irf  insiead  of  i'6  ;  eitlier 
uf  which  periods  may  justly  be  termed  (i  i7io;f  </"!■.  As  for  r/ic  Patriciate  of 
tfie  ExarcliSf  it  resembled  in  naiaesiione  the  Patriciate  rf  Charlemasnc.    They 


115 

ment  of  Italy  commenced ;  in  the  year  800,  Charlemagne 
assumed  the  imperial  dioyiity,  which  has  ever  since  been 
borne  by  a  prince  within  the  limits  of  the  old  Roman  em- 
pircy  and  which  has  ever  since  given  him  precedence 
over  the  ten  liorns  by  constituting  him  in  a  manner  their 
head."^     Here  then  we  behold  the  rise  of  the  septimo' 
octave  head  of  the  beast  .-f  a  matter  so  evident,  that  a 
writer,  in  ihfs  respect  certainly  tmprejudiced,  was  natu- 
rally led  by  circumstances  to  bestow  ^/^/j:  %^erij  title  upon 
Charlemagne.      Pointing  out  the  motives,  by  which  the 
Popes  were  induced  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  French 
monarch  in  preference  to  that  of  the  Byzantine  emperors, 
he  observes,  that  "  the  name  ol   Charlemagne  was  stain- 
ed by  the  polemic  acrimony  of  his  scribes :  but  the  con- 
bore  tlie  title  of  Patrician  as  dependent  vkeroyt .-  he  bore  it  as  an  independent 

47,0^^1     l^uu^  ''"l^"   °V''^   ^^'■'^^^  Emperors  was  suspended,  and  during 
-  what  Mr.  Gibbon  styles  "  the  vacanaj  of  the  Empire.'^  ** 

*  From  the  days  of  Charlemagne/^-Af  Emperor  lias  always  claimed,  and  has 
always  been  alowed,  precedence  over  every  one  ,>f  the  ten  horns  :  and  as  such 
he  has  invariably  been  considered  as  the  head  of  the  great  European  covimon- 
^ealth  Tins  point  however  is  best  decided  by  a  professed  writer  upon  Ileral- 
dry.  In  his  chapter  upon  the  precedency  of  kings  and  commonwealths.  Sir 
George  Mackenzie  has  the  following-  observations.  "  Amongst  those  who  are 
supreme,  kings  have  the  preference  from  common-wealths  /  and,  amongst  iin-rs 
the  Emperor  IS  allowed  the  first  place  by  the  famous  ceremonial  of  Rome  "as 
succeedmg- to  Mfi^oHmwEjn/^erors— And  therefore  the  German  and  Italian 
lawyers,  who  are  subject  to  the  Empire,  have  with  much  flattery  asserted  tliat 
the  Emperor  is  the  Vicar  of  God  in  temporals,"  (manifestly  in  contradistinction 
to  the  Pope,  who  claimed  and  was  allowed  to  be  the  Vicar  of  Christ  zn  spirituals^ 
and  that  jurisdictions  are  derived  from  him,  as  from  the  fountain,  calling 
him  d9mm7imet  caput  totius  ordis."  (Mackenzie's  Observations  on  Prece- 
dency, chap.  1.)  This  last  matter  Sir  George  naturally  enough  refuses  to  al- 
low  though  he  readily  concedes  a  precedency  of  rank  to  t/^  Emperor.      HI? 

SitnLf \"oi™xfiL;'8"£?m  "'*P^^^ °' ''^'^'^'y-  ''' ''''^'''^ 

t  It  is  not  unworthy  of  notice,  that  Cardinal  Baronlus  speaks  of  the  corona- 
tion ot  Charlemagne  in  language,  wiiich  strongly  though  undesignedly  marks 
the  rise  of  a  ne~c  head  ef  the  Roman  beast.  '«  Quod  autem  ejusmodi  translatio 
imperil  ab  Onente  in  Uccldentem,  ubi  posthac  semper  stetit  et  hactenus  per- 
severat,  diyino  consilio  facta  fuerit  magno  relpublicx  Christians  emohimento. 
^  imperii  Onentahs  desolatio,  et  alia  eventa.  satis  superque  demonsir-.runt 
Wee  vero  id  potuisse  convenientius  fieri  quam  per  Kom'anum  Pontificpm  totiu'; 
Chnstiann:  religionis  antistitem,  et  suramum  Ecclesicc  catholics  visibilc  caput 
pastoremque  universi  gregis  Christiani ;  nee  decentius  quam  in  Carolum  ma- 
num,  regem  totius  Occidentis  potentlssimum,  eumdemque  Christianissiinuni 
pussimum,  justissimum,  fortissimum,  doctissimum,  de  religione  Christiana,' 
ccclesia  catholica,  sede  apostohca,  statu  publico,  semper  in  omnibus  optime 
meritum  ;  nee  denique  opportuniori  tempore,  q',:im  cum  jacerent  absque  pos- 
sessorejura  Onentalis  Imperii,  et  perlculuminimineret  ne  cadercnt  in  scJiis- 
niaticos  pnncipes  a  hde  catholica  extorres,  aut  in  Christians  religionis  inf;>s- 
tissimos  liostes  Saracenos,  nemo  prudens  et  rerum  squus  estimator  non  allir- 
mabit,  nee  inhcias  ire  poterit,  totum  id  Dei  opusfuisse,  ejusque  mirabiil  con- 
siUo  sapicntissim^  dispositum."     AnnaJ.  Ecclcs.  A  D.  gflO 


116 

cfueror  himself  conformed,  with  the  temper  of  a  states- 
man, to  the  various  practice  of  France  and  Italy.  In  his 
four  pilgrimages  or  visits  to  the  Vatican,  he  embraced 
the  Popf's  in  the  communion  of  friendship  and  piety ; 
knelt  before  the  tomb,  and  consequently  before  the  im- 
age, of  the  Apostle  ;  and  joined,  without  scruple,  in  all 
the  prayers  and  processions  of  the  Roman  liturgy.  \^'ould 
prudence  or  gratitude  allow  the  pontiffs  to  renounce  their 
benefactor  ?  Hud  they  a  right  to  alienate  his  gift  to  tlie 
exarchate  ?  Had  they  a  power  to  abolish  his  s^oreniment 
of  Rome  ?  The  title  of  Patrcian  was  below  the  merit 
and  greatness  of  Charlemagne :  and  it  was  only  by  re- 
viving the  Western  empire,  that  they  could  pay  their  ob- 
ligations or  secure  their  establishment.  By  this  decisive 
measure  they  would  finally  eradicate  the  claims  of  the 
Greeks :  from  the  debasement  of  a  provincial  town  the 
majesty  of  Rome  would  be  restored :  the  Latin  Christ- 
ians would  be  united  under  a  supreme  head  in  their  an- 
cient metropolis:*  and  the  conquerors  of  the  West 
would  receive  their  crown  from  the  successors  of  St.  Pe- 
ter. The  Roman  church  would  acquire  a  zealous  and  re- 
spectable advocate  ;  and,  under  the  shadow  r>i  the  Carlo- 
vingian  power,  the  bishop  might  exercise,  with  honour 
and  safety,  the  government  of  the  city.f 

To  this  interpretation  of  the  prophec}'  respecting  the 
sept imo-octave  head  of  the  beait,  it  is  possible,  that  three 
objections  may  be  urged — First,  that  it  does  not  accord 
with  my  own  plan  of  exposition  to  suppose,  tl-at  a  Aing 
of  France  should  be  a  head  of  the  beast,  because  France 

"  Thou;»h  Charlemagne  in  a  great  measure  united  the  Latin  Christians  under 
ore  head,  by  reigning  at  the  same  time  in  France,  part  r,f  Spain,  l.r.iu,  Germnm-, 
and  JIurgary,  yet  he  never  made  liortie  his  metropoDs  ;  nor  can  I  think  with 
Air.  Gibbon  that  the  Popes  ever  wished  him  to  do  it  Those  subtle  politicians 
were  too  well  aware,  thac  the  immediate  presence  of  a  sovereign  pri.ce  wuld 
grievously  impede  their  schemes  of  agt;randisf  ment,  ever  to  desire  that  /toin: 
should  behold  any  other  masters  than  tliemselves.  With  the  title  of  Empcro- 
of  the  Romar.i  they  were  perfectly  satisfied,  so  long  as  the  ij^i^rsr  remained  at 
•*.  respectful  distance  from  the  sexen- hilled  citv. 

t  Hist,  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol  ix.p  170,  171.  Charlemagne's  devotion 
to  the  Papacy  appears  from  this  passage  in  his  laws.  "  In  memoriam  beati 
Petri  apostoli.  bonoremussanctam  Romanamet  apostolicam  sedem  ;  ut  que 
nobis  sacerdotalis  mater  est  dignitatis,  esse  debeat  ecclcsiaslica  magistra  ra- 
tionis  Quare  servanda  est  cum  mansuetudine  humilitas  ;  ut,  licet  vix  ftren- 
dum  ab  illai  sancta  sede  imponatnr  jugum,  tamtn  feramus,  et  pia  devotione 
toieremus."  A  sentence  savs  Uaroniuf,  wortiiv  of  being  inscribed  in  letter.^ 
of  gold  :    Ecclci  AnnaL  A'  D.  SOI. 


11/ 

is  one  of  the  ten  korjis  :  consequently,  in  making  the  pa- 
tricio-iviptrial  digiiUy  of  C/iarlemagne  to  be  the  Imt  hecid^ 
I  make  that  prince  at  once  both  a  head  and  a  hoym^  the 
very  error  with  wh'ch  I  charge  Bp.  Xewton  in  thecase 
oi  the  Exarchate — 5<ff  o.'/f//j/»  that,  while  I  am  unwilling  to 
allow  the  Pope  to  be  the  lasthe/id,  on  the  ground  of  his 
temporal  supremacy  never  having  been  acknowledged 
hy  the  sovereigns  of  the  Roman  empire,  I  find  no  difTi- 
culty  in  supposing  the  Emperor  to  be  this  last  head,  not- 
withstanding his  temporal  supremacy,  except  so  far  as 
conceding  to  him  a  mere  empty  precedence,  is  as  little 
allowed  by  any  of  the  great  powers  as  that  of  the  Pope 
himself — Thirdly ^  that  the  imperial  dignity  of  Charle- 
magne and  his  successors  even  to  the  present  dav,  is  noth- 
ing more  than  a  continuation  of  the  sixth  head ;  and  there- 
fore that  it  cannot  be  esteemed  a  neiv  and  distinct  head—* 
These  three  objections  shall  be  answered  in  their  order. 
1.  It  is  undoubtedly  true,  that  I  denied  the  possibility 
of  the  Exarchate  being  typified  both  by  a  head  and  a 
horn  oithe  same  beast:  but  I  denied  it  on  this  account, 
and  I  see  no  reason  to  retract  my  opinion  :  in  the  case 
of  that  government,  the  same  power  is  represented  by 
Bp.  Newton,  as  being,  in  the  selfsame  capacity,  both  a 
head  and  a  horn  of  the  Roinc.n  beast,  which  is  a  manifest 
unnecessary  repetition:  whereas  Charlemagne  was  7ict 
both  a  head  and  a  horn,  in  t';e  same  capacity  j  but,  like 
all  his  successors,  in  txco  entirely  different  capacities.  As 
king  of  France,  he  v.as  a  horn  of  the  beast ;  as  emperor 
of  the  Romans,  he  wns  its  last  head.^  It  is  evident  in- 
deed, that,  since  the  sepiimo-octaie  head  was  to  spring 
up  when  the  empire  was  in  a  divided  state,  there  would 
be,  as  it  were,  no  room  for  it  among  the  ten  horns,  unless 
it  were,  although  a  distinct  thing  itself,  in  some  manned- 
attached  to  one  of  them.     Accordingly  th^  Carlovingian 

*  The  Pope  mig-ht  undoubtedly  have  been  a  horn  of  the  beast  in  his  eccUslc^  ■ 
Uc-l  capacuv,  and  a  headin  his  tempore!,  if  he  had  ever  been,  ^n'hat  Et  Xewica 
styles  him,  a  biv?  of  hir.^s  as  well  as  «  tichop  of  bishopi  :  but  this,  as  I  have 
already  shewn  from  history-,  he  never  was ;  and  yet  this  is  the  only  wav 
in  which  it  is  possible  for  hi. -n  to  he  ?/:e  last  head  ^s  vf^W  ^s  the  Uttls  her.. 
Mr.  Mede's  lang"jage  is  ver>-  inaccurate.  He  represents  rU  Uttle  hzrr.  as  bdng 
absolutely  the  same  as  tht  last  head — "  the  Antichristicn  horn  -z^iih  e.  a  c?id 
mcuth  ;  that  is,  qui,  euro  revera  cct:yj  tantura  sit,  pro  cap:tt  tamen  ses;  ::-'::!, 
cujusc?^  propnu!r.osetcculoshab-re"    Work;  p  :v  f—'^?   "• 


118 

imperial  dityviiij,  although  generally  attached  to  one  of 
the  ten  i-nrm,  is  yet  so  perfectly  distinct  from  them  all, 
that  the  French  successors  of  Chiirlemagne  continued  to 
be  kings  of  France  when  they  ceased  to  be  Emperors  of 
the  Romans  ;  and  the  imperial  dignity  itself  was  afterwards 
sometimes  borne  by  one  family,  and  sometimes  by  an- 
other, each  however,  so  long  as  it  enjoyed  it,  claiming 
and  being  allowed  precedence.*  Hence  it  appears,  that 
I  am  guilty  of  no  inconsistency  in  supposing,  that  Char- 
lemagne, in  his  two  different  capacities  oi  king  of  France 
and  Emperor  of  the  Romans,  may  be  considered  as  being 
at  once  both  a  horn  and  a  head  of  the  beast. 

Q.  ThQ  second  ■bjection,  that  the  Emperor  can  no  more 
he  esteemed  the  last  head  of  the  secular  beast  than  the 
Fope,  because  his  temporal  supremacy  is  tie  more  allowgd 
than  that  of  the  Pope,  will  speedily  vanish,  if  we  consider 
the  nature  of  symbolical  prophecy,  and  the  history  of  the 
first  rise  of  the  Carlovingian  empire.  Now  it  is  manifest, 
that  in  a  prophec}?-  symbolically  delivered,  the  symbols 
themselves  cannot  be  represented  as  perpetually  varying 
with  the  ever-varying  revolutions  of  nations.  The  great 
outlines  of  facts,  whether  past,  present,  or  future,  must 
alone  be  attended  to  :  and  the  different  members  of  a 
symbolical  beast  nmst  unavoidably  be  exhibited  as  sta- 
tionary and  permanent,  when  in  reality  they  are  by  no 
means  so.  St.  John  himself  gives  us  a  clue  to  the  right 
interpretation  of  his  own  prophecy.  "  Five  of  the  heads," 
says  he,  "  are  fallen,  and  one   is,   and   the  other  is   not 

•  The  imperial  title  lately  assumed  by  General  Buonaparte,  even  s«pposing^ 
it  to  be  sometbinff  diflerent  from  the  regal  title,  no  more  affects  the  present 
scheme  of  interpretation,  than  tlie  division  of  the  Old  Roman  empire  into  its 
eastern  and  Tcvstern  branches  does  the  universally  acknowledged  opinion  that 
the  sixth  head  is  tliC  ancient  imperial  dignity.  The  present  title  however  of  that 
usurper  is  manifestly  no  more  than  that  of  kin^.  Whatever  he  may  please  to 
style  himself,  France  is  still  only  one  of  the  ten  horns  of  the  beast.  But  should 
he  at  some  future  period  be  allowed  by  Providence  to  tread  in  the  steps  of 
Charlemagne,  to  sulivert  the  imperial  honours  of  Germany,  and  to  re-annex 
to  France  the  title  and  authority  of  >  mperor  of  the  liomaiis  ;  in  that  case  he 
would  doiibtless  become  the  .leptimo-octave  head :  in  that  case  the  imperial  dignittf 
would  only  revert  to  France,  as  it  was  before  transferred  from  France  to  Ger- 
mam/ ;  it  would  still  be  the  same  last  head  of  the  beast.  How  far  such  an  event 
is  probable,  the  reader  must  judge  for  himself,  when  more  is  said  hereafter 
upon  the  subject  of  yet  unfuUilled  prophecies. 

Siuce  this  was  written,  the  usurper  has  been  permitted  to  tread  in  the  steps 
of  Cliarlemagne,  and  to  erect  again //jf  empire  of  the  West.  His  goveniment 
is  now  plainly  the  representative  of  the  Carlovingian  hiadnf  the  btatt,  June  1. 
1806. 


119 

yet  come :"  nevertheless  tlic  beast  still  appears  with  all 
his  seven  heads,  notwithstanding,  wiien  he  arose  out  of 
the  sea  of  Gothic  hwasioii-,  five  of  them  were  no  longer 
in  existence,  and  one  of  them  was  as  yet  future.     In  a 
similar  manner  tJie  sixth  head,  which  at  its  first  rise  reign- 
ed paramount,  like  each  of  its  five  predecessors,  over  the 
ivhole  beast-,  is  still,  no  less  than  when  it  first  arose,  con- 
sidered as  the  sixth  head,  even  when  its  empire  was  over- 
run by  the  barbarians  of  the  North  and  the  Saracens  of 
the  South,  when  its  fairest  provinces  were  rent  away  from 
it,  and  when  many  independent  kingdoms  were  erected 
which  acknowledged  not  its  supiemacy.      If  then   the 
sixth  head  be  esteemed  a  head-,  from  \\.^  first  rise  to  its 
fi,nal  dissolution,  when  cooped  up  by  the  Turks  within 
the  narrow  limits  of  a  single  city ;   we  must  evidently 
adopt  the  same  mode  of  considering  the  last  head  ;  that 
is  to  say,  it  will  matter  little,  so  far  as  the  completion  of 
the  prophecy  is  concerned,  whether  the  temporal  supre- 
macy of  the  present  representative  of  the  last  head  be  ac- 
knowledged or  not,  provided  only  it  was  once  acknowl- 
edged.    We  have  merely  therefore  to  inquire,  wliether 
this  was  ever  the  case  with  the  Carlovingian  monarchy  ; 
for  such  acknowledgment  seems  necessary,  in  the  mind 
of  the  prophet,  to  complete  the  character  of  a  head  of  the 
beast.  He  is  silent  respecting  the  first  six  heads,  because 
they  all  arose  before  the   empire  was  broken,  and  there- 
fore it  was  unnecessary  to  specify  that  they  were  severally 
the  whole  beast :  but  he  particularly  informs  us,  that  ^he 
last  should  likewise  be  the  whole  beast,  because  such  a 
circumstance,  however  essential  to  the  character  of  a 
head,  seemed  very  improbable  after  the  empire  had  been 
divided  into  ten  horns /'^     This  however  precisely  came  to 
pass.     Allowing  for  the  space   occujned   by  the  yet  ex- 
isting sixth  head,  the  last  head  at  its  first  rise  ^^  as  com- 
mensurate, either  by  actual  sovereignty  or  acknowled<^ed 
supremacy,  with   the   whole  beast.     C  harlemagne  realli/ 
possessed  what  the  Popes  only  ineffectuaUy  claimed.  The 
greatest  part  oithe  Western  empire  was  immediately  sub- 
ject to  him :  he  possessed  ample  territories  without  its 

•  "  Tile  beast,  ihat  was,  n.ridis  not,  even  he  is  the  eighth  (king  or  heacl), 
and  is  of  the  seven  "  " 


1Q6 

limits :  and  the  petty  kings  of  Britain  and  Spain,  the  only 
provinces  not  directl}^  under  his  control,  implored  the 
honour  and  support  of  his  alliance,  and  styled  him  their 
common  parent,  the  sole  and  s?fpreme  Emperor  of  the 
West.^  The  result  therefore  of  the  whole  is  this.  If 
the  successors  of  Augustus  are  still  considered  as  the  sixth 
head  of  the  beast,  even  when  they  no  longer  possessed 
the  temporal  supremacy  of  Augustus  ;  no  reason  can  be 
shewn,  why  the  successors  of  Charlemagne  should  not 
still  be  considered  as  the  lat  head  of  the  beast,  although 
they  now  no  longer  possess  the  temporal  suprcmacyf 
of  Charlemagne."! 

S.  With  regard  to  the  iden'ity  of  the  ancient  Augustan 
imperial  digvitij  and  the  modern  Carlovingian  imperial 
digniiy,  it  exis^^s  but  in  imagination.  The  two  resemble 
each  other  merely  in  name :  in  all  other  respects  there  is 

»  Tlie  reader  will  find  a  statement  of  the  extent  of  tlie  Carlovingian  empire, 
m  the  Hist  of  the  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p.  180—187;  which  affords  the 
best  comment  upon  the  prophetic  declaration  that  the  last  Ae«r/sliould  be  the 
■uihole  beast.  Respecting  Charlemagne  and  his  empire,  Mr  Gibbon  justly  re- 
marks, that  "  the  dignity  of  his  person,  the  length  of  his  reign,  the  prosperity 
u{  his  arms,  the  vigour  of  his  government,  and  the  reverence  of  distant  nations, 
distinguish  him  from  the  royal  croud  ;  and  Europe  dates  a  new  era  from  the 
restoration  of  the  Western  empire."  The  very  pagans  indeed,  as  Cardinal 
Haronius  observes,  mourned  for  Chai-lemagne  as  the  father  of  the  world  : 
"  ipsos  paganoseum  planxisse quasi  patrem  orbis."    Annal.  Eccles.  A  D.  814. 

f  Since  this  was  written,  the  Carlovingian  emperorship  of  the  West  Jias  been 
transferred  to  France,  and  the  real  temporal  supremaaj  nf  Charlemagne  has  beea 
revived.     June  1,  1806. 

t  The  relics  of  that  temporal  supremacy,  which  constituted  the  Carlovln- 
sjian  line  of  emperors  the  last  lie>id  of  the  beact,mviy  he  cXe^rXy  \.TiCtCi\n  the 
famous  Golden  bull  enacted  under  the  Emperor  Charles  iv.  in  f Ac  7/("ar  1356. 
In  this  bull  each  of  the  Electors  is  required  to  swear,  that  to  the  best  of  his 
discernment,  he  will  choose  "  a  temporal  chief  fov  the  Christian  people"  who 
'Tiay  be  worthy  of  that  station  :  and  it  is  afterwards  ordered,  that  none  of  them 
bhall  quit  the  city  of  Frankfort,  "  until  they  shall  have,  by  a  plurality  of  voices, 
elected  and  given  to  the  world,  or  to  the  Christian  pe  pie,  a.  tejiiporai chief ,  name- 
ly a  king  of  the  Romans,  future  Emperor."  With  the  same  now  empty  affec- 
tation of  the  Carlovingian  supremacy,  the  Archbishop  of  Cologne  is  styled 
^Irch-chancellor  of  the  Holy  Empire  in  Italy  ;  the  Archbishop  of  Triers,  .Jrch- 
rhancellor  (f  the  Holy  Empire  in  France  and  Jirltt  ;  and  the  Archbishop  of 
jNlentz,  .Irchchancellor  of  the  Holy  Empire  in  German).  The  whole  of  the  Gold- 
en bull  may  be  seen  in  Mod.  Univ.  Hist-  Vol.  xxx.  Bp.  Newton  indeed  does 
not  deny,  that  the  Carlovingian  emperorship  is  a  head  of  tlie  beast  ,•  only  he  sup- 
poses it  to  be  a  continuation  of  the  sixth  head,  instead  of  its  being  the  ilis- 
::nct  double  last  head.  Such  a  scheme  however  appears  to  me  extremely  un- 
natural. When  the  sixth  /leat^  was  continued  from  the  days  of  Gonstantine  in 
the  persons  of  f/ie  ConstantinoOolitun  emperors,  awd  consaquently  when  it  was 
actually  in  existence  at  tlie  time  of  the  rise  of  the  drlo'vins^ian  Emperorship,  it 
seems  very  far  fetched  to  say,  tb:»t  it  was  continued  in  tlie  line  of  the  Car- 
lovingian Emperors,  the  very  first  of  whom  did  not  flourish  till  upwards  of 
fhr<r  centuries  after  the  downfall  of  the  oldtoestern  empire  under  Augustulu?. 


m 

so  great  a  difTerence  betwe  n  theiti,  that  tliey  cannot 
with  any  propriety  be  considered  as  forming  only  one 
head.     They  differ  in  these  respects. 

T/ie  Angustan  Er/iperorship  was  a  single  head,  imme- 
diately succeeding  the  five  which  had  fallen,  and  seated 
daring  the  latter  part  of  its  existe/ice  at  Constantinople 
contemporaneously  with  the  last  head.^  The  Carlwin- 
gian  EmpenTship  is  a  double  head,  consisting  of  the  Pa- 
triciate mergmg  into  the  feudal  imperial  dignity,  whence 
I  have  styled  it  the  sept i mo-octave  head — The  Augustan 
Emperorship  was  composed  of  a  line  of  real  Roman 
princes, \  who  administered  the  very  Em-nre  that  was 
erected  by  the  valour  of  the  five  first  heads.  The  Car- 
lovingian  Em')erorship  was  composed  of  a  line  of  Go' hie 
princes,  who  had  invaded  and  occupied  the  territories  of 
the  sixth  head — The  Augustan  Emperorship  was  some- 
times hereditary,  and  sometimes  conferred  by  the  mili- 
tary violence  of  the  Pretorian  guards.  The  Carhmngian 
Einpcrorship  has  sometimes  indeed  been  hereditary,  but 
has  for  the  most  part  been  elective,  the  right  of  election 
being  vested  in  a  certain  number  of  princes — Tkd  Auo-us- 
tan  Emp  rorship  was  always  attached  to  terntorial  pos- 
sessions, insomuch  thiit,  if  the  reigning  Eraperi  r  had  not 
been  Emperor,  he  would  have  been  no  more  than  a  pri 
vate  man.  The  Carlovi?igia?i  EmperorsJiip  was  never 
attached  to  territorial  poss  ;Ssions,  as  such  ;  the  prince, 
who  enjoyed  that  dignity,  sometimes  being  of  one  family 
and  sometimes  of  another,  holding  his  proper  dominions 
by  a  quite  distinct  tenure  from  his  Emperorship,  being  at 
once  an  hereditary  sovereign  and  an  elective  Emperor,  and 
rarely  since  the  days  of  Charlemagne  possessing  a  single 
foot  of  ground  in  his  imperial  capacity.^  Accordingly  the 
dignity  of  the  Carlovtngian  Emperorship  has  been  bo-^ne 
alternately  by  a  King  oi  France,  a  Duke  of  Franconia, 

*  It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  St.  John  gives  no  intimation,  that  the  sink  head 
slioukl  fall  previous  to  the  rise  of  thf  septim'o-octave  head,  though  he  stai-:s  so 
particularly  that  the  Jivejirst  heads  had  fajlen  previous  to  the  rise  of  ihe  sixth 
head. 

f  When  I  3ay  real  Roman  princes.  I  only  mean  princes  born  in  re^ii  ns  that 
acknowledged  the  sovereignty  of  the  Augustan  Emperors,  not  princes  literally 
born  at  Rome  or  in  Italy 

t  Charlemagne's  sovereignty  of  Italy  gradually  melted  away  into  tbe  iva- 
perial  fiefs. 

VOL.  II.  16 


125 

a  Duke  of  Suabia,  a  Duke  of  Bavaria,  a  King  of  Bohem'm, 
a  King  of  Naples,  and  a  King  of  Spain  ;*  whose  heredi- 
tary territories  weie  entirely  independent  of  their  imperial 
rank — Finally,  the  Augustan  Emperorship  consisted  of 
ali7ieoj  military  despots,  ruling,  like  the  Turkish  mon- 
archs,  over  a  nation  or"  slaves.  T/ie  Ca^lovingian  Emper- 
orship has  ever  con- tjtuted  its  possessor  the  chief  of  a 
Golliic  feudal  corfedrncy^  When  this  last  particular  is 
fuily  considered,  we  shall  scarcely  find  any  two  lines  of 
princes  more  dissimilar  than///^  Augustan  and  the  Carlo- 
mvgian  Emperors.  The  principles  of  feudalism,  brought 
by  the  northern  tribes  out  of  their  native  forests,t  and 
carried  to  perfection  in  l^rance,  German}^  and  Italy,  draw 
an  indelible  line  of  difference  betueen  (he  sixth  and  the 
last  head  of  the  beast :  and  v/e  must  possess  the  power 
of  imagination  in  a  very  high  degree  to  suppose,  that 
Charlemagne^,  surrounded  by  his  Gothic  military  vassals, 
the  Paladins,  Dukes,  and  Counts  of  his  Empire,  or  that 
the  modern  Emperors  of  the  Romans-,  the  feudal  superiors 
of  a  long  tram  oi  Electors,  Princes,  Margraves,  and  Land- 
graves, form  a  continuation  of  the  Augustan  Emperors 
oj  Rome  and  Co)ista?ifinop!e,  merely  because  they  also 
have  borne  the  title  of  Einperors.X  So  far  indeed  is  the 
sovc-eigJi  of  the  Gothic  Ronum  Empirey  from  constituting 

•  I  preUnd  not  accurately  to  state  all  the  variations  of  descent  in  the  Car- 
,lovingian  imperial  dignity  :  I  morely  observe,  in  j^eneral  terms,  that  it  has 
been  attached  at  different  times  to  all  these  difFereni  families. 

f  T  he  i-idiments  of  feudalism  may  be  clearly  discovt  red  in  the  account 
which  Tacitus  i^ives  of  the  ancient  Germans.  In  their  }  et  infant  state  of  society 
their  princes,  instead  of  granting  to  their  counts  or  feudal  vassals  manors  and 
estates  subject  to  military  service,  presented  ihem  with  horses  and  lances,  and 
j?aiiHd  their  afTectjon  by  rude  though  plentiful  entertainments.  See  Tac  de 
]\l(,r  GcT  C.  13, 14. 

t  The  Italian  Uomances  are  curious  and  everr  valuable,  as  depicting  with 
conside  able  accuracy,  from  the  legends  of  the  ancient  troubadours,  the  state 
of  Go'bic  manners  in  the  Cariovingian  age  Whoever  has  read  the  poems  of 
Boyardo  and  Ariosto  \v\\\  find  it  no  eusy  matter  to  discover  any  resemiilance 
between  the  court  of  the  warlike  sovereign  of  Orlando,  Rinaldo,  and  Hug • 
gnero,  aid  Uiat  cf  the  Roman  Gesars  ;  and  history  will  teach  him,  that  there 
is  just  -AH  little  resemhianie  between  their  respective  principles  of  government, 
Mr  Gibbon  vrry  truh  observes,  tliat  "  the  victorious  nations  of  Germany  es- 
tablished a  ne-x  system  ofniunnets  ail  government  in  the  western  countries  ol 
Europe."     Hist,  of  Decline,  Vol  vi.  p  404 

The  sceptre  of  Charlemagne  has  recently  been  transferred  from  Germany 
to  France  '^till  however  is  the  nfw  e)ytpi>e  nf  the  fVeat  cons\.vuc\Cil  vn  those 
very  principles  of  feudalism,  which  chaructirized  the  original  empire  of  Char  If - 
naf^nc.  An  assemblage  of  newly-c  catcd  kings  professtdly  hold  their  crowns 
as  vassals  of  tht  ir  superior  lord  Buonaparte,  who  s>niple8  not  to  style  their 
dominions_/i"!yt  ,i I  provinces  of  his  cmfiirc,     June  1,  IS')5. 


jointly  with  the  sovereign  of  the  Const aiHinopoUtan  Em- 
pir:  only  one  si^viJi  head  of  the  beasU  as  Bp.  NewLon  sup- 
poses, that  the  Greeks  very  on  willingly  allowed  even  to 
Clmrlemagne  the  title  of  Ewpet'O?',  and  absolutely  refused 
to  bestow  it  upon  his  successors.  They  could  not  bring 
themselves  to  consider  a  barbarian  of  the  North  in  the 
.light  of  an  Emperor  of  the  Uomans  ;  and  they  were  un- 
willing to  concede  that  dignity  to  a  king  of  tlie  Ercinks^ 
which  they  had  never  refused  to  t/ie  short-lived  genuine 
line  of  Western  Emperor s^  the  real  successors  of  AuguS' 
tus.^  Under  Charlemagne  in  short,  Rome  became  sub- 
ject to  a  new  head  ;t  for  a  Jorm  of  government  was  then 

*  Tl^e  imperial  dignity  of  Cliarlemagne  was  announced  to  "  the  East  by 
the  alteration  of  his  style;  and,  instead  of  saluting-  his  fathers,  ilie  Greek  Em- 
perors, he  presumed  to  adopt  the  more  equal  and  familiar  appellation  of  bro- 
ther— A  treaty  of  peace  and  alliance  \s'as  concluded  between  the  two  empires  ; 
and  the  limits  cf  the  East  and  West  were  delined  by  the  right  of  present 
possession  But  the  Greeks  soon  forgot  this  humiliating  equality,  or  remem- 
bered it  only  to  hate  the  Barbarians  by  v-hom  it  was  extorted.  During-  the 
short  union  of  virtue  and  power,  they  respectfully  saluted  the  august  Cliarle- 
magne, with  the  acclamations  of  basileus,  and  Emperor  of  the  Romam.  As 
soon  as  these  qualities  were  separated  in  the  person  of  his  pious  son,  the 
Byzantine  letters  inscribed.  To  the  king,  or,  as  he  styles  himself  the  Emperor  of 
the  Franks  and  Lombards.  -When  both  power  and  virtue  were  extinct,  they 
despoiled  Louis  the  second  cf  his  hereditary  title  ;  and,  with  the  barbarous 
appellation  of  Hex  or  Hega,  degraded  him  among  the  crowd  of  Latin  princes - 
The  same  controvercy  was  revived  in  the  reign  of  the  Othos  ;  arid  their  am- 
b<assador  describes,  in  lively  colours,  the  insolence  of  the  Byzantine  court 
The  Greeks  affected  to  despise  the  poverty  and  ig-aorance  of  the  Franks  and 
Saxons;  and,  in  their  last  decline,  they  refused  to  prostitute  to  tlie  kings  of 
.Germany  the  title  oi  Ttoman  Emperors^"  Hist,  of  Ueclme,  Vol.  ix.  p.  191— 
195. 

+  Many  commentators,  though  they  may  not  quite  positively  declare  as 
inuch,  seem  to  be  impressed  with  a  sort  cf  idea,  that  uji  actual  residence  at 
J2c-;ne  is  a  necessary  cliaracteristic  of  a  Aeat?  0/ i/;ff  Roman  beast.  Hence  we 
are  sometimes  asked.  What  other  power,  except  the  Fap^xy,  can  possibly  bg; 
ths  last  head  of  the  beast,  inasmuclx  as  Rome  since  the  days  of  the  Cesars  has 
been  the  seat  of  no  other  power  ?  J\Iere  r  esidevxe  at  Romehawevev  has  no- 
thing to  do  with  the  character  of  a  head  of  the  beast ,-  though  it  seems  essen- 
tial to  sucli  a  character  to  have  enjoyed,  at  som.e  period  or  other  of  its  exist- 
ence, the  sovereigntij  vf  Rome,  Y/hen  Constantine  removed  the  seat  of  go- 
vernment, lie  did  ni)t  surely  on  tliat  account  cease  to  be  the  representative  of 
the  sixth  head,  any  more  than  the  king  of  Scotland  ceased  to  be  the  iiead  of 
Scotland  by  removing  the  seat  of  government  to  London,  or  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  to  be  the  liead  of  P.ussla  by  transferring  his  residence  from  Moscow 
to  Petersburgh.  Indeed  those,  who  are  tlie  foremost  in  urging'  the  rescc^eiicc 
of  the  Pope  in  Rome,  as  an  argument  of  liio  being  the  last  head,  scruple  not  to 
declare  that  oitner  ^/ie  (V.'jc  0/' f At"  dend-CesarA,  tlie  exarchs  of  Ravenna,  or  the 
Goth'L-  sovereigns  of  ItaU'-  constitute  the  short-lived  seventh  head;  although  none 
of  .lurse,  except  the  first,  ever  resided  in  Home,  and  they  only  for  ajout  eight 
'.e  I  ■  .  iiome  was  as  much  subject,  to  (Jhar'.emagne  who  resided  at  Paris,  as  it 
W.J  tu  Constantine  who  resided  at  C  instil- tinople.  The  only  diiTerence  was 
th.s  ;  that  Charlemagne  granted  Rome  to  tue  Pope  to  be  held  as  a  fief  of  the 
SHcpirej  luider  himself  the  superior  lord,  agreeably  to  the  usages  of  feiid^JIsm. 


1^4 

instituted,  diflering  radically  and  essenlially  from  every 
one  of  tJie  prevh  lis  six  formsy  represented  l)y  the  six  Just 
heads  of  the  beast. 

By  way  of  recapitulation  of  what  has  been  said,  I  will 
venture  to  assert,  that  no  power  has  ever  arisen  within 
the  limits  of  the  Roman  empire  \\\\\ch.  at  all  answers  to 
the  pr'^phetic  character  of  the  septviio-o'  taxie  head,  ex- 
cept the  Carlovivgh  n  monarchy  alone.  Three  things 
concur  in  this  character  :  the  last  head  of  the  beast  was 
to  be  at  once  both  the  seventh  and  the  eighth  head,  the 
sevnifh  continuing  only  a  short  time,  and  then  being 
swallowed  up  in  the  eighth  ;  it  was  at  its  first  rise  to  be 
the  ivtiole  beast ;  aijd  it  was  to  be  the  beast  that  was,  and 
is  not,  and  ',et  is,  thati-  to  say,  it  wr.s  to  be  the  revived 
beast,  o.  the  becst  xchilein  his  papally-idolatrous  state. 

1.  Now  tiie  Car  loving!  a:i  nion  rchy  was  the  septimo- 
octave  head,  as  being  the  Patricia' e  merging  into  the  feu- 
dal Imperorship. 

2.  It  was  thexvhole  beast,  as  comprehending  thew'ole 
Western  empire  either  l)y  actual  sovereignty,  or  by  the 
homage  of  acknowledged  superiority. 

3.  And  it  was  the  beast  that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is, 
as  comprehending  that  rvhole  e7npire,  niter  it  had  relapsed 
into  the  abominations  of  pa]ial  tyranny  and  idolatry 

Neither  the  Papacy,  nor  any  other  pozcer,  except  the 
Carlovingian  Patricio-Imperial  government,  will  be 
found  to  answer  to  this  pro})hetic  description  ;  whence  I 
doubt  not,  but  that  that  government  is  intended  by  the 
last  head  of  the  beast. 

Mr.  Mede  and  Jip.  Newton  think,  that  St.  John  behekl 
all  the  ten  horns  gvow'xng  together  upon  the  last  he^'d. 
To  this  opinion  however  there  appear  to  be  insuperable 
objections,  whether  the  last  head  be  the  Pa  acy  or  the 
Gothic  Emperorship.  1  he  springing  up  of  lirns  out  of 
u  hi  ad  iiecessaril}'  implies,  that  thehecu'  was  in  existence 
before  the  hot ns  :  whereas  both  tie  Papal  Empire  (as 
contradistinguished  from  the  primitive  Bistwpric  of 
Rome  J,  iii\&  the  Carlovingian  fmperorship,  aiosc  alter 
^/(e//6i/v/5  had  sprung  up  ;  namely,  the  one  in   the  year 

Indeed  the  whole  behaviour  of  Charlemagne  shews  plainly,  that  he  was  as 
tnuch  the  real  sovereign  of  Kome  as  Buonaparte  is  at  present      .Tune  ij  1306. 


125 
V 

^06,  and  the  other  in  jf//e?//-rtr.s  774  and  800.*  Hence 
it  is  plain,  that  the  ten  iwrns  could  nnt  have  appeared  to 
the  prophet  as  growing  upon  the  last  head.  To  whicfi 
then  of  the  heads  are  we  to  ^ssgu.  the  ten  horns  P  Most 
assuredly  to  the  sixt.h.  In  the  days  of  St.  John  fve  were 
fallen:  and,  between  the  fall  of  those  five -And  i\\e  rise  of 
the  last,  the  ten  horns  sprung  up.  It  is  plain  therefore, 
that  they  can  only  have  sprung  up  out  of  the  sixth.  Such 
accordingly  we  iind  to  be  the  case.  The  Rcynan  Empire 
was  divided  into  ten  kingdoms  under  the  sixth  head  of  ihc 
heast-,  previous  to  his  revival  under  the  same  sixtii  hecd\^ 
and  previous  to  the  rise  of  Ids  last  head.  It  was  the  sixth 
head  therefore  that  branched  out  into  ten  horns  :  conse- 
quently to  the  Hxth  head  the  ten  horns  must  necessarily 
belong. 

III.  In  the  remaining  part  of  the  prophecy  respecting 
the  ten-horned  beast  we  are  informed,  agreeably  to  the 
preceding  prophecy  respecting  the  war  between  the  dragon 
and  the  jvomany  that  it  was  the  dragon  which  gave  his 
power  and  his  seat  or  secular  authority  to  the  heast ;  and 
that  the  beast,  as  his  agent,  should  j)ersecute  the  saints 
42t  7nonihs  or  1260  years.  Mence  it  appears,  that  the 
persecution  of  the  dragon  and  the  persecuiian  of  the  beast 
is  one  and  the  same  ;  and  that  they  are  both  exactly 
commensurate  with  the  reign  of  the  little  horn.  The 
dragon  therefore,  as  1  have  already  observed,  we  must 
(^.onsider  as  the  main-spring  of  the  whole  Jlpostaci)  ;  the 
ten-horned  beast,  as  his  secular  engine  of  persecution  ;  and 
the  iwo-horned  beast,  as  the  spiritual  instrument  which  he 
used  to  stir  up  the  last  head  and  the  ten  horns  of  tiie  beast 
of  the  sea  against //^e  mystic  woman.  In  this  sense  then 
it  is,  that  the  whole  ten-horned  beast,  after  he  had  arisen 
from  the  sea,  "  opened  his  mouth  in  blasphemy  to  God, 
to  blaspheme  his  name,  and  his  tabernacle,  and  them  that 
dwell  in  heaven."  He  blasphemed  the  name  of  God  by 
sanctioning  all  the  blasphemous  absurdities  of  his  littte 

•  Bp.  Newton  dates  the  commencement  of  the  1260  years  considerably  later 
than  he  year  606:  hence,  according  to  his  plan,  it  is  still  more  impossible, 
that  the  ten  homs  should  appear  to  St.  John  growing  upon  the  last  head,  if  that 
last  head  be  the  Pap.:cy. 

t  "  I  saw  one  of  his  heads  as  it  were  wounded  to  death  ;  and  his  deadly 
wound  was  lieaied— the  beast,  which  had  the  wound  by  a  sword,  and  did 
Isye.''    Itev,  xiii.  3,  H. 


126 

torii^*  that  predicted  man  oj  sin  who  proudly  sat  in  the 
temple  of  God,  and  literally  shewed  himself  that  he  is 
Cod  by  receiving  the  adoration  of  his  cardinals  :t  hence 
it  is  said  by  Daniel,  that  M*?  beast  should  be  destroyed 
"  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  Avhich  tJie  horn 
spake."  And  he  blasphemed  the  mystic. tabernacle  of 
God,  and  them  tliat  dwell  in  the  symbolicd  heaven,  by 
upholding  and  propagating  the  most  foul  and  injurious 
calumnies  against  the  witnesses,  accusing  them  of  all  ihe 
crimes  wh  ch  pagan  Home  had  formerly  laid  to  the  charge 
of  the  primitive  Christians.^ 

We  are  moreover  informed,  that  all  the  world  worship- 
ped the  dragon  and  the  beast,  and  wondered  after  'he 
beast.  Resj)ecting  this  worship  we  are  afterwards  taught^ 
that  it  was  the  second  beast  who  caused  it  to  be  paid  to 
the  first;  and  much  light  is  thrown  upon  its  nature  by 
a  phrase  which  more  than  once  occurs  in  the  Apocah  pse  ; 
men  are  said  to  worship  the  beast  and  his  image  Now  it 
is  superfluous  to  observe,  that  the  Papists  never  literally 
worshipped  /he  devil ;  and  equally  so  to  remark,  that 
they  never  literally  worshipped  the  ten-horned  beast,  or 
the  secular  Roman  empire  :  yet  this  worship  is  immedi- 
ately connected  with  the  worship  of  an  image,  which  the 
second  beast  caused  to  be  made  to,  or  lor  the  use  of,  the 
first  beast,  flence  I  apprehend,  that  the  worship  of  the 
dragon  and  the  beast  means  the  devotion  of  the  whole 
Roman  world  to  the  apostate  principles  of  the  beast,  such 
as  his  idolatrous  worship  of  images,  his  opposition  to  the 
tr?dh,  and  his  persecution  of  the  witnesses.     They,  that 

*  "  Kr\y  acts  of  idolatrous  worsliip,"  says  Mr.  Lowman,  "  may  well  be  ex- 
pressed hy  bksp'^eming  God im<!  his  name,  as  tliey  deny  to  the  true  God  his 
distinguishing  Iionour,  and  ^ive  it  to  creatures,'  whethei"  images,  saints,  or 
angels.''     Paiaph  in  loc 

+  See  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert  on  ihe  man  of  cin. 

+  Mrs  Bowdler  ingeniously  supposes,  that  the  blasphemy  here  spoken  of 
cleans  o/ofiocv,  for  which  she  cites  y* CIS  xxvi.  11.  Taking  the  word  in  this 
sense,  the  beast,  wliile  pagan,  laboured  to  cause  the  primitive  Christians  to 
a'uisphe7ne  or  apostatise,  by  rtciumnfr  them  to  abjure  their  faith:  and,  when 
.aftei  wards  in  an  apocatical  state  himself,  {2  Tht- ss  ii  3  1  Tim.  iv.  1  )  he  was 
equally  zealous  in  causing  tlie  vitnessei  to  biaspiieme,  not  indeed  the /j/erai 
name  of  Christ,  but  certainly  liis  religion,  so  far  as  the  spirit  of  it  is  concerned, 
by  apostciiiiiii'.j  to  J'cpery  Mrs.  IJowdler  however,  wlio  wrote  in  tUc year  177^, 
supposes,  that  a  time  may  come  wiien  the  ancient //<7_§-rtH  bluaphemij  oi  the  beast 
•»vill  be  revived,  and  when  men  will  be  requiixdto  abjure  thi.  Ver^  name  ol 
tjhrist  Her  conjecture  has  certainly  been  accomplished  in  at  least  one  of  th^: 
principal  members  of  th:  Iva^t.    I'nictical  Cbserv.  on  the  Kev.  p.  25 — 4£, 


mi 

dwelt  upon  the  earth,  worshipped  the  dragon^  by  lending 
the^nselves  as  tools  to  advance  the  infernal  dominatior.  o£ 
the  prince  of  darkness  ;^  and  they  worshipped  tlic  beast 
by  adopting  the  idolatry  which  he  upheld  no  less  as  a 
Popish  than  as  a  pagan  empire.t  I  know  not  in  what 
manner,  except  this,  it  is  possible  for  an  empire  to  be 
worshipped. 

It  is  further  said,  that  power  was  given  to  the  ten-horn- 
ed beast  over  all  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations;  in- 
somuch that  all  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  shall  worship 
^ira,  whose  names  are  not  written  in  th  '  book  of  life  of 
the  Lambi  These  various  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and 
ni'tions,  are  thedifTerent  papal  states  of  the  Roman  earth; 
over  all  of  which  the  beast  reigned,  either  through  his  last 
head,  or  through  h/s  ten  hori-s.  For  a  season,  they  all 
worshipped  tlie  beast,  adopting  his  apostate  principles, 
joining  in  his  adoration  of  images,  applauding  his  every 
persecution  of  the  C  hurch,  and  heartily  concurring  with 
him  in  his  most  violent  measures  against  the  ivitne'^ses^ 
whose  names  are  written  in  the  book  of  life  :  and  even 
:30w,  after  the  Reformation,  only  one  of  the  ten  hornsX 
has  protested  against  his  tyranny,  and  resolutely  shelter- 
ed the  mystic  woman  and  the  remnani  of  her  ted  from  his 
implacable  rage.^  The  others  either  still  adhere  to  their 
ancient  abominations,  or  have  embraced  the  yet  more 
blasphemous  tenets  of  Antichrist.  Notwithstanding  their 
recent  severe  sufferiiigs,  they  repent  not  of  the  works  of 
their  hands,  their  idolatry,  their  murders,  their  sorceries? 
their  spiritual  fornication,  their  thefts  ;  or  they  repent  of 
them,  only  to  blaspheme  the  name  of  the  God  of  heav- 

*  "  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  v.ili  do." 
John  viii.  44. 

t  "  .  idoraverxint  bestiam,  i.  e.subjecerunt  se  bestia  juxta  constitiitionem  suam 
religiosam."  (Pol.  Synop-  in  loc.)  The  passage  is  equivalent  to  that,  where- 
in it  is  said,  that  the  ten  horns.  "  gave  their  power  and  strength  unto  the  beast." 
(Rev.  svii.  13.)  The  nvhoie  Ro7nan  -xorLl,  undtr  all  its  ten  horris^  emhrsLced 
those  idolatrous  and  heretical  principles  which  gave  to  the  Empire  its  bestial 
character;  and  eniployed  its  utmost  power  and  strength  to  uphold  them. 
Respecting  the  worship  of  the  beast's  image  more  will  be  said  hereafter  in  its 
proper  place. 

+  I  use  the  phrase  here  in  a  general  and  indefinite  sense,  as  it  is  used  by  the 
prophet  himself.  (Rev.  xvii.  16.)  Oi  the  ten  original  hor^is  Fr&nce  a.\one  re 
mained  at  the  era  of  the  Revolution. 

§  Neither  Denmark,  Sweden,  nor  Prussia,  are  evefi  viodern  boms  of  the  beast^ 
because  they  never  were  comprelwnded  within  the  limits  of  the  old  Bomati 
£mf}irc. 


12S 

en,  and  to  refuse  to  give  him  glory.  The  Roman  beast 
still  retains  all  the  characteristics  of  a  beist :  and  in  this 
state  he  will  at  length  go  into  perdition  on  account  of  the 
great  words  of  the  little  horn. 

IV.  It  will  not  be  improper  at  the  end  of  this  long  dis- 
cussion to  give  in  one  point  of  view  the  scheme  of  inter- 
pretation which  I  have  adopted  in  preference  to  that  of 
Ep.  Newton.  Whatever  may  be  its  other  faults,  it  at 
least  preserves  all  the  members  of  the  seven-headed  and 
ten-horned  beast  perfectly  distinct. 

The  beast  then  is  the  secular  Roman  empire — His 
seven  heads  {X\\Si  last  \)^\x\g  his  double  ox  septimo-octave 
head  J  are  J.Kings;  Q.  Consuls  ;  3.  Dictators  ;  4.  De- 
cemvirs ;  5.  Military  Tribunes;  6.  Augustan  Emper- 
ors; 7.  8.  Carlovingian  Patricio-Emperors — His  ten 
primit've  horns  are  1.  The  kingdom  of  the  Huns;  3. 
The  kingdom  of  the  Ostrogoths ;  3.  The  kingdom  of 
the  Visigoths ;  4.  The  kingdom  of  the  Franks ;  5.  The 
kinf^dom  of  the  Vandals ;  6.  The  kingdom  of  the  Sueves 
and  x\lans  ;  7.  The  kingdom  of  the  Burgundians ;  8. 
The  kingdom  of  the  Heruli,  Rugii,  Scyrri,  and  other 
tribes  that  composed  the  Italian  kingdom  of  Odoacer; 
9.  The  kingdom  of  the  Saxons;  10.  The  kingdom  of 
the  Lombards — His  little  horn,  which  grew  up  among 
\\\s  first  ten  horns,  and  which  was  diflerent  from  them  all, 
is  the  ecclesiastical  kingdom  of  the  Pope  ;  which  small 
as  it  originally  was,  afterwards  became  a  great  ecclesias- 
tical empire — His  three  primary  horns,  that  were  pluck- 
ed up  before ///e  little  papal  horn,  are  l.The  kingdom 
of  the  Heruli ;  ^.  The  kingdom  of  the  Ostrogoths ;  and 
S.  The  kingdom  of  the  Lombards. 

The  Apocalyptic  ten  horned  beast  is  not  represented, 
like  the  same  beast  in  the  book  of  Daniel,  with  a  little 
horn;  because  St.  John  wished  to  describe  the  power 
symbolized  by  the  little  horn,  as  having  now,  at  the  re- 
vival of  the  secular  beast,  hecome  a  ^reat  spiritual  empire 
hy  being  declared  supreme  head  of  the  imiversal  church. 
Accordingly  the  twohurni'd  beast  which  is  not  mention- 
ed by  Daniel,  occupies  the  place  of  tlie  little  horn,  which 
is  not  mentioned  by  St.  John.  This  two-honied  beast, 
or  false  prophet,  is  the  same  as  the  great  scarlet  whore, 


159 

who  rides  triumphant  upon  the  secular  beast :  that  is  to 
say,  they  both  equally  sj^mbohze  (he  adulterous  tiir annical 
church  of  Rodney  or  the  spiritual  catholic  empire  of  the 
Pope. 

V.  The  prophecy  awfully  concludes  with  a  call  to  at- 
tend to  the  just  judgments  of  the  Lord.  "  If  any  man 
jiath  an  ear,  let  him 'hear.  He,  that  leadeth  into'  capti- 
vity, shall  go  into  captivity:  he,  that  killeth  with  the 
sivord,  must  be  killed  with  the  sword.  H<?rc  is  the  pa- 
tience and  the  faith  of  the  saints." 

Hitherto  we  have  beheld  the  secular  beast  triumphant, 
wearing  out  the  saints  at  the  instigation  oifiis  little  horn 
hy  leading  them  into  captivity,  or  by  mercilessly  putting 
them  to  death  :*  we  are  now  summoned  to  attend  to  the 
just  retribution  of  a  righteous  God.     The  full  execution 
of  this  sentence,  long  since  pronounced   upon  the  beast, 
is  as  yet  future  :  for  it  will  not  take  place  till  the  last  de- 
cisive battle  of  Armageddon  after  the  termination  of  tlie 
1200  years.      Then,  we  aie  taught  by  St.  John,  that 
the  bea^t  shall  go  mio  perdition,  being  taken  along  with 
Jiis  associate  the  false  prophet,  and  east  into  the  lake  of 
iire  ;  and  by  Daniel,  that  ike  beast  shall  be  slain,  and  his 
body  destroyed  and  given  to  th^  burning  flame. 

This  I  apprehend  to  be  the  ultimate  meaning  of  the 
prophecy;  nevertheless  it  seems,  in  some  measure,  to 
have  begun  already  .to  receive  its  accomplishment.  They 
that  lead  iufo  captivity,  and  they  that  kill  with  the  sword, 
is  so  general  and  comprehensive  an  expression,  that  it 
seems  necessarily  to  include,  not  only  the  secular  tnstru- 
menfsoi^a.\~&\  j>ersecution,  but  likewise ///c  ecclesiastical 
promoters  oi  W :  accordingly  both  Daniel  and  St.  John* 
connect  the  fate  of  the  beast  with  that  of  the  little  horn 
■or  the  false  prophet.      We  have  beheld  then  in  France 

*  rerpetual  confncment.  or  the  galleys,  was  the  fate  of  those  French  pro. 
•testants  after  the  revocation  oftht  edict  ofJVanz,  who  escaped  the  stroke  of  tlie 
.sword.  To  the  eternal  disgrace  of  Louis  the  fourteenth,  many  of  the  female 
protestants,  even  yoxing  girls,  were  transpoit-ed  as  slaves  io  the  West-India 
colonies,  merely  because  tliey  refused  to  worship  idols,  and  invocate  dead 
saints  Would  that  protestant  Eng-Jand  was  as  little  stahied  with  the  atro- 
cities ot  the  Atncan  slave-trade  as  with  religious  persecution  ! 

Ihere  is  reason  to  hope  from  a  late  decision  of  tbe^ritisli  parliament,  that 
ere  lon<?  that  infamous  traffic  will  be  abolished.  Tin  a  complete  end  be  pu*- 
to  It,  I  see  not  how  we  can  expect  that  the  protection  of  a  God  of  iustice  w'A'y 
DC  extended  to  us.    June  21,  1806. 

VOL.  ir,  ]  7 


130 

the  descendant  and  successor  of  those,  whose  memory 
has  been  rendered  infamous  by  the  diabolical  crusade 
against  the  protestants  of  Prove nre^  by  the  Mood-stained 
eve  of  Si.  Bartholomezv^y  bj'^  the  perfidiout  revocation  of 
the  edict  of  NantZi'\  himself  led  into  captivity  and  slain 
with  the  sword.  We  have  beheld  numbers  of  his  papal 
clergy  crowded  together  iniogaolsy  andpid  to  decth.X  We 
have  beheld  the  sovereign  Pontiff,  that  man  of  sin  who 
had  led  so  many  thousands  captive,  himself  ,^o  into  capti- 
vity. The  voice  of ///<?  seven  last  thunders  hath  long  been 
sealed  :  but  now  it  hath  begun  to  shake  both  heaven  and 
earth. 

We  are  not  however  to  imagine,  that  the  infidel  tyrant 
of  the  last  days  is  allowed  to  prosper  for  his  own  sake. 
He  is  doubtless  a  mere  instrument  of  vejigeance  in  the 
hand  of  God.  Like  his  precursor  and  type,  the  haughty 
sovereign  of  Assyria,  he  is  "  the  rod  of  the  Lord's  anger, 
sent  against  an  hypocritical  nation  and  against  the  peo- 
ple of  his  wrath,  to  take  the  spoil,  and  to  take  the  prey, 
and  to  tread  them  down  like  the  mire  of  the  streets.-— 
Howbeit  he  meancth  not  so ;  but  it  is  in  his  heart  to  de- 
stroy and  to  cut  off  nations  not  a  few."  Hence,  when  he 
hath  "performed  his  whole  work,"  as  "the  fruit  of  the 
stout  heart  of  the  king  of  Assyria  and  the  glory  of  his 
high  looks"  were  punished,  so  "  shall  he  come  to  his  end, 
and  none  shall  help  him." 


« « 


The  French  king  glorieth  in  his  letters  to  the  Pope,  that  he  had  slaia 
70,000  heretics  in  a  few  days."  Isaacson's  Chron.  citetl  by  Sharpe  in  An  in- 
qiiiry  into  the  dcsaiption  of  Babylon,  p.  33.  Bossuet  acknowledges  Uie  murder 
of  only  30,000. 

t"  Louis  peremptorily  required  the  protestants  in  France  to  sig^n  a  declara- 
tion of  submission  and  strict  obedience  to  his  royal  orders  ;  and  th;>t  hey 
should  promise  to  attend  rlie  mass,  and  entirely  omit  th<'ir  own  loli^fions 
meetings;  for  otherwise  they  should  forfeit,  not  only  their  lands  and  all  other 
prop.rtij,  but  also  their  personal  libcriy  ;  the  men  being tioomeu  t'>  slavery  in 
the  king's  galleys  for  life,  and  the  women  to  be  shut  up  for  life  where^'er  their 
enemies  sliould  choose  to  immure  them."  It  is  supposed,  that,  in  the  C'.;.jrse 
of  this  detestable  persecution,  about  a  7ni7//o7J  o/"/^;ofei^.M.'f  haved  their  lives 
by  quilting  their  country,  and  that  at  least  100,000  wrre  murdered  '  Slim  pe's 
Inquiry  into  the  description  of  Babylon,  p.  35 — '9.)  Among  thotie,  >^  ho.  (led 
from  tlieir  disgi-aced  country  at  thai  dreadful  period,  was  a  pious  ancestor  of 
n)y  own. 

\  "  The  decree  was  passed  on  the  iSth  day  of  May,  V9%  which  condemned 
the  non-juring  clergy  to  banishment  About  thetinie  of  the  federation  which 
followed,  m. 'my  of  the  clergy  were  />«/  ?o  Jt  t/fA  with  ciio;i.nstances  more  or 
Jess  sanguinary  :  great  numbers  also  were  crowded  together  in  gaols,  and  pl/ter 
■^'(i.cea  of  C9njinttneiu."    Ilist.  the  Interp.  Vol  ii.  p.  232. 


iSl 


SECTION  IV. 

Concerning  the  two-horned  beast  of  the  earth. 

To  comnlete  his  account  of  the  great  promoters  and 
Tipholders  of  the  If  estmi  Apostacy,  it  now  only  remains, 
thacot.  John  should  describe  thd  spiritual  power,  by  the 
instigation,  of  which  the  temporal  ten-horned  beast  was 
to  persecute  the  witnesses  during  the  space  of  1260 
years.  Accordingly  he  concludes  the  Uurd  chapter  of 
the  little  book  with  tully  developing  the  character  of  this 
tyvunmc^iempf  re  within  an  enipire,viU(\Gv  the  symbol  of 
a  second  bead  or  universal  empire,  co-existin^  and  co- 
operating with  the  first  beast  or  universal  empire. 

"And  I  beheld  another  beast  coming  up  out  of  the 
earth;  and  he  had  two  horns  hke  a  lamb,  and  he  spake 
as  a  dragon.  And  he  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the 
first  beast  before  him,  and  causeth  the  earth  and  them 
that  dwell  therein  to  worship  the  first  beast,  whose 
deadly  wound  was  healed.  And  he  doeth  great  wonders, 
m  order  that  he  may  make  fire  come  down  from  heaven 
cm  the  earth  m  the  sight  of  men.*  And  he  deceiveth 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  by  means  of  those  miracles 
Which  he  had  power  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast;  say- 
ing to  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  that  they  should 
make  an  image  for  the  beast,  which  had  the  wound  by 
a  sword  and  did  live.    And  he  had  power  to  give  life 

*  f  "^li  I  conceive  to  be  the  proper  translation  of  the  original.    This  brin^. 

appears  as  \i  the  bringing  do-am  of  lire  wa«»  h.r.ie  !.«o  r  . v.  ^,  ";  version  ic 
■whereas  the  r.art;,^U  '  "tiZ-A  •' ■•'^  7  "'^^''/  °"^  °f  ^^^  beast's  miracles  3 
wliei  eas  the  particle .,«,  signihes  m  order  that,  not  ,0  that.    To  j ustify  the  com' 

XyrT'    r  r''"'"  '^^'^^  °"^'^^  ^°  ^^^^  ^^^-^P-^l  ^he  placi  of  L     Thus, 

±     h^tth'eTwerrs^c'o^nr^^;'.?''^^^^^^^ 

chUdren  ■•  •  ^  conferred, "  tn  order  that  we  henceforth  should  be  no  more 

ex  lorts  us  to  «';"'  ^^^ff""-  <^Ph^-  -•  ^4-)  Thusalso  the  same  Apostle 
SaTnmercy^'llT/?  '\""'°?„'  ?^"""  of  grace, /.  order  that  we  may 
hand  sT  Mark  if  ^''^''^'' t''''-     («^^-  "•  ^^)     Thus  again,  on  the  other 

mavt4ltd?tr^'"'r''^'^  -  ^/-^   Pil'-^tc, 

formsth^rn.-  .u  Z"''^"''"'''''^"''''^-  (^^^^'-k  sv.  5.)  And  thus  St.  Paul  in- 
and^by  then^'^V'"'^'"^^""^"^^^^^  him  both  by  the  coming  of  Titus. 
Tnore>  i.'.  '  'T>  ""'"'^  '^^'^.  ^^™'  "  ''  '^°'."  ---  i'e,  "  I  r^ejoiced  the- 
■sages   beside^  r    ^°' ^*'''"""-     ^^  ^or.  vd.  7.)     There  are  three  other  pas- 

tors  erroneous!    ;i;a"er'edf,T,f^Tl^^^  '^"''' ''^  '^>' °"''  ^'•*"^1=^- 

■' }  lenaered  i-o  t\at ,-  Luke  xvi.  -IQ>.  Kcm.  i.  .7C'.  gr.d  CTrrb.!,  r.  l"! 


13Q 

unto  the  image  of  the  beast,  that  the  image  of  the  beast 
should  both  speak,  and  cause  that  as  many  as  would  not 
worship  the  image  of  the  beast  should  be  killed.  And 
he  caused  all,  both  small  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  free 
and  bond,  to  receive  a  mark  in  tlieir  right  hand,  or  in 
their  foreheads  :  and  that  no  man  might  buy  or  sell, 
save  he  that  had  the  mark,  or  the  name  of  the  beast,  or 
the  number  of  his  name.  Here  is  wisdom.  Let  him, 
that  hath  understanding,  count  the  number  of  the  beast; 
for  it  is  the  number  of  a  man ;  and  his  number  is  six 
hundred  three  score  and  six." 

A  commentator  upon  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  and 
St.  John  can  never  be  too  much  itpon  his  guard  against 
the  fascinating  idea,  that  he  umy  expect  to  find  evety 
passing  event  of  his  oxvn  day  there  predicted.  Before  he 
ventures  to  introduce  an}''  exposition  founded  upon  pre- 
sent circumstances,  he  ought  to  make  it  clearly  appear, 
that  it  both  accords  with  the '  hronological  order  so  care- 
fuiy  preserved  in  those  prophecies,  that  it  strictly  har- 
monizes with  t  e  lavgiiage  of  sym'wls,  and  that  it  de- 
monstrates every  part  of  the  prediction  to  tally  exactly 
with  its  supposed  accomplishment.  How  far  /  have  at- 
tended to  this  sound  canon  of  interpretation  in  the  re- 
marks already  made  upon  the  character  of  the  king  who 
was  to  magnify  hbnsclf  above  every  God,  upon  the  scoff- 
ers of  the  last  days-,  and  upon  the  tremendous  calamities 
conceived  to  have  been  introduced  by  the  blast  of  the  third 
woc-trumpct^  the  cautious  reader  must  decide.  JNIy  ob- 
ject, however  I  may  have  succeeded,  has  been  the  seri- 
ous investigation  of  truth,  not  the  mere  establishment  of 
a  system.  1  have  endeavoured  to  the  best  of  my  judg- 
ment to  follow  prophecy,  not  to  lead  it  to  my  own  pre 
conceived  scheme  of  exposition. 

Kespecting  this  second  apocalyptic  beast,  truth  con- 
strains me  to  say,  that  neither  .Mr.  Kett,  nor  Mr.  Gallo- 
way, appear  to  me  to  have  attcjided  to  tlie  foregoing 
canon  in  their  remarks  upon  its  prophetic  cliaracter. 

Mr.  Kett  thinks,  tliat  the  second  beast  and  the  image 
are  Infidelity  and  Democratic  tyanny  :  that  the  txco- 
horns  cfthe  /jcast  are  t  e  German  ili/nninati  and  French 
pseiulo-pliilosophcrs  ;  and  that  t he parttcular  democratic: 


183 

iyrmmy  symbolized  by  the  image  Is  the  revolutionary  rC' 
public  of  France.  Having  laid  down  these  principles, 
he  observes,  (what  no  doubt  is  perfectly  true,)  that  it 
was  Injidelity,  which  so  bewitched  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple as  to  induce  them  to  set  up  the  atheistical  republic  ; 
and  that,  when  the  image  was  thus  set  up,  it  caused  as 
many  as  would  not  worship  it  to  be  killed.  He  further 
observes,  that  all,  both  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor, 
were  compelled  to  wear  a  mark  in  their  foreheads,  the 
tri-coloured  cockade,  as  acknowledging  the  authority  of 
the  beast  and  his  image  ;*  and  that  those,  who  refused 
this  badge  of  democratic  atheism,  were  formally  pro- 
scribed, and  deprived  of  the  common  rights  of  hu- 
manity.! 

In  this  interpretation  Mr.  Kett  has  only  noticed  such 
parts  of  the  prophecy  as  apparently  accord  with  it :  he  is 
totally  silent  respecting  several  particulars,  which  are  al- 
together inapplicable  to  Infidelity  and  Revolutionary 
France.  Such  being  the  case,  his  interpretation  cannot 
be  valid :  for  no  exposition  of  a  prophecy  is  admissible, 
except  the  prophecy  agree  with  its  supposed  accom- 
plishment in  eveiy  particular^ — St.  John  describes  the 
second  beast  as  "  doing  great  wonders,  in  order  that  ho 
may  make  fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in 
the  sight  of  men  ;  and  as  deceiving  them  that  dwell  on 
the  earth  by  means  of  those  miracles,  which  he  had  pow- 
er to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  first  beast."  The  second  beast 
therefore  must  plainly  be  some  power,  which  comes,  like 
the  man  of  siti,  with  signs  and  lying  wonders,  deceiving 
for  a  season  the  whole  world  with  pretended  miracles- 
Such  a  character  as  this  however  by  no  means  answers 
to  InfidcUiy.  Modern  philosophers,  so  far  from  making 
any  claims  to  miraculous  powers,  take  a  pleasure  in 
scoffing  at  even  the  real  miracles  recorded  in  Scripture. 
How  is  it  possible  then  that  Infidelity  can  be  the  second 

*  Mr.  Kett  do€s  not  expressly  say  this  ;  but  I  fancy  it  is  what  he  ?iw'ans.  See 
Hist,  tlie  Interp.  Vol  i.  p.  ,.9o,  420." 

t  Hist,  the  Interp.  Vol  i.  p.  413,  419.  Vol.  ii.  p.  152—208. 

i  It  is  much  to  be  doubted,  whether  the  very  principle  ('f  this  interpretation 
be  admissible,  independent  of  all  tlie  objections  lo  which  it  is  liable  It  seeni.s 
to  me  so  little  agreeable  to  symbolical  analogy  to  term  Inhdelity  a  l^east  or 
iin  universal  visible  empire,  thut  1  should  certainly  not  liave  ventured  myscl.V 
To  bring  forward  such  an  explanation  of  the  symb'tjl  ii*  questirn. 


154 

least  P — So  again  r  If  we  ask  an  unprejudiced  reader  of 
the  whole  prediction  relative  to  the  two  apocalyptic  deasts, 
what  his  sentiments  are  respecting  them ;  he  will  answer, 
that,  whatever  powers  those  two  beasts  may  symbohze, 
they  arc  evidently  two  co-e.ristiiig  powers,  linked  together 
in  the  closest  manner,  perfectly  friendly  to  each  other, 
and  apparently  contributing  their  mutual  strength  for 
the  accomplishment  of  some  common  design.  I  confi- 
dently appeal  to  any  person  not  previously  wedded  to 
some  favourite  system,  whether  this  be  not  the  plain  and 
obvious  meaning  of  the  prophecy.*  Now,  whether  the 
first  beast  be  the  Papacy^  as  Mr.  Kett  supposes,  or  the 
Rrman  empire  in  its  divided  state  after  it  had  lapsed  into 
idolatry i  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  prove  ;  in  either  case, 
if  Injidelity  be  the  second  beast,  it  certainly  has  shewn 
itself  the  very  reverse  of  being  friendly  to  the  first  beast : 
for  ihe  anti-social  part  of  the  Jacobin  conspiracy  was  as 
steadily  directed  against  all  regular  government,  as  its 
anti-christian  part  was  against  all  religion.  Before  Mr. 
Kett's  exposition  therefore  can  be  allowed  to  be  well- 
founded,  he  must  point  out  in  what  manner  Infidelity 
"  caused  the  earth  and  all  them  which  dwell  therein  to 
worship  the  beast  whose  deadly  wound  was  healed  ;" 
that  is  to  say,  in  what  manner  Infidelity  caused  the 
whole  world  to  devote  themselves  to  the  apostate  prin- 
ciples upheld  by  the  beast.  He  may  possibly  say,  that 
Euonaparte  has  now  taken  those  apostate  princi})le8  un- 
der his  special  protection,  and  has  formally  entered  mto 
a  league  with  the  Pope.  This  however  is  not  the  point. 
The  question  is  not  what  an  ambitioifs  individual  has 
done,  merely  to  serve  his  own  purj^oscs  ;  but  what  In- 
fidelity has  done,  that  Infidelity  which  set  up  the  atlieisti- 

•  This  point  is  so  self-evident,  that  some  commentators  have  thence  run  into 
the  Very  contrary  extreme  to  iliut  of  Mr.  Kelt;  and  have  imagined,  that  the 
tvio  beasts  i\.ve  i\c\.wj.\\y  one  anl  the  sdinLpfjiueryOT,  &s\.\\ey  express  it,  ths  samt 
JinticlirisC  undir  tH.<:u  liiff-trent  syviboh.  (See  Pol.  S\nop.  in  ioc  )  Indeed  ei- 
ther lliis,  or  sonietlmij^  very  nearly  a  kin  to  it,  is  the  fault  cliargeable  upon 
the  systems  l>oth  of  Mr  Mede,  Up.  Newton,  Dr  Zouch.and  Mr.  Whitaker. 
Such  an  opinion,  although  certainly  not  agreeable  to  the  plain  dechiration  of 
the  Aposile,  w  ho  assures  us  that  the  second  beast  is  '•  another  beast,"  and  tliere- 
fore  not  the  .lavte  as  thefiitit  beast,  serves  at  least  to  sliew,  tliat  none  of  these 
coninient:itoi.s  r.  tT  sup]>osed  ?/ic /7fo  /'frt.v/s  ;o  be  Ao6f/7t'  to  each  oUicr.  Mr. 
Mede  justly  rcniuiks,  ihut  they  are  linked  tog(  ilier  by  the  Stronjjest  bonds  oK 
fiiendship  ;  "  sumnia  Tiecessiivtdine  inter  scdevincta;.'* 


calrepvhlic,  or  the  tjnage  (as  Mr.  Kelt  supposes)  of  the 
beast.     Now  Infidelitij  placed  itself  in  direct  opposition 
to  all  religion  ;  and  what  Buonaparte  has  done  has  been 
simply  to  avail  himself  of  the  wild  confusion  excited  by 
Infidelity.     The  favour  therefore,  which  he   has  shewn 
to  Popery,  can  by  no  ingenuity  be  construed  into  an  actr 
of  that  IrifideWy  which  was  the  parent  of  French  democ- 
racy.    Since  Infidelity  then  has  shewn  the  most  deter- 
mined hostility  to  the  first  beast,  whether  the  Papacy  or 
the  divided  Roman  empire  be  symbolized  by  that  beast, 
how  is  it  possible  ^\\dX  Infidelity  can  be  the  second  beast  ^' 
—Further:  a  beast,  in   the  language  of  symbols,  \s  an 
wii^ersal  e>npire  either  temporal  or  spiritual.     But  Infi- 
delity cannot,  except  by  a  very  strained  interpretation 
be  termed  either  a  temporal  ox  a  spiritual  iiwver sal  er^- 
pv-e.     I  fidelity  therefore  cannot  be  the   second  beasts 
1  his' will   be  yet  more  evident,  when  we  consider  that 
bt  John  with  a  view  to  give  us  an  insight  into  thd  true 
character  oitJie  second  be'ist,  styles  him  afalse  prophet  ^ 
Now,  since  a  true  propliet  is  one,  who  proiesses  himself 
a  servant  of  God,  and  who  either  delivers  true  predic- 
tions, or  who  faithfully  preaches  the  Gospel  of  Christ -f 
a  false  prophet  must  be  one,  who  equally  professes  him- 
self a  servant  of  God,  but   who  either   delivers  false  pre^ 
dictions,    or  who   garbles  and  corrupts    the   Gospel  of 
i-^hrist      It  is  evident  therefore,  that  Infidelitn  cannot  be 
tlie  false  prophet  oi  the  Apocalypse;  because  it  answers 
to  neither  of  these  descriptions  of  afldse  prophet.     Infi- 
delity  indeed  zealously  propagated  the  doctrines  of  a 
talse;^hilosophy,  and  is  consequently  «  y^/^t-    teacher- 
bin  It  certainly  cannot  be  styled,  with  any  propriety,  a 
jole  prophet  ;  because,  so  far  from  claiming  a   divine 
comirnssion,  like  Pcpery  and  Moiiammed^sm,  it  came  as 
an  absolutely  independent  teacher,    ridiculing  even  the 
verj^existenceof  a  Deity.     Accoidingly  we  "find,  that 
^i.  Beter,  when  foretelling  the  atheists  of  the  last  davs, 
caretully  preserves  the  distinction  heiv^een  false  proliliets 
and  false  teachers.    He  observes,  that,    as  there   were 

+  Th-e  1    ♦  •  *  ^""^P^re  Rev.  xix.  20.  wUh  Rev.  xiii.  13,  U. 

have  akeayy  notire^W        ''wV^'^ii^  '^•"''■'^  P'""''^''  '"^  '^^  ^^'^  Testament.    I 
W  the  subject.         '  '■  *"^  '^'"''^''^ '' ''  superfluous  to  say  any  thing  more 


false  prophets  &mor\g  the  ancient  people  of  God,  who 
imposed  upon  them  with  pretended  commissions  from 
heaven ;  so  there  should  be  fa/se  teachers  among  the 
Christians  of  the  last  days,  who  privily  should  bring  in 
damnable  heresies,  even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought 
them.*  If  then  these  teachers  were  to  denij  the  Lord 
that  bought  them,  it  is  plain  that  they  could  not  r  o//?^  iti 
his  name  like  the  false  pro})hets  of  Israel.  Hence  St 
Peter,  wth  the  strictest  propriety,  terms  the  ancient  im- 
post ors^c/Ae  prophets ;  but  describes  the  modern  ones, 
as  being  only  Jatsc  teachers — In  addition  to  these  objec- 
tions, I  might  inquire  with  what  justice  the  French  -/?6'- 
pM^//r  can  be  denominated  an  image  of  the  beast:  but, 
since  it  has  been  shewn  that  Infidelity  cannot  be  the 
second  heasU  it  is  superfluous  to  discuss  that  part  of  Mr, 
Rett's  scheme  which  is  only  subordinate.  His  main  po- 
sition being  subverted,  the  rest  of  the  edifice  falls  to  the 
groir!id  of  course. 

Mr.  Galloway's  system  is  nearly  allied  to  that  of  Mr. 
Kett,  though  in  some  particulars  it  differs  materially  from 
it.  He  supposes,  that  the  earth,  out  of  which  xhe 
beast  arose,  is  France;  that  the  hea  t  himself  is  the 
French  Republic;  that /zm  head  is  the  legislature;  that 
his  tnv  horns  are  the  two  committees  ef  safety  ;  that  the 
jirey  which  he  brought  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  is  the 
wrath  of  God  ;  that  the  wonders,  which  he  performed, 
are  the  vidories  of  France  :  that  the  image,  which  he  set 
up,  and  to  which  he  gave  life  and  speech,  is  the  prostitnte 
goddess  of  reason  and  liberty  :  that  his  mark  is  the  cap 
of  liberty  and  the  tri-coloured  cockade ;  and  that  the 
Qiumber  (^^Q,  the  number  also  of  a  man,  must  be  sought 
for  in  the  name  of  the.  last  French  monarch  LouiSi  when 
Liitinized,  Litdovicus.] 

•2Peteriii  1. 

•r  L 50 

U 5 

1)                                             500 

O.  .  .'.   .'.'. O 

V 5 

I » 

(_'           100 

v\ 5 

S 0 

666 


The  first  ohjection  to  Mr.  Galloway's  interpretatioiiL'i 
the  skiDc:  as  one  that  has  already  been  made  to  Mr.  Kett's 
It  represents  the  second  5easfas  /instiie, insieadof fie.'idij/^ 
to  t.e  first :  for  Mr.  Galloway,  like  Mr.  Rett,  supposes 
the  first  beastiohe  the  Papacy.     This  objection  Mr. 
Galloway  struggles,  and  (I  think)  ineffectually  struggles* 
to  remove  :  me  at  least  all  his  arguments  have  only  served 
to  convince  that  it  never  can  be  removed  either  by  him- 
self  or  by  Mr.   Rett ;    and  be  it   again  observed,  the  ob- 
jection is  equally  forcibly,  whether  the  first  becst  be  the 
Papiry  or  the  di-vidtd  Roman  empire — The  secovd  ob- 
jection is,  that  without  the  least  authority  he  pronounces 
the  earth  in  this  particular  part  of  the  prophecy  to  mean 
France.     The  earthy  as  is  sufficiently  evident  from  the 
general  context,  means  throughout  the  whole  Apocalypse 
the  Roman  ehp're.     This  appears  no  where  more  clearly 
than  tn  the  present  chapter,  where  all  they  tliat  dweU 
ufmi  ihe  earth  are  described  as  worshipping,  or  devoting 
themselves  to  the  apostate  principles  of  Uie  ten-horned 
beast."^     Yet  does  Mr.  Galloway  declare,  that  the  earth, 
in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  very  chapter,  means  France-^ 
The  third  objection  is,  that,  according  to  the  analo^v  of 
figurative  "language, /^r^wce  cannot  be  symbolized  "by  ^ 
beasL  A  beast  is  an  universal  empircy  either  temporal  or 
spiritual :  and,  when  it  denotes  a  temporal  universale???' 
pi^Cy  its  hor?is  are  kingdoms.     France  however  is  only 
one  of  the  ten  horns  of  th^  great  Ro??ian  beast ;  and  there^ 
fore  most  assuredly  never  can  be  represented  by  the  sym^ 
bol  of  a  nezv  and  distinct  beast.  Were  this  the  case,'  St 
John  w  mid  be  at  open  variance  with  Daniel.     The  'lie' 
brew  prophet  expressly  maintains,  that  there  shall  arise 
710  fifth  temporal  beast,  but  that   the  fourth  or  Romar^. 
beast,  shall  be  the  last.     Now,  if  F?^ance  be  the  two-horn- 
ed beast  of  the  Apocalypse,  we  must  conclude  that  it 
will  become  affth  imiver<al  empre  altogether   distinct 
ixova.  the  ancient  Roman  empire;  otherwise  it  will  not'bc 
a  beast,  but  only  a  horn  :  and,  if  it  Jo  become  a  beast  oz 
miiversal  empire,  then  it  will  be  thefi  ih  ;  the  existence 
of  which  Daniel  plainly  denies,  asserting  that  the  ten- 

"*  R^V.  xiii.  3,  8. 
VOL.  1%  Ig 


iSS 

Jiqrned  beast  or  divided  Roman  empire  iimler  Us  last  head 
ivii  he  immediately  succeeded  hy  the triuwpJtoit  re  gn  of 
Christ .     So  that,  let  the  matter  be  viewed  in  what  light 
it  may,  Revolutionary  France  cannot  be  the  second  apvca- 
Ivptir  beast — Thef.urth  ohjcxtion  is,that  the  French  Re^ 
prblic  cannot  be  deiiominated  a  false  prophet.       The  se- 
cond beast  however  is  the  faUc  prophet  oi  the  Revelation. 
Til'  reiore  the  French  Republic  cannot  be   the  second 
least — The  Jijth  o'jecion  is,  that,   if  the  wonders   per- 
formed by  the  second  beast  means  only  the  French  victo- 
ries, it  does  not  iipj^ear  how  he  could  deceive  them  tliat 
dwell  upon  the  earth  with  such  w  onders  as  these.     The 
miracies,  wrought  by  the  bi^ast,  are  immediately  connect- 
ed wi^h  his  bringing  dow  n  fire  from  heaven,  and  his  giv- 
ing life  and  utterance  to  av  image:  and  by  these  miracles, 
thusporforn^ed,  he  is  said  to  ^6- ceii'e  the  world.     Sucli  is 
the  simple  assertion  of  the  prophet  ;  an  assertion,  which 
no  critical  art  can    torture  to  mean   Gallic  military  ex- 
ploits— The  last  objtction,  which  I  shall  make,  is  to  the 
notion,  that  we  are  to  seek  foi  the  nurnber  oj  the  beast  in 
the  name  Lvdovicus.     This  notion  is  perfectly  untenable 
even  according  to  Mr.  Galloway's  own  scheme.     He  sup- 
poses, that  'he  number  QQQ,  13  the  number  op  Hhe  second 
beast,  of  that  beust  in  short  which  he  conceives  to  be  the 
French  Republic.     Let  us  for  a  moment  allow  that  he  is 
right  in  this  supposition,  and  discuss  the  point  according- 
ly.   St.  John  informs  us,  that  the  second  beast  should  per- 
mit no  man  either  to  buy  or  to  sell,  "  save  he  that  had 
the  maik,  or  the  n<ime  of  the  beast,  or  the  number  of  his 
name."     Hence  it  is  evident,  that  the  name  (fthe  bee.st 
(supposing  wi'h  Mr.  Galloway  that  the  se< ond  bcas!  is 
here  intended),  which  comprehends  his  mystic  nunibery 
should  be  something  so  peculiarly  dear  to  him,  that  he 
should  compel  all  his  votaries,  in  some  manner  or  another, 
to  bear  it,  under  pain  of  asevnc  interdict.     J3i;t  has  this 
been  the  case  with  the  chaotic   republic  and  the  name 
Liidovicus  ?     Has  she  forbidden  all  to  buy  or  s^ll,  except 
th(»se  who  bore,  or  (to  admit  the  lowest  sense)  who  rev- 
erenced, the  name  of  her  last  unfortunate  sovereign  ?  Is 
it  u'lt  notorious  to  the  whole  wo.  Id,  iliat  her  conduct  has 
been  e.Kactly  the  reverse  ?     So  iar  from  none  being  [M?r' 


■139 

iTiitted  by  her  to  exercise  the  common  rights  of  society 
except  the  royalists,  or  (to  bestow  upon  them  tlie  name 
of  their  king)  the  Ludov  icia?is,  ihese  of  all  others  are  the 
very  persons  whom  she  has  formally  proscribed.  We 
may  reasonably  then  conclude,  that,  although  the  w^rd 
Ludovicus  happens  to  contain  the  number  (^QQy  it  is  not 
on  that  account  alone  the  name  of  the  beasU  any  more 
than  various  other  words  which  may  possibly  contain  the 
same  number.  Thus  it  appears,  that,  even  upon  Mr. 
Galloway's  own  principles,  Ludovicus  cannot  be  the  name 
of  the  beast :  much  less  therefore  can  it  be  that  myste- 
rious name,  when  we  lind  that  he  has  completely  mistak- 
en the  one  beast  for  the  othei\  attributing  to  the  second, 
beast  the  name  which  in  reality  belongs  to  the  Jirsi. 
What  St.  John  says  in  his  particular  d>?scription  of  the 
namey  is  certainly  ambiguous;  insomuch  that,  had  he  said 
nothing  more  upon  the  subject,  it  might  have  been  a 
matter  of  doubt,  whether  the  name  was  the  name  of  the. 
first  or  of  the  second  beast.  But  he  has  amply  cleared 
up  this  point  in  various  other  passages,  where  he  plamly 
intimates,  that  the  name  is  the  name  of  that  beast  to  whom 
aji  image  was  made.*  But  the  beast,  to  whom  an  nnage 
was  made,  is  the  first  beast  :  consequently  the  name  is 
the  nsime  oi the  first  beast y  and  not  of  these(ondy2i%  Mr. 
Galloway  erroneously  supposes.  Arguitig  then  with  hira 
either  upon  his  own  principles,  or  upon  tne  real  state  .of 
the  case,  we  shall  find  it  equally  impossible  to  admit  that 
..Ludovicus  is  the  jiame  of  the  beast. \ 

On  these  grounds  I  am  constrained  to  think,  that  both 
Mr.  Kett  and  Mr.  Galloway  have  erred   in  their  respec- 

•  See  Rev.  xlv.  11— xv.  2— six.  20.  andxx.  4. 

+  Both  Mr.  Galloway  and  Mr.  Kett  are  of  opinion,  that  tlie  tti'o  horned  beay; 
of  the  earth  is  the  same  us  the  beaut  of  tlie  bottomless  pit.,  wliich  inakn.'S  war  upon 
the  "witnesses.  This  opinion  I  have  ah'cady  shewn  lo  be  entirely  eiToneous. 
(See  Gal' oV ay's  Comment,  p  162 — 208,  and  Hist,  the  Interp  Vol.  i.  p.  391) 
Their  sentiments  upon  this  point  must  necessarily  lead  them  both  into  the 
.strange  notion,  that  the  fait/iful  -.fitnesses  of  God  are  th:;  popish  clergy  who  wer<i 
jTiuidered  and  banished  by  the  athfistical  republicans  of  France.  Mr.  Gal- 
ioway  accordingly  avows,  without  hesitation,  that  the  saints  of  God,  who  are 
mentioned  by  Daniel  as  worn  out  by  the  little  •  orn,  and  who  are  evidently  the 
same  as  the  ipocu  yptic  witne^.es,  are  tho.-e  v-^ry  popish  clergy  I'he  impropriety 
arid  erroneousness  of  such  a  notion  has  already  been  so  ifiiily  pointed  out,  that 
jt  is   superfluous  now  to  re&uTre  the  subject, 


140 

tive  interpretations  of  the  prophetic  character  of  the  se^ 
cov.d  beast  and  the  imaged 

Bp.  Newton's  scheme  is  much  less  objectionable. 
That  valTiable  commentator  clearly  saw,  that  the  two 
dpo  abiptic  beasts  instead  of  being  at  utter  enmit}  with 
each  other,  were  united  in  the  closest  bonds  of  friend- 
ship Having  therefore  adopted  the  opinion  that  the 
Jh's'  beast  was  the  Papacy,  he  concli'ded  that  the  secnd 
WAS  the  Roman  Church  ;    thus  injudiciously   separating 

*  Mr.  Sharpe  supposes  the  second  beast  to  be  the  secular  Roman  empire  undpr 
Justinian-  Justinian  however  was  the  representative  of  the  sixth  head  of  the 
Jirsi  beast.  Hence  it  is  manifest,  that  Mr  Sharpe  makes  the  second  beast  to  be 
in  fact  ilie  same  as  the  first.  Independent  of  this  palpable  tautology,  which 
the  prophet  carefully  jjuards  us  against,  by  assuring  us  Ihat  ?Ae  iec/Hf/^etw* 
■t.vas  another  beast,  the  Emperor  Justinian  neither  performed  any  miracles  for 
the  purpose  of  deceiving  those  that  dwell  upon  the  earth,  nor  can  he  or  any  of 
bis  succcssor.-s  be  termed  a  false  prophet-  In  short,  whatever  power  be  intend- 
ed by  the  second  btast  or  the  false  prophet,  it  must  be  some  power  at  this  prei-nt 
^owe/iit  in  existence,  htca.Wit  t'e  false  prophet  is  not  to  be  destroyed  till  the 
battle  of  ^Ivmageddon,  21  the  expiration  of  the  \2bQ  yeara.  (Rev.  xix  ~-0. )  The 
3ec(jnd  beast  tlierefore  cannot  be  the  Empire  of  Justii  ian,  because  that  has  long 
since  been  subverted  by  the  Turks.  Yet  dues  Mr.  Sharpe  censure  all  pr^  ced- 
ing commentators,  as  having  entirely  misunderstood  the  character  of  the  *e- 
coiid  beast,  because  they  apply  it  to  the  Pope  himself  ;  he  ought  rather  to  have 
Said  the  Roman  clergy,  for  1  doubt  whether  any  commentators  ever  supposed 
the  Popehimseifio  be  intended  by  the  second  beast.  Append,  to  .in  Inquiry  into 
the  Descriptio7i  of  Baby  ion,  p.  * — 6. 

Mr.  Bicheno  endeavours  to  prove,  that  the  second  beast  is  the  tyranny  exercis- 
ed by  tne  Capets  since  the  time  of  Loais  XIV.  and  that  tlie  image  is  the  system 
of  persecution  ad'jpted  by  them  against  the  Protestants.  The-  memory  of  him 
who  revoked  the  edict  of  Nantz  I  detest  as  much  as  Mr.  Bicheno  himself  can 
do;  but  mere  abhorrence  is  no  argument  It  will  be  superfluous  to  discuss 
this  scheme  at  large,  when  a  single  word  is  sufficient  to  overturn  the  whole 
fabric,  'i'/c  second  beast  ov  the  false  prophet,  for  so  Mr.  Bicheno  vtry  justly 
maintains  their  identity,  is  to  be  overthrown  at  t-^e  battle  of  .hniageddon  un- 
der the  last  vial ;  and  the  Ottoman  empire,  for  so  Mr.  Bicheno  with  equal  pro- 
priety understands  the  mystic  kuplirutes,  is  to  be  subverted  under  the  sixth 
•vial  But  the  Ottoman  empire  is  not  yet  subverted  ;  therefore  the  aixth  vial  is 
not  yet  poured  out :  and,  if  Mf  sixth  vnJ  be  not  yet  poured  out,  of  course  the 
{leventh  is  not  :  and,  if  the  seventh  be  not,  the  false  prophet  is  not  yet  over- 
thrown :  and,  if  he  be  not  yet  overtlnown,  he  ii>  now  in  existence.  The  tyran- 
ny  of  the  Capets  however  is  already  overtlnown  ;  therefore  that  tyranny  cannot 
be  the  second  bast.     Signs  of  the  times,    Part  1.  p.  17 — 2J. 

Mr.  Lowman  thinks,  that  cAe  second  btast  symbolizes  the  Gennan  ecck-siasli. 
cul  electors,  prince-bishops,  baronial-abbots,  and  other  ecciesiastno-'emp'iral  stares 
that  resemble  ii;  their  constitution  the  bishopric  of  Romi  united  tfiih  Ht-  I'eter'a 
patrimony.  Independent  of  every  other  objection  that  might  be  mude  to  this 
scheme,  it  has  received,  like  the  foregoing  one  of  .Mr,  Bicheno.  a  practical 
confutation.  The  recently  adopted  system  of  secularization,  for  the  purpose  of 
77j(irwi7«//y/j;;_^  (as  it  IS  c»lle<l)  those  German  tentpoiai  princes  wlio  have  oeen 
despoikel  of  their  territories  by  the  robberi<s  f-f  France,  has  elfectually  slain 
this  supposed  second  beast  previous  to  the  wur  rf  .irviageu^.on  under  the  seventh 
vial,  to  which  peiiod  iiis  overthrow  is  assigiieu  by  the  propb.t.  Hciicc  it  is 
manifest,  tliui  the  second  beast  certainly  cannot  be  what  Mr.  Lowraan  sujjposes 
him  to  be.    Fai  aph.  in  loo. 


141 

what  ought  never  to  have  been  divided,  and  thus  rending 
(as  it  weve)  the  headirom  fJt,  bodjj.'^'  The  fact  is,  what 
might  appear  a  contradiction  till  it  was  actually  fulfilled, 
t/?e  two  blasts  aretzvo  universal  empires,  not  only  existing 
together  each  under  its  [)roper  and  distinct  head,  but  mu- 
tually supporting  and  strengthening  each  other.  Daniel 
however  declares,  that  the  te)i-horiied  beast  is  the  last 
iinwersal  empire  ;  and  yet  St.  John  represents  this  very 
^ertiv;  as  co-existing  with  another  beast,  or  another  uni- 
*V(rsaleinT>ire  :  for,  that  the  tzvo  beasts  are  two  powers 
p  rfectty  distinct  fro)n  each  o/Z/e/',  is  manifest,  not  onhr 
from  their  diiferent  symbolical  conformation,  but  from 
the  express  words  of  the  prophet:  "I  beheld,"  says  he, 
''^  another  beast r  Hence  it  is  plain,  ihat  the  second  apo- 
calyptic beast  cannot  be  a  temporal  universal  empire :  both 
because  it  is  physically  impossible,  thai  two  temporal  etn- 
pires,  each  universal  so  far  as  the  Church  is  concerned, 
should  exist  together  ;  and  because,  if  the  second  beast  of 
the  Apocalypse  were  a  terntoral  empire-,  it  would  be  a 
jijth  tenipoiYil  Cj/ipire,  whereas  Daniel  declares  that  there 
shall  only  he  pour.  But,  liihe  second  beast  be  not  a  tem- 
poral empire,  it  must  be  a  spiriiKul  empire  ;  for  nothing 
but  a  sp>  ritual  empire  can  co-exist  with  a  temporal  em- 
pire.  Accordingly  we  lind  this  to  be  the  very  case  ;  for 
St.  John,  as  if  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  error,  explicitly 
ii\{oxr[\s  M-tihai  the  second  beast  should  be  a  f  Use  pro- 
phet,-\  o\- an  ecclesiastical  power  :  which,  under  the  pre- 
tence of  a  divine  commission,  should  grievously  corrupt 
the  genuine  Gospel  of  Christ.J 

Here  then  we  have  a  plain  prediction  of  some  spiritual 
poxver,  which  should  come  in  the  name  of  God  as  a  sound 
evangelical  prophet  or  preacher  ;  which  should  arrogate 
to  itselt  universal  or  catholic  authority  in  religious  mat- 
ters ;  wh;ch  should  co-exist  upon  the  most  friendly  terms 
with  the  ten-horned  temporal  empire,  instigating  it  to  per- 

*  Mr.  Mcde  more  judiciously  supposes  ike  second  beast  to  be  the  Roman  Poii' 
itffivith  his  cL  rg-i).  "  Bestia  bicornis,  sive  pseudopropheta,  pontifex.  est  Koma- 
nusxum  suocleio."     Com.  Apoc.  in  loc. 

t  C(jmpare  Rev.  xiii.  1^ — 17  with  Rev.  six.  20. 

t  "  The  false  prophet,"  says  I3p.  Newton  very  justly,  "  is  a  body  or  succession 
of  inen  propagating- false  doctrines,  a7id  teaching  lies  for  sacred  truths.'"  The  se- 
co;if/itGst  IS  manife.stly  styled  a/a/se  prophet  in  direct  opposition  to  the  twp 
^^stic  ivicnusses,  who  are  the  true  prophets  of  God 


1^ 

a^ecdte,  during  the  space  of  A'^, prophetic  jnonthb;  or  1^60 
?/e«A?,  all  such  as  should  dare  to  dispute  its  usurped  do- 
mination ;  and  which,  in  short,  should  solve  the  symboli- 
cal problem  oitwo  contcmpon^ry  beasts,  by  exhibiting;  to 
the  world  the  singular  spectacle  oi  a  complete  Ci  pire 
^vitldn  an  empire.  Where  we  are  to  look  for  this  }.'<>vv'er, 
since  the  gi\  at  Roman  beast  was  divided  into  ten  hor  s^ 
and  during  the  period  of  his  existence  under  his  last  se- 
cular heady  i ke  Carhvhigian  line  cj' j eudal Eniptrots,  iet 
the  impartial  voice  of  history  determine  ;  and  that  voice 
witiiout  hesitation  will  declare,  that  the  catholic  church 
of  Rome  the  spirtnal  empire  of  winch  the  Pope  is  the 
all'Zved  head,  can  alone  answer  to  the  propheiio  descrip- 
tion of  such  a  power.*  At  its  first  rise,  the  Papacy  ap- 
pears in  the  book  of  Daniel  only  as  a  little  h^rn  springing 
cut  of  the  first  or  secular  beast :  but  that  little  horn  is 
represented  as  soon  becoming  exceeding  powerful,  and 
as  influencing  the  actions  of  thezvhole  beast.  When  the 
saints  were  given  into  its  hand  in  the  year  60Q,  the  papal 
kingdom  became  an  uiver sal  spiritual  empire:  and,  as 
such,  it  is  represented  by  St.  John  under  the  symbol  of 
a  disliuct  beast  having  a  t  roper  head  aud  horns  oi  his  own. 
That  the  little  ho'-n  nfthe  Roman  beast  typifies  the  same 
poicer  as  the  second  apoc-Uyptic  oeast,  is  manifest  indeed 
from  this  circumstance.  Daniel,  who  fully  delineates 
the  character  of  the  little  horn,  is  entirely  silent  respect- 
ing the  two-horned  beast  ;  and  St.  John,  who  as  fully  de-\ 
lineates  the  character  of  the  two-horned  hea  t,  is  entirely 
silent  respecting  ^/f^ /iY^/e  'fom  Accordingly  we  fmi 
that  the  little  hornyand  the  two-horned  beast, net  precisely 

*  The  Papists,  by  a  wonderful  fatality,  have  constanUy  styled  themselves 
lOuthoiicsy  and  their  particular  churcii  the  CutliuUc  Church ,-  thus  holding 
themselves  forth  as  members  of  the  body  of  ihc  second  hca^i,  or  catnoUc  ecclesi- 
astical empire.  In  tliis  sense  of  liie  word,  we  readily  coixcede  lo  '.hem  tlie  utie 
of  Catholics  ;  in  its  genuine  sense,  as  importing  members  of  the  spiritual  body  of 
C/«i?/,  we  claim  the  title  no  less  than  themselves.  I  hese  pictended  C'atnu- 
lies  the  Churcli  of  EngUind  unifurmty  denominates  /  'apists  ;  and,  as  1  have  no 
hidination  to  uncatholicisc  myself,  I  have  throiij^hout  the  present  work  adopt- 
ed her  pliraseoloj^y  in  preference  to  Uie  more  f;«si)ionable  one  of  the  day.  I 
freelv  allow,  tliul  the  I'apists  are  members  of  'he  catholic  bet  .st  -•  bui  I  cannot 
brinj;^  myself  to  style  tliem  C  itiiolics,  »s  li'  ilu-y  wore  the  oii.ij  meinbc.  s  of  the 
true  catholic  dturch.  If  protestanls,  in  ttie  heiijlit  of  mod.  i  n  liberality,  .u^rant 
x\\-<<.\.i\0\\eh\\Xtheatlhere;itsoflheJ-'apacyMtt  lea  Cutholicii,  Uiey  do  uideed 
plead  guilty  to  the  less  courteous  appellation  of  Heretics,  with  which  I  am  nol 
.ii'.voj'e'Uiat  tli'j  Papi-sts  have  evsr  ceused  to  honour  us. 


ns 

in  tire  same  capacity ;  each  exercising  all  the  power  of 
the  Jirst  beast  belore  him,  each  being  a  false  seer  ox 
propiiet,  and  each  perishing  in  one  common  destruction 
with  the  Jirst  or  secular  beast. ^ 

I.  The  second  beast  sprung  up  out  oj  the  earth,  ami  is 
described  as  being  another /w/.v?  perfectly  distinct  from 
the  first — In  the  language  of  the  Apocalypse,  the  earth 
denotes  the  Roman  E i?ipi re  :\  ihe  spu^itnal  poicer  there- 
fore, symbolized  by  the  beast,  must  be  sought  for  within 
the  limits  of  that  empire.  There  accordingly  we  i\w\tha 
ecclesiastical  empire  of  the  Pope.  Ihe  sixth  head  of  the 
temporal  beast  long  claimed  and  exercised  supremacy 
over  the  Church  :  but,  in  the  year  606,  the  tyrant  Phocas 
constituted  Pope  Boniface  ^?///re?«6"  head  in  spirituals,  and 
bestowed  upon  him  the  title  of  Universal  Bi.tiop.  In 
this  year  then  the  second  beast,  or  ihe  zmiversal  empire  of 
the  Pope,  arose  out  of  the  earth  :  and  it  has  ever  been  th© 
policy  of  its  ruler  to  separate  it  from  tlie  temporal  empire^ 
to  keep  it  perfectly  distinct  as  an  iiiiperium  in  imperio,  and 
never  suffer  it  to  lose  its  prophetic  character  of  "  another 
beast.''  To  cite  history  for  the  purpose  of  proving  so 
well  known  a  fact,  seems  almost  superfluous;  nevertheless 
I  cannot  refrain  from  noticing  a  single  incident  which  am- 
ply explains   the  nature  of  this  policy  of    the  Popes. 

*  Compare  Dan.  vii.  8.  11,  21,  25,  26.  with  Rev.  xiii.  5,  7, 12,  15,  16,  17,  and 

+  Mr.  Mede  and  Bp.  Newton  suppose,  that  the  beast  rising-  out  of  the  earth 
means,  that  the  porcer  iypifed  bt,  the  beast  shfAild  giou.-  up  like  a  plant  silenttu 
a^id -Mithout  noise,  m\\m^\:m^  further  that  "  the  greatest  prelates  have  oftca 
been  raised  from  monks  and  men  of  the  Invest  birth  and  parentage."  Mr.  Whi- 
taker  and  Dr.  Zoiich,  confinincf  without  any  just  warrant  the  character  of  ilie 
6eastto  ihe  ,nonastic  orders,  think  that  the  j^hrase  implies  hzs  rise  in  the  Last  > 
and  Mr  Whitaker  adds,  that  it  may  partly  aUude  to  the  rise  of  those  or(  er.q 
zn  tunes  of  peace  and  prosperity.  Uoth  these  interpretations  seem  to  me  to  bi 
needless^  not  to  say  unauthorised,  refinements.  Since  the  earth  throu^rhout 
the  whole  Apocalypse  m.  ans  the  novum  evipire,  and  no  where  more  decidedlw 
so  than  m  the  present  chapter,  what  occasion  is  there  to  annex  to  it  here  a 
Iresh  idea  ?  The  prophet  had  just  before  declared,  that  the  7vhoie  earth  won- 
clered  after  the  great  Roman  beau,  andtliat  all  that  dwell  \\\iontlie  earth  shou'd 
worship  hun  ;  (Rev.  xiii.  T,,  8.)  and  he  now  proceeds  to  inform  us,  that  he  be- 
nem  another  beast  coming  up  out  of  the  earth,  (Rev.  xiii.  11,^  teachintc  us  af- 
tev^^rdsih-^t  this  other  beast  should  deceive  those  that  dwelt  on  the  earth, 
(.Key.  xm.  14.)  Now  it  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  wha+  the  word 
eartri  means  m  one  part  of  a  chapter,  it  should  mean  in  another.  Sir.ce  then 
the  earth  which  wondered  after  the  Roman  beast  can  only  mean  those  ~vho  dnvelt 
upon  the  earth,  and  since  those  ivha  divclt  -upon  the  earih  can  only,  mean  the  in. 
fiabttants  of  the  Roman  empire  :  we  must  surely  conclude,  that,  when  a  beast  ia. 
aaia  to  c«me  up  out  of  this  ver,,  ea-rh,  the  Rminn  e^nthe  h  htf-r^  Rkewr^ 
intenaea.  t  '^  - 


144 

When  Edward  the  first  of  England  wished  to  impose 
ii  tax  upon  the  Clergy,  "  Bonifnce  the  eighth,  who  Jiad 
succeeded  Celesthie  in  the  papal  throne,  was  determin- 
ed to  resume  the  authority,  which  had  been  for  some 
time  relaxed  by  his  predecessors,  and  to  become  the 
protector  of  the  spiritual  order,  against  all  invaders. 
For  this  purpose  he  issaed  very  early  in  his  pontificate 
a  general  bull,  prohibiting  all  princes  from  levying  with- 
out  his  consent  any  taxes  upon  the  clergy,  and  all  cler- 
gymen from  submitting  to  such  impositions :  and  he 
threatened  both  of  them  with  the  penalties  of  excom- 
munication in  case  of  disobedience.  No  sooner  there- 
fore had  the  king  made  his  demand  on  the  clergy  of  the 
jSfth  of  their  moveables,  than  they  entrenched  themselves 
under  the  bull  of  Pope  Boniface,  and  pleaded  con- 
science in  refusing  to  comply  with  the  requisition. 
Edward  avoided  proceeding  immediately  to  extremi- 
ties on  this  account ;  but,  having  given  orders  to  lock 
up  all  their  granaries  and  barns,  and  prohibited  all  rent 
to  be  paid  to  them,  he  appointed  a  new  synod  to  confer 
with  him  upon  his  demand.  The  primate,  not  intimi- 
dated by  Edward's  resolution,  plainly  told  him,  that  the 
clergy  owed  obedience  to  two  sovereigns,  their  spiritual 
and  their  temporal  ;  but  their  duty  bound  them  to  a  much 
stricter  attachment  to  the  former  than  to  the  latter :  they 
could  not  therefore  comply  with  his  commands,  which 
were  directly  contrary  to  the  positive  prohibition  of  the 
sovereign  pontiff." *"  The  subsequent  steps  taken  by  Ed- 
ward to  enforce  obedience  it  is  needless  here  to  detail : 
enough  has  been  said  to  shew  in  what  manner  the  second 
beast  which  sprung  out  of  the  ea.ih,  w^as  "  another  baast.'* 
2.  He  had  tnw  horns  like  a  lanih — As  the  secitla^  beast 
is  represented  w\i\\ seven  heads  and  ten  hornsy  so  the  ec- 
clesiastical beast  appeRvs  with  only  o?ie  head  and  tuo  h  rns. 
Now,  since  we  have  already  seen,  that  the  seculr  beast 
binder  his  last  head  \s  the  divded  Rom  :n  empire  inider  the 
line  of  Carlovingian  emperors;  the  ecclesiastical  bea.st 
under  his  single  head.,  wlio  has  co-existed  and  co-opeia'ed 
with  the  secular  beast,   must  necessarily  be  the  corrupt 

•  Mod.  Univ.  Ilist.  Vol.  xxxix.  p.  205,  206. 


145 

church  of  Rome  wider  the  line  of  those  pretended  iinher- 
sal  bishops,  the  Popes.  And  here  we  cannot  but  observe 
the  wonderful  exactness  with  which  the  two  principal 
apocalyptic  symbols,  the  first,  and  the  second  beast,  are 
contrived.  The  Roman  empire,  having  existed  under 
sexen  different  constitutions,  is  described  by  a  beast  with 
^even  htdds  ;  but  the  catholic  chirch  of  Rome,  never  hav- 
ing existed  under  more  than  one  form  of  government, 
namely  the  papain  is  therefore  described  by  a  bead  with 
only  one  head. 

This  head  however  is  furnished  with  two  horns.     la 
the  language  of  symbols,   horns  are   kingdoms :    conse- 
quently the  horns  of  an  ecclesiastical  beast  must  be  eccle- 
siastical kingdoms.     Now  I  know  not  what  idea  we  can 
annex  to  an  ecclesiastical  king  do, >!,suhservient  to  the  head 
of  an  ecclesiastical  empire,  except  that  of  a  regularly  or- 
ganized body  of  ecclesiastics  subject  primarily  to  their  oxvn 
immediate  superior,  and  nltimatelij  to  the  head  of  the 
whole  empire.     If  the  church  (f  Rome  then  be  intended  by 
the  second  apocalyptic  beast,  and  the  Pope,  by  the  head 
of  tJtat  beast,  it  must  comprehend  two  such  ecclesiastical 
kingdoms ;  that  is  to  say,  it  must  comprehend  two  regu- 
larly organized  bodies  of  ecclesiastics,  distinct  from  each 
other,  and  subject  primarily  to  their  respective  superior Sy 
and   ultimately  to   the  Pope.      Mr.  Whitaker  and   Dr. 
Zouch  suppose  that  the  two  horns  are  the  monks,  who 
were  at  first  divided  into  two  classes  :  the  Cenobites,  who 
(to  adopt  the  language  of  Mr.  Gibbon)  "lived  under  a 
common  and  regular  discipline ;  and  the  Anachorets,  who 
indulged  their  unsocial,  independent,  fanaticism."     And 
Mr.  Whitaker  adds,  that  in  a  later  age  the  papal  author- 
ity was  more  especially  supported   by  txvo  mendicant  or- 
ders of  monks,  the  Dominicans  and  Franciscans — This 
opinion  seems  to  me  by  no  means  tenable  for  various  rea- 
sons— Monasticism  first  arose  in  the  East  about  the  year 
305,  and  ^thence  passed  into  the  West.     The  second  apo- 
calyptic beast  however,  or  the  catholic  empire  of  the  Pope, 
did  not  spring  up  out  of  the  earth  till  the  year  606.     Con- 
sequently the  origi7ial  twofold  divis/on  of  the  monks  m  the 
East  cannot  make  them  the  txvo  horns  of  a  beast,  which 
sprung  up,  long  after  that  di\ision,  in  the  JFest--)^\}X  i-t 
VOL.  n.  19 


146 

may  be  said,  that,  although  their  extmction  heorientaU 
there  is  no  inconsistency  in  supposing  that  they  might 
cftenvards  become  lioms  of  the  beast,  when  they  had  ex- 
tended themselves  westward,  and  mightily  exerted  them- 
selves in  support  of  the  papal  authority.  Here  then  an- 
other objection  presents  itself,  I  readily  allow,  that  the 
character  of  the  Cenobi'es  perfectly  answers  to  the  char- 
acter of  ail  ecclesiastical  hoj^n  or  kingdom.  They  were  a 
ve^qularly  organized  body  of  men  ;  bound  by  certain  latvs, 
and  subject  first  to  their  superior,  and  in  after  ages  through 
him  to  the  Pope.  But  I  can  discover  none  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  a  horn  in  the  Jnachorets.  These,  so  far  from 
being  united  under  a  settled  government,  and  from  pro- 
fessing obed'ence  to  a  superior,  "renounced  the  convent 
as  they  had  renounced  the  world;"  and,  plunging  into 
the  deepest  solitudes  of  the  desert  far  from  the  haunts  of 
men,  "  indulged  their  unsocial,  independent,  fanaticism.'* 
Such  being  the  case,  the  Anachoreis  can  with  no  more 
propriety  be  esteemed  a  horn  or  regidar  ecclesiastical  gov- 
ernment, than  men  in  a  nomade  state  can  be  considered  as 
constituting  a  regular  secular  government — Perhaps  this 
part  of  the  scheme  may  be  given  up,  and  it  may  be 
asserted  that  the  Dominicans  and  Franciscans  are  the  two 
horns  exclusively,  neither  of  those  two  orders  being  lia- 
ble to  be  charged  with  the  disqualification  of  the  Ana- 
chords.  Heie again  fresh  objections  still  arise.  Both 
those  orders  are  comparatively  of  a  late  date :  and  are  we 
to  suppose,  notwithstanding  the  early  rise  of  monasti- 
cism,  that  the  beast  had  no  horns  till  the  days  of  Dominic 
«'ind  Francis  ?  Or  even,  if  we  venture  to  adopt  such  a  sup- 
-])osition,  were  the  Domhucans  and  Franciscans  the  only 
orders  ?  That  they  were  the  most  conspicuous  orders  dur- 
ing three  centuries  is  no  doubt  perfectly  true,  but  they 
wore  certainly  very  far  from  standing  alone.  As  the  ten 
horns  c.f  the  secular  beast  represent  precisely  that  num- 
ber of  kingdoms,  though  some  of  them  were  strong  and 
some  weak  ;  so,  arguing  at  least  from  analogy,  had  the 
horns  of  the  ecclesiastical  beast  been  designed  to  repre- 
sent the  vunastic  orders,  there  would  surely  have  been 
ju?t  as  many  hor?is  as  there  were  orders,  though  some  of 
*liose  wore  strong  and  some  weak — In  opposition  then  to 


147 

this  sclieme,  which  seems  to  me  to  be  clogged  with  too 
many  difficulties  to  be  admissible,  I  am  more  inclined  to 
think  with  Bp.  Newton,  that  the  two  horns  ave  the  horn- 
ish  clergy,  regular  and  secular.  The  first  of  these  clas- 
ses comprehends  Yz//  the  various  monastic  orders  ;  the  sec- 
ond comprehends  the  whole  body  of  parochial  clergy. 
These  tzvo  classes  I  conceive  to  be  the  tzvo  ecclesiastical 
horns  or  kingdoms  of  iJie  catholic  empire  of  the  Pope.  In 
every  particular  they  answer  to  the  character  ot  horns, 
being  two  distinct  regularly  organized  bodies-,  suhjectfirst 
to  their  own  particular  superiors,  and  ultimately  to  the,. 
Pope,  the  head  oj  the  tvhole  empire. 

The  manner  in  which  these  ^wo  ecclesiastical  kitigdoms 
of  the  papal  empire  were  erected,  will  best  appear  by  ad- 
verting to  history. 

"  The  imperious  pontlfifs,"  says  Mosheim,  "  always 
fond  of  exerting  their  authority,  exempted  by  degrees 
the  monastic  orders  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  bishops. 
The  monks,  in  return  for  this  important  service,  devoted 
themselves  wholly  to  advance  the  interests,  and  to  main- 
tain the  dignity  of  the  hishop  of  Rome.  They  made  his 
cause  their  own ;  and  represented  him  as  a  sort  of  god 
to  the  ignorant  multitude,  over  whom  they  had  gained  a 
prodigious  ascendant  by  the  notion  that  generally  prevail- 
ed of  the  sanctity  of  the  Viionastic  order T^  The  same 
historian  further  observes,  "  The  monastic  orders  and 
religious  societies  have  always  been  considered  by  iJic 
Moman pontiffs  as  the  principal  support  of  their  authority 
and  dominion.  It  is  chiefly  by  them  that  they  rule  the 
Church,  maintain  their  influence  on  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  augment  the  number  of  their  votaries. "f  Of 
this  the  following  passage  affords  a  remarkable  instance. 

"The  power  of  the  Do??ii?iicansa.nd  T'ranciscans gveoXly 
surpassed  that  of  the  other  two  orders,  and  rendered 
them  singularly  conspicuous  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 
During  three  centuries  these  two  fraternities  governed, 
with  an  almost  universal  and  absolute  sway,  both  church 
and  state  ;  filled  the  most  eminent  posts  ecclesiasticat 
and  civil;  taught  in  the  universities  and  churches  with 

*  Nflslw?iin's  Z^\es,  Hist.  Vol  ii-  p.  17'2t  ^  ibklVol.  iv  p.  I8i. 


148 

an  authority,  before  which  all  opposition  was  silent ;  and 
maintained  the  pretended  majesty  of  the  Roman  pontiffs 
against  kings,  princes,  bisho})S,  and  heretics,  with  incred- 
ible ardour  and  success.  The  Dominicans  and  Franciscans 
were  before  the  Reformation  what  the  Jesuits  have  been 
since  that  happy  and  glorious  period ;  the  very  soul  of 
the  hierarchy,  the  engines  of  the  state,  the  secret  springs 
of  the  motions  of  the  one  and  of  the  other,  and  the  au- 
thors and  directors  of  every  great  and  important  event 
both  in  the  religious  and  political  world."*     The  com- 
plete distinctness  of  this  first  Jiorn  or  ecclesiastical  king- 
dom of  the  beast  from  the  other,   by  means  of  their  ex- 
emption from  episcopal  jurisdiction,  will  appear  yet  more 
evidently  from  the  following  passage.     "  While  the  pon- 
tiffs accumulated  upon  the  mendicants  the  most  honour- 
able distinctions  and  the  most  valuable  privileges  which 
they  had  to  bestow,  they  exposed  them  still  more  and 
more  to  the  envy  and  hatred  of  the  rest  of  the  clergy ; 
and  this  hatred  was  considerably  increased  by  the  auda- 
cious arrogance  that  discovered  itself  every  where  in  the 
conduct  of  these  supercilious  orders.     They  had  the  pre- 
sumption to  declare  publicly,  that  they  had  a  divine  im- 
pulse and  commission  to  illustrate  and  maintain  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus ;  they  treated   with  the  utmost  insolence 
and  contempt  all  the  different  ranks  and  orders  of  the 
jrriesthood  ;  they  affirmed  without  a  blush,  that  the  true 
method  of  obtaining  salvation  was  revealed  to  them  alone  ; 
proclaimed  with  ostentation  the  superior  eflicacy  and  vir- 
tue of  their  indulgencics  ;  and  vaunted,  beyond  measure, 
their  interests  at  the  court  of  heaven,  and  their  familiar 
connections  with  the  Supreme  IJeing,  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  the  saints  in  glory.     By  these  impious  wiles  they  so 
deluded  and  captivated  the  miserable  and  blinded  multi- 
tude, that   they  would   not  intrust  any  others  but  the 
mendicants  with  the  care  of  their   souls,   their  spiritual 
and  eternal  conccrns."t     Thus  it  appears,  that  the  mo- 
nastic orders  constituted  a  well  organized  body-,  govern- 
ed by  their  own  laws,  exempt  from  e|)iscopal  juris(liction> 
subject  to  their  respective  generals  or  superiors^  but  pny- 

*  Mosheim's Kccles.  H4st.  Vol.  ijl.  p.  19j.  +  Ibid.  p.  204. 


I 


149 

ing  at  the  same^ime  an  implicit  obedience  to  the  Pope. 
In  short  they  perfectly  answer  to  every  idea  that  we  can 
form  of  an  ecclesiastical  kingdom  under  the  control  of  the 
head  of  an  ecclesiastical  empire. 

The  second  horn  of  the  beast  I  suppose  to  be  the  secu- 
lar popish  clergy.  As  the  monks  were  subject,  first  to 
the  superiors  of  their  orders,  and  ultimately  to  the  Pope  ; 
so  the  secular  or  parochial  clergy  were  subject,  first  to 
their  respective  bishops,  and  ultimately  to  the  sovereign 
pontiff.  Various  preparatory  steps  were  taken  towards 
the  erecting  of  this  second  ecclesiastical  horn  or  kingdom 
heiore  the  year  606y  when  the  Pope  was  declared  ?^wi/;6T- 
sal  Bishop,  and  whence  therefore  I  date  the  rise  of  the 
second  beast  or  the  papal  catholic  eyjipire.  The  decrees 
of  the  Emperors,  and  the  metropolitan  dignity  of  Rome, 
gradually  conferred  upon  the  Popes  an  archi-episcopal 
authority  over  the  western  bishops,  previous  to  the  time 
when  they  were  formally  declared  by  Phocas  the  head  of 
the  universal  Church.*  In  the  eighth  century  Germany 
was  reduced  under  the  yoke  by  an  English  friar  named 
Boniface,  whom  Gregory  the  third  consecrated  Arch- 
bishop of  Mentz  ;  constituting  him  at  the  same  time  his 
vicar,  with  full  power  to  call  councils,  and  to  constitute 
bishops  in  those  places,  which  were  by  his  assistance  con- 
verted to  the  Christian  faith.  In  the  first  of  these  coun- 
cils, Boniface  presiding  in  quality  of  legate  of  the  Roman 
chair,  the  clergy  signed  a  certain  confession  of  faith, 
whereby  they  obliged  themselves,  not  only  to  maintain 
the  catholic  faith,  but  also  to  remain  in  constant  union 
with  the  Roman  church,  and  to  be  obedient  to  the  suc- 
cessors of  St.  Peter.  "  This  Boniface,"  says  PuffendorfF, 
"  was  the  first,  who  put  it  upon  the  bishops  of  Germany 
to  receive  the  episcopal  pall  from  the  Pope,  who  sent  it 
to  the  bishops  of  France  without  their  request,  thereby 
to  unite  them  with  the  Roman  chair.  And,  when  once 
these  ornaments  were  become  customary  amongst  themjr 
they  were  put  upon  them  afterwards  as  of  absolute  ne- 
cessity; and  the  episcopal  function  was  forbidden  to  be 

•  The  reader  will  find  a  very  circumstantial  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
«/i^  £/i'Ao/>*  o/J^ojnc  gradually  extended  their  authority  over  the  West,  In  Sir 
Isaac  Newton's  Observ.  yu  Daniel,  chap.  viii. 


16Q 

exercised  by  them  before  they  had  received  tbes<»  orna- 
meuts."*  The  same  author  further  observes,  *'  Besides 
this,  the  Popes  assumed  to  themselves  an  authoiity  of 
giving  leave  to  the  bisliops  to  remove  from  one  episcopal 
r>ee  to  another,  and  obliged  all  the  western  bishops  to.  re- 
ceive their  confirmation  from  Rome,  for  which  they  were 
obliged  to  pay  d  certain  sum  of  money  as  an  acknow- 
ledgment, which  was  since  con\'erted  to  annats.  T/ic 
Popes  also,  by  making  void  the  decisions  of  the  provin- 
cial synods  or  assemblies,  overthrew  their  authority : 
wherefore,  when  every  body  plainly  perceived  that  the 
decrees  of  these  assembhes  could  produce  no  other  effects 
but  to  be  continually  annulled  by  the  Popes,  without  so 
much  as  hearkening  to  any  reasons,  they  were  by  degrees 
quite  abolished.  Pope  Gregory  the  seventh  also  forced 
the  bishops  to  swear  an  oath  of  fealty  to  the  Pope,  and 
by  a  decree  forbad]  that  none  should  dare  to  condemn 
any  one  that  had  appealed  to  the  Pope,  They  were  also 
not  forgetful  in  sending  legates  or  nuncios  to  all  places  ; 
W'hose  business  was  to  exercise  in  the  name  of  the  Pope 
the  same  authority  which  had  formerly  belonged  to  the 
bishops,  metropolitans,  and  provincial  assemblies."J  In 
this  passage  mention  is  made  of  the  oath  'of  fealty  ex- 
acted by  Gregory  the  seventh  from  the  bishops.  A  sim- 
ilar oath  has  been  imposed,  even  since  the  Reformation, 
by  Phis  the  fourth  on  all  the  beneficed  clergy.  He  de- 
creed, that  they  should  all  swear  true  obedience  to  tht 
Roman  pontiff,  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  and  vicar  of 
Jesus  Christ. ji  In  short,  how  completely  the  clergy  un- 
der their  bishops  became  one  of  the  ixoo  ecclesiastical  king- 
doms of  the  papal  beast,  will  best  appear  from  the  follow- 
ing oath,  set  forth  by  order  o[  Pope  Clement  the  eighth  to 
be  taken  by  all  bishops  at  their  consecration,  and  by  all 
metropolitans  at  their  instalment. 

"  I  N.  elect  of  the  church  of  N.  from,  henceforw^ard 
will  be  faithful  and  obedient  to  St.  Peter  the  Apostle, 
and  to  the  holy  Roman  church,  and  to  our  lord,  the  lord 
N.  Pope  N.  and  to  his  successors  canonically  coming  in. 

•  Introduct.  to  Hist,  of  Eur.  cited  by  Whltakcr,  p.  404,        f  Er.adcd. 
i  Injj-oduct.  to  Hist,  oi"  Eur.  cited  by  Whitaker,  p.  406.      §  Ibid.  p.  407. 


151 

I  will  neither  advise,  consent,  or  do  any  thing,  that  they 
may  lose  life  or  member,  or  that  their  persons  may  be 
seized,  or  hands  any  wise  laid  upon  them,  or  any  injuries 
offered  to  them  under  any  pretence  whatsoever.  The 
counsel,  which  they  shall  intrust  me  withal,  by  them- 
selves, their  messengers,  or  letters,  I  will  not  knowingly 
reveal  to  any  to  their  prejudice.  I  will  help  them  to  de- 
fend and  keep  the  Roman  Papacy  and  the  royalties  of 
St.  Peter,  saving  my  order,  against  all  men.  The  legate 
of  the  apostolic  see,  going  and  coming,  I  will  honourably 
treat  and  help  in  his  necessities.  The  rights,  honours, 
privileges,  and  authority,  of  the  holy  Roman  church,  of 
our  lord  the  Pope,  and  his  foresaid  successors,  I  will  en- 
deavour to  preserve,  defend,  increase,  and  advance.  I 
will  not  be  in  any  counsel,  action,  or  treaty,'  in  which 
shall  be  plotted  against  our  said  lord,  and  the  said  Ro- 
man church,  any  thing  to  the  hurt  or  prejudice  of  their 
persons,  right,  honour,  state,  or  power ;  and,  if  I  shall 
know  any  such  thing  to  be  treated  or  agitated  by  any 
whatsoever,  I  will  hinder  it  to  my  power  ;  and,  as  soon 
as  I  can,  will  signify  it  to  our  said  lord,  or  to  some  other 
by  whom  it  may  come  to  his  knowledge.  The  rules  of 
the  holy  fathers,  the  apostolic  decrees,  ordinances,  or  dis- 
posals, reservations,  provisions,  and  mandates,  I  will  ob- 
serve with  all  my  might,  and  cause  to  be  observed  by- 
others.  Heretics,  schismatics,  and  rebels  to  our  said  lord, 
or  his  foresaid  successors,  I  will  to  my  power  persecute 
and  oppose.'"* 

As  for  the  precise  steps,  by  which  this  ecclesiastical 
kingdom  was  fmally  and  perfectly  organized,  they  are 
well  pointed  out  by  lord  Lyttelton  in  his  hist  or  ij  of 
Henry  the  second.  "  It  was  now  an  established  notion," 
says  he,  "  that  all  metropolitans  were  only  the  vicars  or 
rather  viceroys  of  the  Pope  in  their  several  provinces  ; 
and  the  pall  was  the  ensign  of  their  office.  This  was  too 
lightly  given  way  to  by  kings,  and  proved  in  its  conse- 
quences one  of  the  deepest  arts,  by  which  the  policy  of 
the  court  of  Rome  supported  its  power.  For  thus  all  the 
greatest  prelates,  who  might  have  aflecled  an  indcjjcnd- 

*  Whiuiker's  Conimert.  p  408. 


159^ 

eiice  on  that  see,  had  another  object  of  ambition  set  up, 
namely,  an  independence  on  their  own  sovereigns,  and 
an  imparted  share  of  the  papal  dominion  over  all  tem- 
poral powers."  And  again  :  "  Henry  the  first  did  not 
enough  consider,  how  much  the  design  of  detaching  the 
clergy  from  any  dependence  upon  their  own  sovereign, 
and  from  all  ties  to  their  country,  was  promoted  by  forc- 
ijig  them  to  a  life  of  celibacy :  but  concurred  with  the 
see  of  Rome,  and  with  Anselm  its  minister,  in  imposing 
that  yoke  upon  the  English  church,  which  till  then  had 
always  refused  it — He  was  also  prevailed  upon  to  suffer 
a  legate  a  iaterey  the  Cardinal  of  Crema,  to  preside  in  a 
council  held  at  London  upon  this  and  other  matters,  in 
derogation  to  the  m.etropolitan  rights  of  the  archbishop 
of  Canterbury  ;  thereby  confirming  that  dangerous  and 
degrading  subjection  to  the  Bishop  of  Romey  which  his 
father  had  brought  upon  the  church  of  England."* 
There  was  yet  another  step,  by  which  the  second  eccle- 
siastical kingdom  of  the  papal  empire  was  both  complet- 
ed, and  kept  in  subjection.  Well  knowing  the  truth  of 
the  maxim.  Divide  and  riile,ihe  artful  pontiffs  dexterously 
contrived. to  play  off  the  one  kingdom  against  the  other, 
to  govern  the  secular  clergy  by  the  instrumentality  of 
the  regular.  ^' Whenewer  a?ii/ dishop,''  says  Puffendorff, 
"  attempted  any  thing  against  the  Pope's  authority,  the 
mendicant  friars  with  their  clamour  and  noise  pursued 
him  every  where  like  so  many  hounds,  and  rendered  him 
odious  to  the  common  people,  amongst  whom  they  were 
in  great  veneration  through  their  outward  appearance  of 
holiness  ;  and  from  thence  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  bisli- 
opSi  who  opposed  the  Pope's  authority,  never  could  make 
a  great  party  among  the  common  people.  Besides  this, 
the  friars  always  kept  a  watchful  eye  over  the  actions  of 
the  dishops,  giving  continual  advices  concerning  them  to 
their  generals  residing  at  Rome,  whereby  the  Popes  were 
enabled  to  oppose  timely  any  design  intended  against 
their  authority.  And  these  friars  proved  the  main  ob- 
stacle, why  the  bishnps  could  not  so  effectually  oppose 
the  Pope's  authority  which  he  assumed  over  them  ;   so 

•  Hist,  of  Henry  II.  cited  by  Whitaker,p.  410,  411. 


\53 

that,  being  destitute  of  means  to  help  themselves,  they 
were  forced  to  follow  the  current."^ 

The  regular  and  secular  clergy  then,  under  tJieir  re- 
spective generals  ?in&  bishops, 'dxe  thetxvo  hurns  or  ecclesi- 
astical kingdoms  of  the  papal  catholic  empire.  These 
/iorw*  appeared  to  the  prophet  to  be  of  a  different  form 
from  those  of  the  first  or  temporal  beast :  they  resemble 
the  hojiis  of  a  lamb.  Now,  when  we  recollect  that  the 
second  beast  is  styled  a  false  prophet,  we  can  scarcely 
douht  but  that  the  symbol  was  so-constructed  in  allusion  to 
his  spiritual  character.  Accordingly  the  two  ecclesias'ical 
7/0  w^  claimed  to  be  the  only  servants  of  the  Lamb  of  God, 
and  affected  to  be  like  him  in  meekness  and  humility. 
Solemnly  devoting  themselves  to  a  life  of  celibacy,  and 
ever  engaged  in  a  round  of  religious  ceremonies,  they  ap- 
peared to  the  deluded  populace  to  be  saints  indeed,  far 
i:emoved  from  all  the  cares  and  vanities  of  this  transitoiy 
world.  Aud,  in  order  that  this  impression  might  not  be 
loo  soon  worn  off,  new  saints  were  at  seasonable  inter- 
vals added  to  the  calendar;  and  their  names  enrolled 
along  with  those  of  the  real  servants  of  the  Lamb,  the 
holy  Apostles  of  the  primitive  Church.  Even  the  ..sov- 
ereign pontiff  himself,  who  had  a  look  more  stout  than 
hisfellows,  delighted  nevertheless  to  style  himself,  with 
sanctified  hypocrisy,  the  servant  of  the  servants  of  God.t 

S.  But,notwithslanding  his  lamb-like  appearance,  the 
beast  spake  as  a  dragon — The  church  of  Homey  like  a 
true  child  of  that  old  serpent  the  devil,  forcibly  estab- 
lished and  supported  idolatry  ;  claimed  a  proud  superior- 
ity over  all  temporal  dominion ;  advanced  her  interests 
with  all  the  wily  cunning  of  the  serpent ;  anathematized 
and  persecuted  to  death  the  faithful  servants  of  Christ ; 
and  esteemed  every  lie   and  every  imposture,  which  ad- 

*  Hist,  of  Henry  n.  cited  by  Whitaker,  p.  416. 
t  We  may,  if  we  please,  suppose  the  cardinals  to  constitute  the  body  of  the  se- 
cond bfast  ;  and  we  shall  tlien  have  the  vchole  Romish  Ilierarcr.y  completely 
pourtrayed.  "  Praeluli  liomanenses  in  Uni-ersitate  Pragensi  congregati,  con- 
tra Johannera  Hussum  et  alios  affirmant  (in  quarto  suo  decieto  seu  articuio), 
quod  coUegiuvi  cari.iJMlium  Roin<e  sunt  corpus  hcclcsice.  C'ui  respondet  Johan- 
nes Hussus,  Christum  esse  caput  Ecclesix,  onviesqueJJeiet;  Chris'.iancs  corpu 
ess- 
te 

nof*  i.ia  Uh^istiani,  sinX.  cor p 
S^'dy  .  90,  J91,  cited  by  Potter,  Interp.  num.  666.  Cap.  xix.  p.  121 

VOL,  II.  '  20 


154 

vanccd  her  aulliority,  a  laudable  and  even  pious  fraud., 
That  no  faith  is  to  be  kept  xvilli  heretics^  is  a  well  known 
maxim  of  this  genuine  otrs})iing  of  thefather  of  lies  :  that 
l(i?igs  excommunicated  by  llie  Pope,  may  be  deposed  and 
murdered  by  their  suhjets,  is  another  of  her  maxims : 
and  that  the  end  sanctijiv.s  the  means,  that  it  is  lazvful  to 
do  evil  that  good  may  come,  has  been  the  avowed  princi- 
ple of  the  Jesuits.*  Her  dracontine  cruelty  and  ferocity 
need  no  proofs.  Where  page n  Rome  hath  slain  her  thou* 
«ands  papal  Home  hath  slain  her  ten  thousands.  "  The 
fourth  council  of  Lateran,"  says  Bb.  Burnet,  "  decreed, 
that  all  heretics  should  be  delivered  to  the  secular 
j>ovv'er  to  be  extirpated — If  a  man  had  but  spoken  a  light 
•Tvord  ngainst  any  of  the  constitutions  of  the  church,  he 
was  seized  on  by  the  bishop's  officers  :  and,  if  any  taught 
their  children  the  Lord's  prayer,  the  ten  commandments 
and  the  Apostles'  creed,  in  the  vulgar  tongue,t  that  was 
criminal  enough  to  bring  them  to  the  stake,  as  it  did  six 
men  and  a  woman  at  Coventry  in  the  Passion  week 
1519."."!:  Here  it  may  be  observed,  that,  while  the  Jirst 
or  secular  beast  is  represented  as  making  war  with  the 
iY//;(f/.v,  and  overcoming  them,  it  is  no  where  said  that  the 
second  or  ecclesiastical  beast,  and  the  image  which  he  set 
up,  should  do  more  than  cause  them  to  be  killed.  The 
ibo\  e-cited  decree  of  the  council  of  Lateran  shews  how 
sxact  the  prophecy  has  been  in  this  particular.  The  little 
horn  hath  always  worn  out  the  saints  l)y  causing  them  to 
be  killed,  or  by  delivering  them  over  to  the  secular  arm, ^ 

*  The  maxims  of  tlie  Jesuits  are  these,  "  That  actions  intrinsically  evil,  and 
clirecll}  contrary  to  the  divine  laws,  may  be  innocently  performed  by  those 
■who  have  so  much  power  over  their  own  minds,  as  to  join,  even  ideally,  a  good 
end  to  this  wicked  action,  or  (^to  speak  in  the  style  of  the  Jesuits,)  who  are 
capable  of  directing' their  intention  aright  "  (Mu^heim's  Eccles  Uist  Cent. 
1".  Sect.  2.  p.  1.  c;ttd  by  Whitaker.)  Thus  it  appears,  that  the  Jesuits  were 
the  prototypes  of  W«-ishaupt's  diabolical  sect  of  lUuminati. 

+  In  direct  opi)osition  to  this  abominable  system  of  keeping  the  people  in 
profound  ignorance,  tlie  church  of  England  specially  charges  ail  sponsors  to 
Jjrovide  that  tlie  cliild,  for  whom  the\  have  been  sure  tits,  "  may  learn  the 
Crectl.tlif  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  ten  Conmnandmenis,  in  the  vulgar  tongue, 
and  ail  otii.  r  things  wliicii  a  Ciiristian  ought  to  know  and  believe  to  his  soul'» 
health."     Oflice  (.f  B.ipiism. 

\  Uist  of  litformation  cited  by  Wliitaker,  p.  419. 

§  On  this  occasion,  the  Inquisi.ors,  witii  a  disgusting  ahcctation  of  lamb- 
like.meekness,  are  W(int  to  bfset.cli  ttie  civi!  uiagistiat<s  to  sluw  mere,  to 
thosi  {n'.;oi  tun  te  Victims  whom  ibey  tliemselves  have  given  up  tw  be  contign- 
^d  to  tiie  liames. 


156 

•  

fflot  by  literally  slaying  them  itself.  "  Who  can  make 
any  computation,  or  even  frame  any  conception,  of 
the  numbers  of  pious  Christiaiis,  who  have  fallen  a 
sacrifice  to  the  bigotry  and  cruelty  of  Rome  ?  Mede 
hath  observed  from  good  authorities,  that  in  the  war 
with  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  there  perished  of 
these  poor  creatures  in  Prance  alone  a  million.  From 
the  first  institution  of  the  Jesuits  to  the  year  1480,  that 
is  in  little  more  than  thirty  years,  900,000  orthodox 
Christians  were  slain.  In  the  Netherlands  alone,  the 
Duke  of  Alva  boasted,  that  within  a  few  years  he  had 
dispatched  to  the  amount  of  56,000  souls,  and  those  all 
by  the  hand  of  the  common  executioner.  In  the  space 
of  scarce  thirty  years,  the  Inquisition  destroyed,  by  va- 
rious kinds  of  tortures,  150,000  Christians.  Sanders  himself 
confesses,  that  an  innumerable  multitude  of  Lollards  and 
Sacramentarians  were  burnt  throughout  all  Europe  ;  who 
yet,  he  says,  were  not  put  to  death  by  the  Pope  and 
Bishops,  but  by  the  civil  7nagistrates  ;  which  perfectly 
agrees  with  this  prophecy  ;  for  of  the  secular  beast^  \t 
is  said,  that  he  should  make  war  with  the  saints  and 
overcome  thera."t 

4.  He  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first  beast  before 
him — Cardinals,  Prelates,  and  Monks,  were  long  the 
prime  ministers  of  the  European  sovereigns  :  and  the 
iiames  of  Wolsey,  Ximenes,  Richelieu,  and  Mazarine,  are 
handed  down  to  posterity  as  the  most  intriguing  and  am- 
bitious of  statesmen.  The  second  beast  indeed  is  properly 
"  an  ecclesiastical  person,  but  he  intermixeth  himself 
much  in  civil  affairs.  He  is  the  prime  minister,  adviser, 
and  mover  of  the  first  beast.X  He  holdeth  imperium  in 
imperio,  an  empire  ivithin  an  empire  ;  claimeth  a  temporal 
authority,  as  well  as  a  spiritual  ;  hath  not  only  the.  prin- 
cipal direction  of  the  temporal  powers,  but  often  engageth 

*  It  is  not  unworthy  of  notice,  that  Bp  Newton  here  speaks  of  the  Jlrst  bemt 
as  being,  what  he  really  is,  the  secular  Roman  empire,  as  contradvstinguishetl 
from  the  second  beast  or  the  Roman  church 

f  Bp.  Newton's  Diss.rt.  on  Rev.  xili. 
1:  Here  again  the  Bisiiop  speaks  of  fAe>V*f  beast  as  being  the  secular    em- 
pire.    Thus  does  his  original  opinion  force  itsilf,  as  it  were,  "upon  him,  notwith- 
standing all  that  he  had  subsequent4v  said  respcctinEr  the  ident'ty  <if  thi papal 


156 

them  in  his  service,  and  enforce tli  his  canons  and  decreeis 
with  the  sword  of  the  civil  magistrate."^* 

5.  He  causeth  the  earth  atid  ail  that  ihvetl  therein  ta 
rcorshlp  the  first  beast  zvhose  dea.'Uy  wound  was  healed^—* 
The  nature  of  this  worship  of  the  secular  beast  I  have  al- 
ready considered.  It  will  be  sudicient  therefore  at  pre- 
sent to  observe,  that,  since  it  is  impossible  for  Daniel's 
fourth  beast  or  the  Roman  empire  to  be  literally  worsliip- 
ped,  the  adoration  here  spoken  of  must  mean  a  devotion, 
to  those  pri^nciples  Ijy  which  the  empire  was  equally 
made  a  beast  botli  under  lis  pagan  and  it's  papal'  emper- 
ors, both  under  its  sij:th  head  and  its  last.  Those  prin- 
ciplefi  consisted  in  theworsliipqf  images,  and  in  the  per- 
secution of  the  saints  :  and  it  was  tne  second  beast,  who 
by  his  influence  caused  the  whole  Roman  eartli  once 
more  to  adopt  them  under  Popery,  as  it  had  heretofore 
adopted  them  under  Paganism  :  it  was  the  second  be.'-sty 
who  iridde  an  image  for  the  first,  and  caused  all  men  tip^ 
fall  d<;wn  and  worship  it.f 

♦"Dp  Nevston's  Dissert,  on  Rev.  xiii. 
+  I  have  adopted  this  interpretation  of  the  worship  paid  to  the  first  or  sccaTar 
beast,  not  as  being  free  from  all  objections,  but  as  that,  wliich  after  an  atten- 
tive consideration  of  the  subject,  appears  to  me  liable  to  the  fewest  The  in- 
teV()retati'jn  proposed  by  Bp.  Newton,  is  to  my  mind  very  unsatisfactory.  "  As 
the  first  btast  concurs  to  maintain  the  authority  of  the  second,  so  he  in  return 
confirms  and  maintains  the  sovereignty  and  dominion  of  the  first  heast  over  his 
subjects  ;  and  causeth  the  earth,  and  them  who  dwell  therein,  to  worship  the 
first  beast,  wliose  deadly  wound  was  healed.  Ue  supports  tyranny,  as  he  is 
by  tyranny  supported.  He  enslaves  the  consciences,  as  the  first  hcast  subjit- 
gaies  the  Ijodies  of  men"  (Dissert,  on  Rev.  xiii.)  Hence  it  appeaJK  that  the 
Bisiiop  conceives  the  worship,  which  was  paidto  ilie  secular  beast  at  the  insti- 
gation of  the  ecclesiastical  beast,  to  be  merely  civil  worship,  so  far  increased  as 
to  become  passive  obeiience.  Now,  bad  as  tyranny'  irrthe  state  may  be.  the 
■ivhnle  criminality  of  it  must  be  ascribed  to  tJic  governors,  not  surely  to  t/ie  ffcrc' 
«(■;!("(/,  to  those  wiio  patiently  submit  themselves  like  the  primitive  Christians 
to  eve.-)  ordiiKince  of  man,  however  tyrannical,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  lest  by  re- 
sisting ihey  should  receive  damnation  Were  nothing  more  then  meant  by 
■wor  shippi'  g  the  beast  than  antuvesistivg  submission  to  civil  ttiranny,  or  (as  -M^. 
Whistoi-,  cAcd  by  the  Bishop,  styles  itj  "  a  bhi.d  obedience  ,-"  the  worshipper.-, 
ot  the  beast  v.ould  never  have  been  censured  by  the  prophet  for  vieUUng  s«ch 
.stibmis-sioii.  however  severely  he  might  have  animadvt  rted  upon  the  two  beast* 
for  reconnnt-ruHnff  and  exacting  it.  *'  If  aT\y  man  worship  the  beast  and  his  Im- 
age,—the  SArne  aJiall  drirtk  ofthe  wine  of  the  wratli  of  God,  and  he  shall  be 
tormented  witli  fire  and  brimstone  ; — and  the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascend 
cfli  up  for  ever  and  ever  ;  and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor  night,  who  worship 
the  beast  and  his  image."  (Ilev  xiv.  9,  10,  11.)  Can  we  suppose,  that  so  se- 
vere a  punishment  as  eternal  damnation  '*  will  be  indicted  upon  those  who 
sniXev  their  bcdtes  to  be  subjugated  by  the  first  beast?"  It  is  plain,  that  «Ar 
nvniship  af  th^  beast  is  connected  with  the  •u;orship  of  his  image  ;  anil  that  this 
worsh.p  is  sometliingso  oftcnsive  in  theeyes  of  (lod  as  to  incur  the  penalty  of 
bell  five  ;  call  it  th«;n  m^o  noUiing  more  than  submittins  ta  ••  ths  <i9xcreignf'j 


157 

6.  He  doeth  great  wonders,  in  order  that  he  may  mahe- 
fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight  of 
men — "  Miracles,  visions,  and  revelations,  are  the  mighty 
boast  of  the  church  of  Rome,  the  contrivances  of  an  art- 
ful cunning  clergy  to  impose  upon  an  ignorant  laity." 
These  wonders  the  beast  did  partly  in  order  that  he  might 
make  fire  come  down  from  heaven  upon  earth  ;  and 
partly,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  with  a  view  so  to  de- 
ceive mankind  as  to  induce  them  to  set  up  an  hnage  and 
worship' it.  Heaven  is  a  symbol  of  the  church,  and  the 
earth  of  the  Roman  empire.  The  darting  t here f  re  of 
fire  out  of  the  cdmrch  upon  tlie  secular  empire  must 
mean  solemn  interdicts  and  excommunications  pronounced 
against  those  who  dared  to  oppose  the  authority  of  the 
beast.  Plistory  furnishes  many  memorable  examples  of 
such  ecclesiastical  censures.  The  whole  kingdom  of 
England  was  laid  under  an  interdict  in  the  reign  of  king 
John  :  and  numerous  are  the  other  European  sovereigns, 
against  whom  the  Popes  have  pronounced  sentence  of 
excommunication  and  deposition."*  The  submission  of 
the  people  to  this  exorbitant  stretch  of  power  was  found- 
ed  upon  their  implicit  belief  in  the  sanctity,  authority, 
•and  infallibility,  of  the  Roman  bisliop  and  his  hierarchy  : 
and  this  belief  was  kept  up  by  pretended  miracles,  which 
(it  was  asserted)  none  but  members  of  the  holy  catholic 
ehurch  could  perform :  hence  it  is  said,  that  the  beast 

and  dominion  of  the  ftr. It  beast?"  It  may  be  remarked,  that  Bp.  Newton  here 
again  speaks  oi  the  first  bean  as  being,  not  the  Papacy,  but  tlie  secular  Roman 
empire  ■•  and  it  may  further  be  remarked,  tliat  his  present  interpretation  of  t/io 
-Lorship  paid  to  the  beast  by  no  means  accords  with  that  which  he  had  previous- 
ly given,  and  which  I  beUeve  to  be  the  true  one.  "  .'ill  the  world  -.vonuered  nf' 
ter  the  beast,  U7id  they  worshipped  t\e  dragon  which  gave  power  unto  the  beasi; 
and  they  v^or shipped  the  beast,  saying,  Wl.o  is  Hie  u  .to  the  beast  ?  IVho  is  uble  to 
■make  war  with  him  ?  No  kingdom  or  empire  was  Tike  that  of  the  beast  ;  it  Jiad 
not  a  parallel  upon  eai'th,  and  it  was  in  vain  for  any  to  resist  or  oppose  it ;  ic 
prevailed  and  triumphed  over  all  ;  and  all  the  world,  in  submitting  thus  to  the 
religion  oH  the  beast,  did  in  effect  submit  again  to  the  religion  of  the  dragon,  it 
being  the  old  idolatry  with  new  names  The  wurshipping  of  demons  and  idols  is 
m  &^<^ct  the  worshibpiiig  of  devils"  (Dissert,  on  Kev-  xiii.)  Here  we  seen 
plain  reason  why  the  worship  of  the  beast  is  threatened  with  eternal  damnation  : 
it  consists  in  embracing  those  principles,  which  constituted  alike  tlie  bestiality 
oithc  pagan  and  papal  Roman  einpires  ;  not  in  paying  ci'uil  homage  tO'the  beast. 
*  Brightman  has  the  following  curious  remark  on  this  part  of  the  prophecy. 
"  Hildebrandus,  in  epistola  ad  Germanos,  Henricum  quartum  excommunica-- 
tione  sua  percussum,  affatum  fulmine  dixit :  nee  temere,  Spiritu  procul  dubio 
jg^ubernante  linguam,  ut  olim  Caiphx,  quo  mundus  intelligeret,  qu;  bfctia  fiA:e  ■ 
rei  ig-nera  de  cato-desccndere."    JVpoc.  Apocjb'ol,  315. 


158 

did  great  wonders,  in  order  that  he  might  bring  down  fire 
from  heaven  upon  earth;  or,  in  other  words,  that  none 
might  dispute  his  right  and  power  of  excommunication. 
I  know  not  any  better  comment  upon  this  part  of  the 
prophecy  than  the  use  which  was  made  of  the  miracles 
said  to  have  been  Mrought  at  the  shrine  of  Archbishop 
Becket.  During  the  schism  in  the  church  of  Romcy  that 
turbulent  prelate  had  espoused  the  cause  of  Pope  Alex- 
ander against  his  competitor ;  and  after  his  death  he  be- 
came a  wonder-working  saint.  Such  being  the  case,  the 
litigated  point  was  soon  decided.  "Whereas  many," 
says  John  of  Salisbury,  "  doubted  whether  Alexander 
was  the  true  Pope  or  not,  the  miracles  of  Becket  decid- 
ed that  question  in  his  favour,  as  they  could  not  have 
been  done  by  one  engaged  in  a  schism'"'^  Thus  was  Alex- 
ander conllrmed  by  miracles  in  his  full  right  and  title  to 
anathematize  his  rival,  and  to  hurl  the  thunder-bolts  of 
the  church  at  all  his  opponents.  Nor  has  this  claim  to 
supernatural  gifts  been  made  solely  dining  the  thick 
darkness  of  the  middle  ages  :  an  anonjmous  Popish 
writer  even  of  the  last  century,  cited  by  Mr.  Whitaker, 
insists  upon  the  miraculous  powers  of  the  church  of  Rome 
down  to  the  then  present  time,  and  enumerates  many 
miracles  which  he  avers  to  have  been  performed  since 
the  era  of  the  Reformation.  At  the  conclusion  of  his 
catalogue  of  saints  endowed  with  such  powers,  he  ob- 
serves, that "  all  the  persons  so  conspicuous  for  these 
supernatural  gxiis  y^Qve  zealous  members  of  the  catholic 
church  yt  meaning  doubtless  to  intimate,  that,  lithe  cath- 
olic church  (so  the  Papists  think  proper  to  denominate 
the  church  of  Rome)  were  not  the  only  true  churcJh  its 
members  would  not  have  possessed  those  gifts.  Here 
then  we  have  another  instance  of  the  manner  in  whicli 
the  church  of  Rome  proved  itself  to  be  the  only  true 
church  by  lying  wonders  When  that  point  was  once 
established ;  when  the  strong  faith  of  a  determined  Papist 
once  admitted  the  reality  of  those  miracles  ;  and  when 
once  he  drew  from  them  the  desired  cojiclusion,  tiiat, 
since  none  but  members  of  the  true  church  could  periorni 
'hem,  -'he  chmrh  of  Rome,  whose  members  did  jjeriorm 
*  WhitAkcr's  Comment,  p.  3^1,  592.  f  t^«d.  p.  395— 5W. 


159 

them,  must  doubtless  be  the  onli/  true  church  :  the  rest 
wonld  follow  of  course  :  no  sah^ation  can  be  had  out  of 
the  true  church  ;  therefore //;e  Church  of  Rome  possesses 
an  undoubted  power  to  anathematize  and  excommuni- 
cate all  heretics. 

7.  He  deceweih  them  thatdwellon  the  earth,  by  means 
of  those  miracles  which  he  had  ponder  to  do  in  the  sight  of 
the  beast  :  sayivg  *o  them  that  dwell  on  the  earthy  that 
they  should  make  an  imas^efor  tjie  beasty  which  had  the 
^voiind  by  a  swordy  and  did  live,  /hid  he  had  power  to 
give  lite  unt  the  image  of  the  beaty  that  the  image  of  the 
beast  stiould  both  speaky  and  cause  that  as  many  as  would 
not  zvnrship  the  image  of  the  beast  should  be  killed — He- 
fore  the  import  of  this  passage  can  be  determined,  its  lit- 
eral meaning  must  be  ascertained.  The  expression  the 
image  of  the  beasty  and  the  expression  the  beast  and  his 
imagcy  which  elsewlrere  occurs,  are  both  ambiguous  ;  in- 
asmuch as  they  may  signify  either  the  imagCy  in  the  sense 
of  the  ejfigies  of  the  beast y  or  the  image-,  zvhich  belongs  to 
the  beast.  Thus  the  image  of  Cesaj^  upon  the  Roman 
coin  means  doubtless  the  ejfigies  of  Cesar  ;*  whereas  the 
image  of  Micah  certainly  means  the  image  which  belonged 
to  Micah,  the  image  which  he  had  made  for  himself  to 
be  his  god.t  Had  no  other  expressions  then  occurred 
in  the  Apocalypse  except  the  image  of  the  beast  and  the 
beast  and  his  image,  we  should  have  been  unable  posi- 
tively to  determine  what  precise  idea  we  ought  to  annex 
to  his  image  ;  but  all  ambiguity  seems  to  be  removed  b}^ 
the  manner  in  which  the  Apostle  introduces  his  account 
of  it.  It  is  said,  the  second  beast  so  deceived  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  earth  by  his  false  miracles,  that  he  induced 
them  to  make  an  image  to  or  for  the  first  beast.  Now  it 
is  surely  putting  a  very  great  force  upon  language  to  sup- 
pose  that  themahing an  image  for  the  beast  can  signify 
the  making  a  representation  of  him.  The  prohibition  in 
the  decalogue  relative  to  idolatry  is  couched  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any 
gra'-en  image."J  Here  it  is  manifest,  that  the  making 
mi  image  to  a  persons  ^e//^  means  the  ?naking  an  image 

*  Matt,  sxil  19,  20,  21.  f  Judges  xviii.  51. 

^  Esod.  XX.  4. 


160 

Jor  hisownnse  and  rvors'hip ;  it  is  only  natural  there- 
fore to  suppose,  that  the  making  an  ?77in^e  to  the  beast 
means  the  makhig  an  image  for  the  me  and  worship  o'  the 
heast  ;  and  consequently  that  the  image  of  the  beast  im- 
ports, not  the  effigies  of  the  beast,  but  the  image  which 
the  heast  adored. 

That  such  is  the  proper  interpretation  of  the  expres- 
sion will  yet  further  apj)ear,  if  we  consider  the  context 
of  the  whole  passage.  It  was  by  false  miracles  that  tht 
ecclesiastical  beast  induced  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
to  set  up  this  image  for  the  secular  beast.  Accordingly, 
as  we  are  informed  by  Bp.  Newton,  "  miracles  are 
•thought  so  necessary  and  essential,  that  they  are  reckon- 
ed among  the  notes  of  the  catholic  church;  and  they 
are  alledged  principally  in  support  of  purgatory,  prayers 
for  the  dead,  the  ivorship  of  saints,  i?nages,  and  relia-,  and 
the  like  (as  they  are  called)  catholic  doctrines."* 

The  difficulty  consists,  not  so  much  in  proving   thi« 
point,  as  in  selecting  some  out  of  the  many  proofs   which 
oiler  themselves  to  our  attention.     "The  lirst  introduc- 
tion," says  Mr.  Gibbon,  "  of  a  symbolic  worship  was   in 
the  veneration  of  the  cross  and  of  relics.     The  saints 
and  martyrs,  whose  intercession  was  implored,  were   seat- 
ed  on  the  right  hand  of  God  ;  but   the  gracious,    and 
ojten  supernatitral  favours,  whichy  in  the  popular  belief, 
were  showered  around   their  tomb,  conveijed  an  unques- 
tionable sanction  of  the  devout  pilgrims,  who  visited,  and 
touched,  and   kissed,  these  lifeless  remainc,  the  memo- 
rials  of   their  merits   and    sufferings — The  sct-uples   of 
reason  or  piety  were  silenced  by  the  strong  evideiice  of 
^visions  and  miracles  :  end  the  pictures-,  which  speak,  and 
wove,  and  bleed,  7nu.st  be  endozcedivith  a  divine  energy^ 
07id  may  be  considered  as  the  proper  objects  of  religi  us 
adoration — Before  the  end  of  the  sixth  century,  images, 
viade  witlioitt  hands  (in  Greek  it  is  a  single  word),  v\  ere 
propagated  in  the  camps  and  cities  of  the  eastern  em- 
pire :  they  were  the  objects  of  worship  and   the  instim- 
inents  of  miracles  :  and,  in  the  hour  ol  danger  or  tumult, 
t-jieir  venerable  presence  could  revive    tiie  iiope,  rekindle 

*  Up.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Rpv.  xiii. 


161 

the  courage,  or  repress  the  fury  of  the  Roman  legions."* 
One  of  the  grand  idols  of  the  Romanists,  as  it  is  well 
known,  is  the  Virgin  Mary.  "  They  beg  of  her,"  sa37g 
■Jurieu,  "  in  express  terms  whatever  is  desired  from  God  \ 
heaven,  pardon  of  sin,  grace,  repentance,  victory  of  the 
devil.  It  is  not  enough  to  pray  to  the  virgin,  you  must 
adore  her  :  every  knee  must  bow  to  her,  adoring  her  as 
sovereign  queen  of  men  and  angels.  And  this  adoration 
is  not  to  be  mere  external  adoration,  but  internal — On 
account  of  her  holiness  men  owe  dulia  to  her;  on 
account  of  her  maternal  relation,  they  owe  her  hyper- 
dnlia  :  and,  because  she  touched  our  Saviour,  the  adora- 
tion of  latria  is  due  to  her.  Those,  who  v.^ell  perform 
these  services  though  never  so  neghgent  of  their  du'y 
towards  God,  though  villains,  robbers,  debauchees  ;  they 
cannot  be  damned  because  th^y  have  been  clients  of  the 
virgin.  This  they  prove  by  innumerable  examples  of 
those  whom  the  virgin  hath  by  strange  miracles  brought 
back,  as  it  were,  from  the  gates  of  hell,  because  they  had 
been  her  votaries.  And,  as  an  evidence  how  plea  hi g 
ihs  adoration  is  to  the  virgin,  she  hath  wrought  vmrt 
miracles  within  these  last  sevm  or  eight  hundred  years, 
than  God  hat li  xvraghl  since  the  crfcition,  by  Moses  and 
the  projfhets,  by  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  by 
all  the  saints  together.  Her  images  have  spoken,  they 
have  sung,  they  have  resisted  the  pre  and  the  hammer, 
they  have  soared  in  the  air  like  birds,  they  have  sweat 

*  History  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol.  ix.  p.  1 14 — 120.  Mr.  Gibbon  observes, 
that  before  the  end  of  ^/;e  sixth  ccniuni  images  were  in  very  general  use.  Tins 
rr.a\  be  thought  to  contradict  what  I  have  said  relative  to  the  pi-oper  du(.e 
of  t':e  great  Jlpustacy.  I  tl\en  however  observed,  a»d  I  may  here  obser\  e  again, 
that  superstition  had  for  some  time  been  gradually  creepmg  uito  tl\e  Churcli 
jirevious  to  they  ars  60(1  and  607  ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  date  a  j^rophetic  series 
of  years  from  a  fixed  and  determinate  era  when  some  overt  act  has  been  com- 
miiied  This  overt  act  is  declared  by  die  prophet  to  be  the  euablishmcvt  ofihc 
Popj''s  uprcmacy.  or  ihe  delivtr'n g  up  of  the  saints  into  his  hand.  Now  it  is  ol;- 
ser-  able,  tliat,  whatever  approaciies  tliere  might  be  to  image-worship  in  the 
COUiSi;  o^  the  sixt!  century-,  idolatry  was  not  openly  established  by  the.  aiitliorily  of 
ihe  Jijinnn  Pontijf' i'lW  the  ytar  607  ;  the  very  year  after  that  in  widch  the  saintu 
ha' I  been  delivered  into  tliehand  of  ^/u-  lit'.le  horn,  and  consequenlly  from  which 
the  1  '60  yews  are  to  be  dated  Accordingly  Mr.  Gibbon  very  truly  observes 
resjKf  liii^  -.he  ptriod  of  which  he  is  speaking,  "  as  the  ti-orjh.ip  of  images  had 
luvtr  been  established  by  ami  general  o'-  positive  law,  its  progress  in  the  Eas'.era 
empire  had  been  retaidedor  accelerated,  by  tlieciff  lenccs  of  men  and  man- 
ners, the  local  degrees  of  refinement,  and  the  pcrsor.al  characters  of  the  bish- 
,ops-"     Ibid  p.  122. 

VOL.  II.  M 


165 

blood,  and  oil  and  mV  k  have  run  from  them.     Some  of 

than  hove  b  en  urned  intofe.sh ;  I  hey  '  ave  zvep  lament' 
cd:. g'( aiicd ;  tiiei  iave  nu ae  the  U nte  t<  iv  Ik,  the  blind fo 
see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  The>i  have  aire '  ill  kincs  of  disr 
€  ye?,  and  wrough'  all  sorts  of  prodigies.  F'f  these  rea- 
so''.'^,  J>eop'e  n  ill g')  10  the  evdif  tiie  world  to  v.  sit  thi-se 
conse  rated  images.  They  kiss,*  fall  down  l^efore  thcni, 
and  render  then!  an  external  worshij),  accompanied  with  a 
most  fervejit  internal  devotion.  They  rub  their  cliaplets 
or  beads,  and  their  handkerchieis,  upon  these  images  ; 
and  wear  about  them  tbese  chaplets  and  cloths,  which 
h.T  e  touched  the  images  of  the  virgin  ;  and  believe,  that 
then'  are  relics  which  have  a  virtue  to  preserve  from  all 
eviis.  That,  which  we  have  discoursed  concerning  the 
Virgin,  nay  be  a  i  plied  to  saints  j)ro[)ortionably.  There 
is  no  lolly  or  ext^a^•agance  that  we  have  now  related,  but 
every  order  of  monks  say  snch  like  of  their  founder  and 
a*  thor:  the  (  ordeliers  and  Capuchins, of  ti^eir  St.  Fran- 
cis ;  the  Jacopins,  of  their  ?t.  I>omiric ;  and,  in  general 
of  all  the  pretended  saints  of  th^ir  orders,  thv-y  are  more 
holy  than  seraphim  ;  they  raise  the  dead  ;  thejj  heal  all 
diseases  ;  the  xvhole  creaUoyi  is  subj^'rt  to  them.f'  An- 
other of  the  Popi  h  idols  \sthe  coiu^ecrnted  wafer  or  sa- 
cranienfnl  bread,  the  worphipof  whi'di  naturally  followed 
the  monstrous  doctrine  of  tiansiibs:antiatioH.  This  like- 
wise hath  been  honoured  by  its  on  proper  miracles.  A 
saint,  named  Midachi,  was  cmjJoyed  ly  Ihe  Pope  io 
convert  the  Irish  to  the  discipline  and  canons  oiilie  clmrch 

*  *'  Yet  I  have  1  ft  me  seven  tliousancl  in  l^l•af>l.  all  the  knees  which  have 
not  bowed  inilo  Baal,  anil  evei  y  mouth  which  liatli  not  kissed  liim  "  i  1  Kings 
six  18  )  "  And  now  they  sin  more  and  more,  and  have  made  them  molten 
imai»es  of  their  silver,  and  idols  accordine:  to  their  own  understanding',  all  of 
it  the  work  of  the  crafts-men  :  they  say  of  them,  let  liie  men  ihat  sacrifice  kiss 
the  calves  :"  that  is  the  statues  of  Moiocli  and  Baal.  (Hos.  xiii  2.)  The  ex- 
cuse,  which  Papists  are  wont  to  make  for  iheir  idolatr\ ,  eilectually  proves 
ihem  to  be  idolaters  They  deny  that  they  uo's/iip  the  images  ;  assertinpr-  that 
theyonl  //i-.s  them,  and  how  dtrwit  before  iliem,  intoken  (as  the  council  i.f  Trent 
expiesbL-s  it)  of  their"  -ivorJiipphiq-  t/ie  siii)its,\y]\ose  likeness  imaf,^eb  do  bear." 
"What  is  this  but  explicidy  ackiiowletlginp;,  that  they  xeursliO  dea  m  r.  tluouj^h 
the  medium  of  certain  f;.i<clful  representi-.tions  of  them  ?  So  perfictly  does  the 
idolatr*  of  </ie  evircd pafxi/  luast  resemble  the  iiiolntiy  of  tie  nl.  paqan  beast 
that  was  wounded  to  tleath  bv  the  sjvord  of  (ht-  Spuit,  that  tile  ancient  hea- 
ihi  us  {^ave  i)rccis  ly  the  same  reason  for  luors/iip/Ji.g  h  ir  images  that  tie  mo- 
dern Papists  do  for  wnvs/ttfjpiiig  theirs.  Their  hiTiRiia^e  w.is,  as  wt-  leari'  from 
Arn'jbius,  "  Noi  that  hra>-s  j.  old,  silver,  anci  the  like  materials  ot  siatutsare 
gods;  but  that  thKueh  ll.m  the  i (.visible  ijods  are  honoured  and  Worshipped." 
\  Oiled  by  Whitaktr,  p.  o41. 


16S 

9f  Rome :  and,  in  order  to  further  this  laudable  under- 
takn'z,  he  received,  say  the  Papists,  ike  power  of  work- 
in':;'  miracle'^  iv  as  em  vent  a  cleg  ^ee  as  ami  of  the  ancient 
9ii  iit^i  of  t  le  church.  One  of  these  miracles  was  the  })!in- 
isli:.  lent  by  .sudden  death  of  a  man,  whom  the  saint  could, 
not  convince  of  the  real  pre  ence  in  the  sacrament.^  A 
yet  more  stupendous  proof  of  the  truth  of  this  doctrine 
was  vouchsafed  to  the  foundress  of  the  reformation  of  the 
discalced  Carmelites  in ///^^ijf<?<?7/'7/ <:t7?^?//j/.  In  one  of 
her  orks,  called  I  he  way  of  perjectioih  "  she  declares 
that  our  Lord  was,  niaiiy  times,  pleased  to  let  her  see  him 
in  the  sacred  host,  in  particular,  g')ing  one  day  to  receive 
the  blessed  sacrament,  she  saw  him  in  great  majesty,  in  the 
hands  of  the  priest,  in  the  host  vYhich  he  was  going  to 
ad)ni. lister  to  her.  At  the  same  time  she  understood  bj 
a  Vision,  that  this  same  priest  was  in  a  state  of  sin,  wliicti 
troubled  her  exceedingly.  But,  says  she,  our  Lord  him- 
self said  unto  me,  th.it  I  should  prav  for  him  ;  and  told 
me,  that  he  had  suffered  what  I  had  seen,  that  I  might 
luiderstand  what  power  and  force  the  words  of  consecra- 
tion have  ;  and  that  God  would  not  be  kept  from  thence, 
how  wicked  soe'\'er  the  priest  were  who  pronounced 
them."t  For  these  enormous  lies  this  woman  was  saint- 
ed.— In  hue,  the  worship  of  images  which  began  very 
early  to  infect  the  church,  and  which  was  first  openly 
esiablished  by  Boniface  the  fourth  in  the  year  6J7i  was 
ultimavely  confirmed  by  the  second  council  of  Nice^  in. 
the  year  787.  The  decrees  of  this  council,  which  is 
justly  called  by  Mr,  Mede  the  idolatrous  cowiciU  contain 
some  curious  narrati'es,  full  of  fabul  lus  invention,  adapt- 
ed to  the  promotion  of  image-worship,  the  purpose  for 
which  this  misnamed  tlieopneust  assembly  met  to- 
<2;ether.± 

As  for  the  manner  in  which  they  that  dwelt  upon  the 
earth  were  induced  by  the  two-horned  beast  to  espouse 
the  cause  of  image-worship,  it  has  already  been  she.vA 
in  part  by  tlie  preceding  account  of  Popish  miracles 
wrought  for  that  express  purpose,  and  w  11  yet  furthur 
appear  from  the  famous  contest  between  Gregory   the 

•  Whitaker's  Comment,  p.  593.  f  lV\i.  p.  239. 

iZocvdi  on  the  Prophefti^.s,  p.  .3,15,  21S. 


164 

second  and  t/te  Emperor  Leo  respectijig  tlio  worship  of* 
bodily  represpntatioiis  of  our  Lord,  his  saints,  and  mar- 
tyrs.    The  Emperor  had  suppressed  idolatry  at  Constan- 
tinople and  in  the  East,  and  attempted  to  do  the  same 
in  his  Italian  dominions.      Upon    this,  Gregory  informs 
him,  that  he  exceeds  liis  proper  commission  by  interfer- 
ing in  spiritual  matters  :  and  teaches  him,   that,  although 
the  sword  of  justice  is  in  the  hands  of  the  magistrate,  the 
more  formidable  weapon  of  excommunication  is  intrusted 
to  the  clergy,  who  will  not  spare  a  heretic  even  though 
he  be  sealed  upon  a  throne. — "  You  accuse  the   catho- 
lics of  idolatry,"  says  he  in  one  of  his  epistles  to  Leoy 
**  and  by  the  accusation  you  betniy  your  own  impiety 
and   ignorance."     He  then  proceeds  to  point  out  to  the 
undiscerning  Emperor  the  ingenious  Popish  distinction 
between  pigan  ifloU  and  Christian  images.     "  The  for- 
mer were  the  fanciful  representations  of  phantoms  or  de- 
mons, at  a  time  when  the  true  God  had  not  manifested 
his  person  in  any  visible  likeness.     The  latter  are  the 
genuine  forms  of  Christ,  his  mother,  and  his  saints,  who 
had   approved,  by  a  croivd  oj  miracles,  the  innocence  and 
merit  of  /his  relative  worship.'"     Tlie  dilTerence  indeed 
betw  een  idols  and  images,  hard  as  it  is  to  be  compre- 
hended by  the  less  subtle  intellect  of  a  heretic,  is,  accord- 
ing to  Gregory  so  clear,  that  the  very  children  would  be 
provoked  to  cast,  theiv  horn-books  at  the  head  of  the  im- 
perial enemy  of  so  catholic  a  mode  of  adoration.     "  You 
assault  us,   O  tyrant,  with  a  carnal  and  mihtary  hand — 
You  declare,  with  foolish  arrogance,   I  will  dispatch  my 
orders  to   Rome ;  1  will  break  in  pieces  the  image  of  St. 
Peter — Are  you   ignorant,  that  the  Popes  are  the  bond 
of  union,  the  mediators  of  peace,  between  the  East  and 
the  West  ?   The  eyes  of  the  nations  are  fixed  on  our  hu- 
mility :  and  they  revere,  as  a  god  upon  earth,   the  Apos- 
tle St.  Peter,    whose  image  you  threaten  to   destroy. 
The  remote  and  interior  kijigdoms  of  the  West  present 
their  homage  to  Christ  and  his  vicegerent ;  and  we  now 
prepare  to  visit   one  of  their  most  powerful  monarchs, 
who  desires  to  receive  from  our  hands  the  sacrament  of 
baptism.     The  barbarians  have  submitted  to  the  yoke 
©f  the  Gospel,  while  you  alone  arc  deaf  to  the  voice  oi 


165 

"the  shepherd.  These  pious  barbarians  are  kindled  mt& 
ra.2[e  :  they  thirst  to  avenge  the  persecution  of  the  East, 
Abandon  your  rash  and  fatal  enterprize  ;  reflect,  tremble^ 
and  repent.  If  you  persist,  we  are  innocent  of  the  blood 
that  will  be  spilt  in  the  contest :  may  it  fall  on  your  own 
head."  The  truth  of  this  declaration  t/i^  Empe'vr  soon 
experienced  to  his  cost.  "The  first  assault  of  L<;i? 
against  the  images  of  ConvStantino])le  had  been  witnessed 
by  a  crowd  of  strangers  from  Italy  and  the  West,  who 
related  with  grief  and  indignation  the  sacrilege  of  thi? 
Emperor.  But,  on  the  reception  of  his  proscriptive  edict, 
they  trembled  for  their  domestic  deities.  The  imacres  o£ 
Christ  and.  the  Virgin,^  of  the  angels,  martyrs,  and  saints, 
were  abolished  in  all  the  churches  of  Italy:  and  a  strong 
alternative  was  proposed  to  the  Roman  Pontiff,  the  royal 
favour  as  the  price  of  his  compliance,  degradation  and 
exile  as  the  penalty  of  his  disobedience.  '  Neither  zeal 
nor  policy  allowed  him  to  hesitate.  Without  depending 
on  prayers  or  miracles,  he  boldly  armed  against  the  public 
enem  -  ;  and  his  pastoral  letters  admonished  the  Italians 
of  their  danger  and  their  duty.  At  this  signal,  Ravenna, 
Venice,  and  the  cities  of  the  Exarchate  and  Pentapoiis, 
adhered  to  the  cause  (jf  religion  ;  their  military  force  by 
sea  and  land  consisted,  for  the  most  part,  of  the  natives ; 
and  the  spirit  of  patriotism  and  zeal  was  transfused  into 
the  mercenary  strangers.  The  Italians  swore  to  live  and 
die  in  the  defence  of  the  Popt  and  the  hohj  images ;  ths 
Roman  people  were  devoted  to  their  father  ;  and  even 
the  Lombards  were  ambitious  to  share  the  merit  and  ad- 
vaniage  of  this  holy  war."  The  issue  of  the  struggle 
was  the  ruin  of  the  Emperor's  alBiirs  in  Italy,  and'^the 
complete  triumph  of  the  catholic  idolaters.  Nor  was  « 
miracle  wanting,  in  this  grand  contest,  to  decide  the  or- 
thodoxy of  im,.ge-worship.  To  restore  his  dominion  in 
Italy,  Leo  invaded  the  Exarchate,  and  prepared  to  lay 
siege  to  Ravenna.  Upon  this  occasion,  "  the  women 
and  clergy,  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  lay  prostrate  in  pray- 
er ;  the  men  were  in  arms  for  the  defence  of  their  coun- 
try :  and  the  event  of  a  battle  was  preferred  to  the  slow 
miseries  of  a  siege.  In  a  hard  fought  day,  as  the  two 
anuies  altepiately  yielded  anci  advaiWed,  a  phantom  was 


i6(j 

seeuy  a  voice  ivas  hear  dy  and  Ravenna  was  vie  tenons  by 
the  assurance  of  victory.  The  strangers  retreated  io 
their  shi|3S,  but  tlio  populous  sea-coast  poured  f'^rth  a 
multitude  of  boats  ;  the  waters  of  the  Po  were  so  deeply 
infected  with  bio  d,  that  during  six  years  the  j;uMc  pre- 
judice abstained  Irom  the  fish  of  the  river  ;  and  the  in- 
stitution of  an  annual  feast  perpetuated  the  worship  of 
images,  and  th  •  abhorrence  of  the  Greek  tyrant.  Amidst 
the  triumph  of  the  catholic  arms,  the  Roman  l^ontiff^ cnn- 
vei  ed  a  synod  of  ninety-three  bishops  against  the  heresy 
of  'he  Iconoclasts  ;  and  vvi;h  their  consent  pronounced 
a  general  excommunication  against  all,  who  by  word  or 
deed  should  attack  the  tradition  of  the  fathers  and  the 
images  of  the  saints."* 

It  is  further  said,  that  the  second bea>i  had  power  to 
give  life  to  the  imngt,  so  that  the  image  should  speak, 
and  cause  the  death  of  those  who  refused  to  worship  it. 
We  have  already  noticed  some  marvellous  instances  of 
the  speaking  and  moving  statues  of  the  Virgin  ;  and  I 
doubt  not  but  that  they  did  appear  to  the  deluded  popu- 
lace both  to  speak  and  to  mo\'e.  The  prophecy  teaches 
us,  that  it  was  the  tcclesiasficnl  beast  XhviX.  ^\\2iAtA\\\Qm 
to  i>erform  these  functions  of  rational  and  anirrial  life;  and 
the  event  has  abundantly  proved  the  truth  of  the  pre- 
diction. The  rediculous  puppets,  which  were  held  forth 
as  gods  to  the  blii^d  adoi'ation  of  the  secular  hea:.t,  were 
so  contrived  with  internal  springs  as  to  be  easily  w  Tked 
by  a  concealed  operator ;  whose  voice  at  proper  intervals 
seemed  to  issue  from  the  mouth  of  the  miraculous  im.- 
age.t  At  the  Reformation,  nothing  tended  so  much  to 
wean  the  people  from  their  attachment  to  idolatrous  su- 
perstition as  the  })ublic  exposure  of  these  contemi)tible 
tric'vs  oi  the  Poj)ish  ecclesiastics.  "  For  their  images,'' 
says  Bp.  Burnet,  *'some  of  them  were  brought  to  Lon- 
don, and  were  there  at  St.  Paul's  cross,  in  the  sight  of 
the  people^    broken  ;    that  they  might  be  fully  convinced 

«  Hist  of  Decline  and  Fall,  Vol  ix.  p.  lU— 141. 

\  I  stronfjly  suspect,  that  the  iMiiiiitabl<^  Cerv-intcs  had  some  such  images  as 
these  in  liia  eye,  wliea  he  wrote  \\\a  account  of  the  winde'ifn!  hic/ur  ted  head. 
Be  this  as  it  uiJiy,  nolhinj^  can  aHord  ;»  bet»(  i  i  .\pl  i  .iiion  ot  tkc  taUuuj;  iu»*- 
ffcs  of  ihu  Papists.  See  Don  yui;iot«,  Fart  II.  cJjap.  6.J, 


167 

©f  the  juggling  impostures  rf  the  monks  :  and,  in  partic- 
ular, the  cnicifix  of  Jjoxley  in  Kent,  commonly  called 
the  rood  of  grace  ;  to  which  many  pilgrimages  had  been 
maHe,  because  it  was  observed  sometimes  to  bow,  and  to 
lift  itself  up,  to  shake,  and  to  stir  head,  hands,  and  feet, 
and  to  roll  the  eyes,  move  the  lips,  and  to  bend  the  bnows: 
all  which  were  looked  on  by  the  abused  multitude  as  the 
effects  of  a  divine  power.*  These  were  now  pubhcly 
discovered  to  have  been  cheats  :  for  the  springs  were 
shewed,  by  which  all  these  motions  were  made.  Upon 
which  John  Hilsey,  then  Eishop  of  Rochester,  made  a 
sermon,  and  broke  the  rood  in  pieces.  There  was  also 
another  famous  impos'ure  discovered  at  Hales  in  Glouces- 
tershire, where  the  blood  of  Christ  was  shewed  in  a  vial 
of  crystal,  which  tiie  people  sometimes  saw,  but  some- 
times they  could  not  see  it :  so  that  they  were  made  be- 
lie e,  that  they  were  not  capable  of  so  signal  a  favour,  as 
long  as  they  were  in  mortal  sin ;  and  so  continued  to 
make  presents,  till  tliey  had  bribed  heaven  to  give  them 
a  sight  oi  so  blessed  a  relic.  This  was  now  discovered  to 
be  the  blood  of  a  duck,  which  they  renewed  every  week  : 
and  the  one  side  of  the  vial  was  so  thick,  that  there  was 
no  seeins:  throuo[h  it  ;  but  the  other  was  clear  and  trans- 
parent :  and  it  was  so  placed  near  the  altar  that  one  in  a 
secret  place  behind  could  turn  either  side  of  it  outward. 
So  that,  when  they  had  drained  the  pilgrims  that  came 
thither  of  all  they  had  brought  with  them,  then  they  af- 
forded them  the  favour  of  turning  the  clear  side  outward ; 
who  upon  that  went  home  very  well  satisfied  with  their 
journey,  and  ihe  ex  pence  they  had  been  at."t 

To  these  idols,  thus  impiously  set  up  to  be  the  gods  of 
the  Christian  church,  it  may  probably  be  said  with  truth, 
that  no  fewer  human  \ictims  have  been  immolated  than 
to  the  demons  of  Paganism.  One  special  mark  of  heresy 
wsiS  a  refusal  to   worship  images;  and  that  refusal,  like 

*  similar  vile  mummeries  have  actually  been  exhibited  even  in  the  present 
generation,  when  one  mig-ht  have  thoup^ht  that  well-deserved  ridicule,  if  not 
reiijjious  principle,  would  have  eflPectually  put  an  end  to  them.  In  the  year 
3796  various  miraculous  appearances  are  asserttd  to  have  been  observed  at 
Rome  :  pictures  of  madonnas  opened  and  shut  their  eyes  ;  imai^es  of  saints  al- 
tered their  position  ;  and  crucifixes  moved  tlicir  cvelicls !  Zouch  on  Prophecy, 
n.  180. 

t  Hist,  of  Reform.  Vol.  I.  p.  243,  cited  by  Wliitaker  ar.d  Zouch. 


168 

t-h6  similar  refusal  of  the  jDrimitive  Christians  to  adore  the 
idols  of  the  Gentiles,  never  failed  to  subject  the  martyrs 
under  Popery^  those  second  men  of  undcrstanrling  nun- 
tioned  hy  Daniel,*  to  the  horrors  of  the  most  dreadful  of 
deaths.f  While  every  impurity  and  abomination  both  ia 
practice  and  doctrine  was  tolerated  and  sanctioned  by 
ilie  adnUeroiis  church  of  liome ;  those  holy  and  godly 
men,  whose  sole  crime  was  a  determined  rejection  of  the 
poisoned  cup  of  iht  mystic  harloU  v/ere  inhuniajily  |:)er- 
Becuted  and  tormented.  "  Blessed  however  are  the  dead 
ivhich  die  in  the  Lord,  for  the}^  rest  from  their  labours, 
and  their  VvOiks  do  follow  them." 

In  this  interpretation  of  the  image  I  have  followed  Dr. 
Zouch,  inlinitely  preferring  it  to  that  proposed  by  Bp. 
Newton.  .  His  Lordship,  from  an  idea  that  this  image 
was  to  be  ^^ome  power  which  should  be  a  sort  at  rejrre- 
senlationoT  effigies  of  the  xvounded  imperial  head  of  the 
r.ecular  beasts  endeavours  to  prove  that  \i'm  the  Pope ; 
xvlio,  says  he,  "  is  the  most  perfect  likeness  and  resem- 
blance of  the  ancient  Roman  Emperors."  Now,  what- 
ever degree  of  similarity  there  may  be  between  tlic  Em- 
perors and  the  Popes,  I  can  find  no  warrant  m  the  plain 
letter  of  the  text  for  such  an  exposition  of  the  pro})hecy 
relative  to  the  image.  As  I  have  already  observed,  the 
making  an  image  to  or  for  that  beast  whose  head  was 
wounded  with  the  sword  (a  periphrastic  mode  of  ^j^int- 
ing  out  the  secular  be<n'ty  in  order  that  we  may  certainly 
know  what  beast  is  here  intended  by  the  Apostle)  can 
rcarcelymean  the  setting  up  a  representation  o/' the  beast. 
And,  that  such  is  7/oMhe  meaning  ol  the  passage,  will,  I 
think,  undeniably  appear,  if  we  consider  the  strange  con- 
fusion which  this  interpretation  if  admitted  must  neces- 
sarily intioduce.  Bp.  Newton  supposes,  that  the  last 
head  of  the  secuar  beast  is  tJie  Pope,  and  that  the  two- 
horned  beast  is  the  Romish  hierarchy.  If  then///e  '/ro- 
horned  beast  be  the  Jiomish  hie'circhyy  the  head  of  that 
beast  must  undoubtedly  be  the  Ppe  ;   for  tlie  liomisk 

•  Dan   xi.  oj. 

t  See  Bp.  Ncwtnn's  account  of  the  Jf'itnesses  Ono  of  tbc  ciimes,  for  ulT'ch 
Ihose  CfJiuictitl  of  iieres)  were  condinitKcl  is  almost  invariabJy  u  rcfusul^p 
pray  to  dead  s*ints,  angcle,  and  tbcir  imagts. 


169 

hierarchy  has  no  other  head  except  the  Pope.  In  this 
case  [hereiore,  the  hed^  of  the  Jirst  beast,  aiui  the  head 
oj  'he  second  beast,  will  both  equally  be  the  Pfpe  :  and 
yet,  according  to  the  Bishop's  scheme,  t'^e  i  hUge  is  the 
Pope  likewise  :  consequently  the  image  oft'ie  'x'asf.  is  at 
one  the  same  a?  the  head  v  tire  ecclesiaslical  be  st,  and 
as  'he  secular  beast  under  i(s  last  head,  tor  St.  John  iden- 
tifies t  e  last. head mth  the zvhole secular beasL  HisLord- 
ship  himself  indeed  does  not  make  this  assertion  lot'dem 
•*»er^i<s,  though  he  assuredly  makes  it  in  fact ;  but  Mr. 
Mede,  wiiose  scheme  is  the  same,  expressly  and  w;2re- 
^ert?e//y  maintains  the  identity  of  the  image  and  ol  tie 
seciil  ir  beast  under  his  last  head.^  To  confute  this  opin- 
ion, it  seems  to  me  to  be  only  necessary,  that  ajiy  un- 
prejudiced person  should  attentively  read  those  passages 
of  the  Apocalypse,  in  which  the  two  beasts  and  te  hnage 
of  tie  first  beast  are  mentioned  together ;  for  such  .■  per- 
son mus!,  1  apprehend,  be  convinced,  that,  re;/vrt^ct'erf  hey 
may  be  designed  to  symbolize,  the  heads  o  the  two  beasts 
and  t'/e  ima-e  cannot  all  symbolize  the  same  thing.  The 
expression  the  beast  atul  his  image,  which  perpetually 
occurs  in  the  Apocalypse,!  obviously  implies,  that  the 
hea  t'\sonethhigy&A-\A  ihaithe  im  ge  is  another.  To  sup- 
pose otherwise  makes  the  prophet  use  a  most  singular  ki  nd 
of  tautology :  for,  if  thejirst  beast  and  his  image  be  the 
^same,  both  equally  symbolizing  the  Pope,  then  the  ex- 
pression the  beast  and  his  image  is  ])recisely  equivalent 
t(  the  Pope  and  the  Pope.  So  again  :  the  tzvo  be.sts  and 
the  image  are  all  described  at  large  in  one  chapter  ;  and 
t''e  second  beast  is  plainly  distinguished  from  thejirst, 
both  by  the  general  tenor  of  the  description,  and  by  its 
being  styled  another  beast :  can  we  then  reasonably  sup- 
pose, that  thejfe  izvo  different  beastshave  a  head  m  common, 
and  ihdi  that  head  is  the  very  same  as  a  certain  imas;e 
wliich  the  second  beast  causes  to  be  made  to  thr  first  oecist. 
Nay  more:  the  first  beast,  his  image,  and  the  second  beast 
under  the  name  of  tlie  false  propliet,  are  all  mentioned 
-together  in  a  single  verse.     "  And  the  beast  was  taken, 

*  "  Bestla  Romana  capitis  novissiml  est  imago  bestir  sexto  capite  mactatx." 
Comment.  Apoc  in  best,  bicorn. 

t  SeeKev.  xiv.  9,  1 1,  xv?..  2.  six.  20. 
VOL.  II-.  ^Q 


\7Q 

and  with  liim  t/ie  false  prophet  that  wrouglit  miracles 
before  him,  with  which  he  deceived  thcni  that  had  re- 
ceived the  mark  of  tlie  beast,  and  them  that  worshipped 
his  image.  These  both  were  cast  ahve  into  a  lake  of 
lire  burjiing  with  brimstone."*  Can  any  one  from  this 
passage  reasonably  infer,  that  the  deas'tnukrhis  last  head 
is  the  same  as  his  i)na<re,  and  that  doth  are  the  same  as 
the  head  of  the  second  beast  or  the  false  prophet  ?  It  is 
worthy  of  notice,  that,  allhongh  St.  John  here  makes 
joint  mention  of  the  tzvo  beasts  and  the  image,  he  only 
states,  that  these  both  (in  the  original  it  is  these  tzvo)  were 
cast  into  the  lake  of  lire.  Hence  we  may  inter,  both  that 
the  image  w\is  not  cast  into  the  fiery  lake  ;  and  that  the 
tcco  beasts  are  really  tzvo  distinct  beasts,  not  tzvo  (as  the 
sclierac  of  Rp.  Newton  necessarily  supposes)  subsisting 
nnder  a  common  he:  d.  Let  us  then  only  adopt  the  mode 
of  interjnctation  which  I  have  been  endeavouring  to  es- 
tablish, and  w^e  shall  immediatel}^  perceive  the  exact  pro- 
priety of  the  language  here  used  by  the  prophet.  The 
secular  beast  under  his  last  or  pntririo-iiiiperial  head 
(wdi  ate  ver  family  maybe  the  representative  of  this  head 
at  that  time),  the  great  supporter  of  the  abominations  of 
Popery  and  the  cruel  persecutor  of  the  saints  ;  and  the 
ecclesiastical  bea  t  under  his  spiritual  head  the  Pope,  the 
deceiver  of  the  whole  earth  and  the  diabolical  promoter 
of  the  first  b cast's  persecutions  :  these  tzco  main  enemies 
of  the  Messiah  are  taken  in  open  rebellion  against  his  au- 
thority, and  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  J3ut  the  image, 
which  was  a  mere  senseless  tool  of  monastic  imposture, 
and  therelore  incapable  of  punishment,  is  neither  said  to 
be  engaged  in  this  rebellion,  nor  to  incur  the  divine  ven- 
geance, like  its  contrivers  and  worshippers,  j 

»  Rev.  x\x.  20. 
f  Mr  Whitiiker's  sentiments  respectin}^  the  image  of  the  beast  arc  nearly  tlie 
same  as  those  of  Mr.  Mede  and  Dp.  Newton.  He  supposes  the  ima;^e  to  mean 
the  I'ap^  .1  auth'fitt/  inuiempivc  actmiUy  cstnhlishedoxrr  the  world  by  the  instrumen- 
tality ot  the  monastic  orders.  Every  objcctioii,  tlial  has  been  made  to  this  scheme 
of  Mr.  Mide  and  the  l?ishop,  applies  with  equal  force  to  that  of  .Mr.  W  hitaker. 
Sir  Isjiac  Newton  thinks  that  the  mnkiir.;  an  ima^e  to  the  hear.i  means  only  llit 
ttsyembling  a  bodti  of  wen,  or  the  cailiir^  a  Council  nfincn,  ii  kc  the  beiiit  ni  point  of 
ti-eligio'i  'I'liis  opinion  seems  to  me  to  accord  very  ill  with  tlie  simple  lantjiiape 
of  Si  John.  I  cannot  but  tnink  indeed,  that  the  wliole  of  Sir  Isaac's  explana- 
jiation  of  tliis  prophecy  is  radically  erroneous  His  idea,  that  the  second  apo- 
^a'yfitic  l>easi  is  tb.ciireeh  church  entirely  violates  the  order  and  regulHrityof  the 


171 

There  have  been  other  opinions  respectiiif^  tlie  ima<>-e 
?jcsides  this  of  B[).  Newton.     Some  have  supposed  it  la 
be  the  Carloviiigi.in  empire,  the  express  image  of  the  old 
Roman  empire.     BuL  the  Carlo^ingian  empire  is  the  Ro- 
man  empire  under  its  last  head,   and  therefore  cannot 
be  the  image,  which  is  represented  as  something  quite 
distinct  from  the  beast.     Moreover  the  making  an  imaa-e, 
to  or  {or  the  beast  cannot  mean  the  making  a  representa- 
tion of  him.     Others  again  have  fancied,  that  the  imaoe  is 
the  inquisit'on.     This  opinion  however  is  as  little  tentible 
as  the  former.    The  inquisition  is  neither  a  graven  imao-c^ 
if  the  passage  be  interpreted  in  this  sense,  asIthniRit 
must ;  nor  will  it  be  an  easy  matter  to  discover  any  re- 
semblance between  that  iniquitous  court  and  the  Roman 
CesarSy  if  the  passage  be  interpreted  in  the  manner  pro- 
posed by  Bp.  Newton.*     In  short,  every  exposition  of  the 
prophecy  relative  to  the  image,  excepting  that  which  I 
have  here  adopted  from   Dr.  Zouch,  appears  to  me  to  be 
clogged  with  far  too  many  difficulties  to  be  admissiiile. 

8.  He  caused  all,  both  small  and  great,  rich  and  poor  ^ 
free  and  bond,  to  receive  a  mark  in  their  right  hand,  or 
in  their  foreheads  :  and  that  no  man  might  buy  or  sell 
nave  he  that  had  the  mark  or  the  name  of  the  (secular) 
beast,  or  the  number  of  his  name.     Here  is  wisdu?n.     Let 
him  that  hath  understand' ng  count  the  number  of  the 
beast  :for  it  is  theuumbcr  of  a  man ;  and  his  number  is666 
— We  have  found,  that  in  every  particular  hitherto  consid- 
ered, the  character  of  Me  second  apocalyptic  beast  perfectly 
accords  with  that  of  the  catholic  church  of  Rome,  the  spir- 
itual empire  regular  and  secular,  of  which  the  Pope  is 
the  head.     Two  points  yet  remain  to  be  investigated  :  1 
mean  the  peculiar  namesindithe  peculiar  mark  oi  the  first 
beast,  which   the   second  beast  required   the   Avhole  iio- 
man  world  to  bear  as  a  badge  of  ecclesiastical  communion. 
In  order  that  this  enquiry  may  be  satisfactorily  prose- 
cuted, the  sound  rule,  which  I  have  hitherto  endeavour- 
ed to  observe,  must  in  the  present  case  also  be  steadily 
attended  to.     jYo  name,  though  it  may  possibly  compre- 
hend the  number  QQQ,  can  be  the  name  of  the  'beast,\m- 

pmliction  :  for  tlu;  little  booh  treats  entirely  of  the  affairs  of  th-j  W'-s*-      S«e 
-Observ.  on  the  Apocalypse,  Chap.  <5.  atnd  Addenda  to  Observ. 
*  ?ee  J?p.  NeM't(jn's  Hissert.  on  Per.  xi'ii. 


i7^ 

leR«?  it   equally  answers  in   all  other  particulars,  to  the 
pro});ietic  description  of  that  name. 

From  Mie  description  itself  we  learn,  that  four  things 
must  concur  in  the  mi)ster:0us  name  of  which  we  are  in 
quest:  1.  it  must  be  the  name  of  the  Empire  symboliz- 
ed h\-  the  'en-hurned  beast  ;  2.  it  must  be  ihe  name  of 
some  individual  man  ;*  3.  it  must  be  a  name,  borne,  along 
witii  sonte  superstitious  badge  or  mark-,  by  every  member 
of  the  be  st-,  as  a  test  of  spiritual  communion  with  his 
c^Ilengue  the  second  beast-,  and  under  pain  of  a  severe 
ecclesiastical  interdict ;  4  and  it  must  be  a  name,  which 
comprehendsin  itsnumericnl  letters  ^//e/jrec/^^"  ^z/?«  0/666. 

Various  names  have  been  pitched  upon  as  this  name 
of  the  beast  ;  but,  before  we  adopt  any  of  them,  we  must 
enquire  whether  they  will  accurately  correspond  with  St. 
John's  description  of  it.  Two  of  the  papal  titles,  Vicarius 
Filii  Dei,  and  Facaiius  Dti generalis  in  terrisi  have  each 
been  found  to  comprehend  the  number  ^^Q :  but  yet 
neither  of  them  can  be  the  name  intended  by  the  Apostle  ; 
because  neither  of  them  is  the  name  of  the  temporal  beasts 
neither  of  them  is  the  proper  name  of  a  man,  and  neither 
of  them  can  obviously  be  borne  liy  each  individual  Papist, 
The  Hebrew  word  tiomiith,  or  the  Roman  beasts  has  like- 
wise been  found  to  contain  the  same  number  i)(JC)  :t  but 
yet  this  can  as  little  be  the  apocalyptic  name  of  the  beast* 
as  either  of  the  others  ;  for,  although  every  Papist  delights 
to  term  himself  a  Roman  catholic,  yet  Romiith  is  cer- 
tainly not  the  name  of  any  inan.X 

•  Bp.  Newton  si!ppose3  the  immber  of  a  man  to  mean  nothing  more  than  « . 
•method  of  number tjig  prctctistd  among  men.  I  prefer  the  interpretation  here 
adopted,  both  as  bein^  the  most  obvious  meaninij  of  the  expression,  and  as 
suit  inf,'' better  to  the  designed  obscurity  of  an  enigma.  Since  tlie  number  of 
the  beast  is  tfie  number  of  the  navie  of  the  beast,  it  seems  most  natural  to  con- 
chide,  that  the  n.tmbtr  of  a  man  is  the  nnviber  of  the  name  of  a  mail :  and,  since 
Ibvsc  tti-o  numbers  are  the  same,  tl)e  trn>  nanus  which  contain  them,  that  of  tfre. 
f't'ast  and  that  of  the  inan,  must  be  tha  same  likeioke. 

t  "> 200. 

1 6 

» 40 

» 10 

♦ 10 

n 400 


666 
i'  Mr.  Lowman  supposes,  tliat  the  number  C66  is  U»e  number  of  years  tb  ire 
j?ojnputed  fiom  tixQ  uam  wbsn  St,  Jolui  saw  Uus  vhion  to  Uie  comoletc  estah- 


173 

I  conceive  then,  that  the  apostle  designed  to  Intimate 
in  this  confessedly  difficult  passage,  that  we  should  seek- 
out  so)j(e  riamey  which  should  at  once  be  the  name  of  an 
empire^  tlienmne  ef  its  supp  sedjomider;  and  the  nauicof 
every  individual  in  that  empire.  This  identity  of  appel- 
lation is  very  frequenily  found  to  occur,  particularly  in  the 
early  ages  of  the  world  :  thus  Ashur  is  equally  the  name 
of  Jssf/ria,  of  f/ie  faiJier  of  the  Assyrians,  aad  of  every 
individual  Assyr.an  ;  thus  also  Misraim  is  equally  the 
name  of  Egypt,  of  tlie  father  of  the  Egyptiavs,  and  of 
every  individual  Egyptian;  and  thus,  to  descend  to  modern 
times,  Ottoiuan  or  O'hman  is  equally  the  name  of  t/ie 
Jurk/sh  empire,  of  its  founder,  and  of  every  ivdividual 
Turk.  Now,  had  the  prophet  So^id  nothing  more  than 
this  respecting  the  name  of  the  beast,  we  might  for  ever 
have  wearied  ourselves  with  endeavouring  to  discover  it ; 

iishment  o^  the  Papacy  as  ei  temporal  po-uer  about  t lie  year  756,  at  wliicbtime  he 
«onceives  it  to  have  become  the  beast  of  the  sea  under  his  last  /;■  ad.  Respecting 
this  opinion  it  will  be  sufficient  to  observe,  that,  even  if  '  e  f  apicy  were  tfnr 
keast  of  the  sea,  which  to  me  seems  utterly  impossible,  it  would  stili  be  altoge- 
ther irreconcileable  with  the  plain  language  of  the  prophi  cy.  None  were 
either  to  buy  or  sell  but  those  that  bore  the  name  of  r.r  beast,  and  together 
with  it  the  number  of  his  name  ;  a  number  moieover,  that  is  the  number  of  a  man. 
How  is  all  this  fulfilled,  it  666  be  merely  a  term  of  years  ?  How  can  a  term 
(f  years  be  the  number  of  the  beast's  nam-  ?  How  can  it  be  shewn,  that  none 
were  allowed  to  buy  or  sell  except  those  that  bore  this  term  of  years  as  includ- 
ed in  the  name  of  the  beast  '? 

Tliere  is  a  most  curious  treatise  by  Mr  Potter  on  the  mnn'jer  656  ;  in  whicli 
he  goes  on  the  principle  of  extracting  Jie  square  root,  and  of  applying  it  when 
uo  extracted  to  a  wonderful  variety  of  matters  connected  wiih  Jopry  He 
supposes  indeed  the  ten-h<jrned beast  to  be  the  Papacy  ;  but  his  sjstcm,  if  it  be 
tenable,  will  apply  with  nearly  equal  force  to  the  secular  p^ipal  lio man  e7n- 
pire.  I  can  promise  the  reader  entertainment  of  a  very  singular  nature  from 
this  work  ;  though,  like  myself,  he  may  possibly  rise  from  the  perusal  of  it. 
unconvinced.  It  is  one  of  the  most  ingenious  productions  that  I  ever  met 
with  ;  but  it  strikes  me  nevertheless  as  being  too  elaborate  and  far  fc-tched, 
independent  of  various  objections  that  might  be  urged  against  it.  I  think  it 
right  to  mention,  that  Mr  I'olter  will  not  allow  the  iiumbir  to  be  the  raimbtr  cf 
a  'lame,  and  that  he  thence  deniee  the  propriety  of  discovering  it  by  numerical 
letters  in  the  name  Latinvn  or  in  other  similar  names  In  this  point  he  is  cer- 
tainly mistaken  ;  for  S..  John  most  unequivocallv  declares,  that  the  uumbcr  of 
r/ie  6e(7*t  is  "  the  number  of  iiis  name  "  (Ver  17.)  Mr  Mede  bestows  a  very 
bififhand  very  well  deserved  encomium  on  this  work  of  Mr.  Potter. 

The  modes  \n  which  the  Romanists  have  computed  this  lumber,  are  suffi,' 
rjently  whimsical.  Feuardestius  discovers  it  in  the  word  J\[uameiis,  for  so  he 
thinks  proper  to  spell  tlie  name  of  J\Iuhavvr>ed.  He  likewise  finds  it  in  Martii- 
Lauter,  which  he  says  was  the  original  way  of  spelling  Luther's  name.  (Low^ 
man's  Paraph,  in  loc.)  This  last  idea  is  considerably  enlarged  by  Lindanus  and 
15ellarmine.  JMartin  Lautcr  produces  the  immbtr  in  Saxon  :  David  Chit'-xus. 
and  Beza  antitlicus,  in  Greek  ;  and  J^Jm  Calvtn,  in  Hebrew.  Cornel  a  Lap. 
Comment,  in  Apoc.  in  loc.)  They  refain  however  very  judiciously  from  &pe- 
cyfying  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horms  eith,cr  of  IVtohammed,  Luther,  C!"/itcxusK 
Kt-za,  or  Calvin. 


174 

because  numerous  indeed  are  the  nameii,  which,  like 
Ashuvy  Mizraim-t  and  Otto)nani  bear  triple  significiitions : 
hence  he  informs  us,  that  the  name,  to  which  he  alludes, 
should  not  only  bear  this  triple  signification,  but  should 
likewise  contain  in  its  numerical  letters  the  precise  sum 
cf666. 

Ireneus,  the  disciple  of  Polycarp,  who  lived  not  very 
long  after  St.  John  iiimself,  has  been  much  more  happy 
in  pitching  u[)on  the  name  of  tke  beast,  than  in  assigning 
the  i)roper  reasons  wivy  that  particular  appellative  ought 
to  be  pitched  upon  in  preference  to  all  others.  "  The 
jidiVaQ  Lateinosr  says  he,  "  contains  the  7??<?;/<{/56T  666  ;" 
"  and  it  is  very  likely  that  this  may  be  the  name,  because 
the  last  kingdom  is  so  called,  for  they  are  Latins  who 
now  reign  :  but  in  this  we  will  not  glory."*  Bp.  New- 
ton has  adopted  the  opinion  of  Ireneus,  which  I  believe 
to  he  perfectly  just  ;  yet,  what  is  something  remarkable, 
neithei*  has  /z^  assigned  the  r<?^/ cause,  why  Latinus,  or, 
according  to  its  ancient  orthography  both  Latin  and 
Greek,  Lateinos  is  the  very  iiame  of  the  beast  miei\fle(}i 
by  the  Apostle.  I  shall  endeavour  therefore,  agreeably 
to  the  deductions  made  from  the  apocalyptic  description 
of  it,  to  point  out  why  Latinns,  and  Lalinus  iilone,  is  the 
name  of  which  we  are  in  quest. 

The  ten-horned  beast,  whose  name  is  declared  to  con 
tain  the  number  QC)Qj  is  certainly  the  temporal  Roman  em- 
pire. Of  this  Empire  the  second  founder  indeed  was 
Momulus;  hui'iis  first  real  or  fictitious  founder  was  Z«/- 
inus,  the  ancient  king  of  Latium.  Latinus  therefore  is 
the  name  of  a  man.  It  is  likewise  the  peculiar  name  of 
the  Western  OY  divided  Roman  empire,  and  the  distinguish- 
ing appellation  of  every  individual  in  that  Empire.  Here 
it  is  observable,  that  the  Gentile  name  of  Latinus  or  a 
LmHu  was,  in  the  victorious  days  of  the  republic  and  em- 
pire, ahnost  lost  in  the  more  favourite  gentile  name  of 
R'^niimus  or  a  Romaji.  Preserved  however  it  carefully. 
waS;,t   though  not  so  frequently  used  as  the  other ;  inso- 

•  L-en.  Lib.  5.  Cap.  SO  p.  449.  cited  by  Bp.  Newton. 

j- Latlo  :  g-enus  unde  Latiniim, 

Albanicjue  patres,  atquc  alia  ma-nia  Uoma. 


Jfec  piier  illaca  quisquam  de  gente  Latinos 
Ih  tantum  spc  lyllet  avos   ■■•■■■  Yirgil. 


175 

mucli  that,  althougli  the  people  were  styled  Rojiiansy 
their  language  was  denominated  Latin.  But,  when  by 
the  arms  "sf  the  northern  nations  the  Romnn  empire  was 
divided  into  ten  khigdoms  ;  when,  by  setting  up  n  spirit- 
ual tyrant  in  the  C  hurch,  and  by  lapsing  into  papal  idol- 
atry, it  again  became  a  beast ;  when  Rome  was  governed 
by  her  bishops  under  the  wing  of  a  new  line  of  Emper- 
ors ;  and  when  Greece,  formerly  her  instructor  in  the 
arts  and  sciences,  was  now  become  her  rival  botli  in  im- 
perial and  ecclesiastical  domination,  the  old  gentile  name 
of  Latin  was  revived,  and  has  ever  since  been  the  pecu- 
liar distinguishing  title  of  lhe_  papal  Roman  empire  both 
temporal  and  spiritual.  Such  accordingly  is  the  general 
appellation  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  West  bear  in  the 
Eastern  parts  of  the  world  :  the  particular  names  of  Spa^i- 
iards^  French,  and  Italians^  are  swallowed  up  in  the  com- 
mon title  of  Laths.  Hence  Mr.  Gibbon,  in  his  account 
of  the  crusades,  terms,  with  strict  propriety,  the  people 
of  the  western  empire  Latins :  and  gives  us,  under  this 
name,  the  history  of  the  five  Latin  Emperors  of  Constan- 
tinople.* Hence  also,  though  the  Papists  are  wont  ab- 
surdly to  style  themselves  Roman  catholics,  the  real  nam® 
of  their  community,  as  contn' distinguished  from  the 
Greek  church,  the  Armenian  church,  or  the  Abyssinian 
church,  is  certainly  the  Latin  church.  Thus  Thevenot, 
in  his  account  of  mount  Sinai,  speaks  of  two  churches, 
one  for  the  Greeks,  and  tlie  other  for  the  Latins :  and 
thus  Ricaut,  throughout  his  state  of  the  Greek  and  Ar- 
menian churches,  discriminates  the  Romanists  from  all 
other  professors  of  C%77V/ww/(?/,  by  the  appellation  of  ImI- 
ins.'\  The  Papists,  as  Dr.  Henry  jNlore  aptly  expresses 
it,  "  latinize  in  every  thing.  IMass,  prayers,  hymns,  lita- 
nies, canons,  decretals,  bulls,  are  conceived  in  Latin. 
The  Papal  councils  speak  in  Latin.  Women  themselves 
pray  in  Zrt/i??.  Nor  is  the  Scripture  read  in  any  other 
language,  under  Popery,  than  Latin.  Wherefore  the 
council  of  Trent  commanded  the  vulgar  Latin  to  be  the 
only  authentic  version :    nor  do  their  doctors  doubt  to 


•  Hist,  of  Dedine  and  Fall,  Vol.  ii.  p.  243—304. 
+  Cited  by  Mr.  Granville  Sliarpe  in  his  appendix  to  three  tracts,  p.  126.    I  am 
indebted  to  this  gentleman  for  the  idea,  that  Latinus  in  the  name  of  that  par- 
ytciilar  man  whose  appellation  contains  th^  same  nimbcr  as  the  name  oj  the  beast. 


17S 

prefer  it  to  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  text  itself,  which  was 
written  by  the  prophets  and  apostles.  In  short,  all  things 
are  Latin  ;  the  Poj)e  having  communicated  his  language 
to  the  people  under  his  dominion,  as  the  mark  and  char- 
ncter  ot  his  empire."* 

Here  then  we  have  a  name,  whfch  conipletelv  answe^-s 
in  every  respect  to  fJie  apocalyptic  na7/ie  of  the  beast. 
jLateinos  is  at  once  the  name  of  a  man,  the  title  ofa*>  em- 
pire, i\\M[  the  distinguishing  appellation  of  every  indi- 
widual  in  hat  empire  :  and,  when  the  sum  of  its  numeri- 
cal letters  iS  taken  in  the  Greek  language,  the  language 
in  which  tlie  Apocalypse  is  written,  and  in  which  there- 
fore the  calculation  ought  evidently  to  be  madc,t  it  will 
fimount  precisely  to  i^^^X  On  these  grounds  then  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  assert,  that  Lai  in  us,  and  nothing  but  Lat- 
inus  is  I  he  name  of  the  beast ;  for,  in  no  other  word,  de- 
scriptive of  the  revived  temporal  beast,  or  ihe  Papal  Ro- 
man empire,  can  such  a  fatal  concurrence  of  circurtistan- 
ces  be  discovered. 

With  regard  to  the  mark  of  the  beast,  I  think  with  Sir 
Isaac  Newton  that  it  is  the  cross.  This  symb'd  has  been 
abused  by  the  Papists  to  the  purposes  both  ot  the  most 
infernal  rruelt ies.  and  of  the  most  childish  superstition  ^ 

*  Mystcryof  Iniquity,  Part  2.  B.  1.  Chap.  15.  and  Molin«i  Vales,  p.  .00  cited 
by  Bp  Newton.  "Hoc  nomine  (" LatitiuKj,  post  imperii  divisioncm  et  di-c  m 
retjes  in  nrovinciis  ejus  exorlos,  m  que  prius,  pseudo-propheta  Romanus  cum 
reliquls  Occidentis  incolis,  di.scriminis  eigo  appeilatus  est  Namque  GiKci 
etreliqui  Orientales  seipsos  solos  lioma/ws  dici  voluore  ;  nos,  cum  pontiiice 
wostro,  et  sub  eo  epl5>co|)is,  lejiibus,  dynaslis,  fatali  quodam  instinctu  Laiinos 
dixere  FA  liaec  distinclio  Gncca  Lati;uer/ne  ecclesiae  adeo  insip^nis  erat,  ut  in 
f^eneralibus  conciliis  Occidentales  patres  sive  epsicopi7ja//«/,ieliqui  vtroGr<ed 
discriminaiim  appellarentur."     Pol  Synop.in  ioc- 

•f  i  cannot  but  wonder,  tliat  any  sliould  have  thouj^ht  of  seekinjj  the  name  of 
fh'  beast  in  a  different  languat^e  from  the  Greek.  It  is  scarcelyprobatile  that  St. 
John  sliould  lerite  in  one  language,  and  mean  the  calculation  to  be  made  in  art- 
other. 

i  A 30 

A 1 

T 300 

E 5 

I 10 

N 50 

O 70 

S 200 

666 
§  A\  hen  our  dissenting  brethren  censure  us  for  using  the  sign  of  the  cross  i» 
rftie  baptismal  ccrcmonv,  because  it  is  used  likewise  by  the  papists,  tliey  oughl 


177 

The  crueltiesy  that  have  been  perpetrated  under  its 
sanction  are  notorious.  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe, 
that  when  St.  John  beheld  the  secular  beast  making  war 
upon  the  saints,  he  beheld  him  likewise  with  astonish- 
ment bearing  the  badge  of  the  c?'oss :  for  this  was  the 
very  symbol  worn  by  all  those,  who  at  the  instigation  of 
the  Pope  undertook  those  diabolical  expeditions  against 
pretended  heretics,  which  were  thence  denominated  C7'u- 
sades.  In  the  time  of  Innocent  the  third-,  it  was  aliedg- 
ed  against  the  unfortunate  VValdenses  and  Albigenses, 
that  they  had  cast  the  books  of  the  Gospel  into  the  com- 
mon sewers  in  the  sight  of  the  bishops  and  priests.  On 
the  score  of  this  lying  accusation-  the  zealous  pontiff,  cut 
to  the  heart  by  such  profaneness,  determined  to  extirpate 
them  with  fire  and  sword.  Accordingly  he  proclaimed 
a  solemn  crusade  against  them,  and  sent  preachers  into  all 
the  regions  of  the  West,  injoining  both  sovereign  princes 
and  other  Christian  people,  that,  for  the  remission  of  their 
sins,  they  should  forthwith  sign  themselves  with  the  cross f 
and  under  that  holy  sj'-mbol  should  extirpate  the  pest 
which   had  invaded  the   Church.*     The  secular  b  asty 

to  consider  that  the  use  of  it  is  either  innocent  or  not  innocent,  exactly  accord- 
ing as  it  is  religious  or  not  religious.  It  was  only  by  a  vain  and  cruel  abu^e  oithe 
^iignof  the  cross,  that  it  became  the  mark  nftlu  beast :  had  a  circle,  or  a  square, 
been  thought  by  the  papists  more  convenient  for  tiiei:'  purpose,  eitiier  of  those 
figures  would  in  that  case  have  been  as  much  ific  mavk  of  the  beast  as  a  cross. 
If  indeed  the  church  of  Englind  either  proclaimed  a  crusade  against  the  dis- 
senters, or  laid  an)>  imjsteriuus  ii-cgbt  upon  the  use  of  the  cross  in  bap'ism,  she 
;Certainly  would  not  in  these  respects  have  purified  herself  from  the  corruptions 
of  the  papal  beast ;  but,  concerning  a// her  ceremonies,  and  therefore-  the  use  of 
the  crost  in  baptism,  among  the  rest,  nothing  can  be  more  moderate  and  ration- 
al than  the  language  which  she  uses.  "  In  these  our  doings  we  condemn  no 
other  nations,  nor  prescribe  any  thing  -but  to  our  own  people  only  :  for  we 
think  it  convenient,  that  every  country  should  use  such  ceremonies  as  they 
ishall  think  best  to  the  setting  forth  of  God's  honour  and  gloi7,  and  to  the  re- 
ducing of  the  people  to  a  most  perfect  and  godlv  living,  without  error  or  su- 
perstition." Hence  it  appears,  that  she  only  wlsi»es  "all  things  to  be  done 
decently  and  in  order  ;"  and  tliat,  if  other  protes:  ant  chuj-ches  dislike  the  sipi 
of  the  cross  in  baptism,  she  would  by  no  means  impose  upon  ihera  the  use  of 
it,  as  an  in  iispensable  term  of  spiritual  communion  in  a  common  Lord.  She 
disappro'es  ludeedofthe  endless  cruc//or;n  evolutions  of  the  Papists  ;  but  she 
can  discover  no  reason,  why  t/ieir  vain  mummenes  should  make  it  sinful  or 
.superstitious  in  her  ministers  to  sign  a  newly  baptized  child  "  with  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  in  'oke/i  that  henufler  he  shall  not  be  ashamed  to  confess  the  fuirli  of 
Claris'  crucifed."  Hence,  "  to  take  away  all  scruple  concerning  the  sign  of  the 
crc'ss  in  baptism,"  she  refers  us  for  the  true  explication  thereof,  and  the  just 
reasons  for  the  retaming  of  it,  to  the  30tii  Canon. 

*"  Papa  Innocentius,  his  auditis,"  ^namely  the  false  accusations  preferred 
againsc  the  W.ildenses)  "  non  mediocriter  condoluit  Qui,  missis  pr;edicatori- 
hus  ad  omnes  regiones  occidentis,  principibus  aliisque  populis  Christianis,  in 

VOL.  a.  ^g 


178 

faithful  to  the  commands  of  his  colleague,  immediately 
assiimed  this  badge  :  and  ere  long,  throughout  France 
al  >ne,  there  were  slain  of  the  Reformed,  according  to  Vi- 
trini'^^,  toi  huvd'  ed  thousand  men. 

The  chi'dish  superstition^  to  which  the  sign  oithe  cross 
h.ns  been  prosti'U'ed,  is  scarcely  less  notorious.  On  this 
///c  .'.iibric  of  the  Rouian  Missal  will  be  the  best  ccra- 
Inenlar^ .  In  consecrating  the  Ijaptismal  water,  the  priest 
is  directed  to  divit'e  it,  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  with  his 
extender!  hand,  which  he  is  immediately  to  wipe  with  a 
cloth.  Afterwards  he  is  again- to  touch  the  water  with 
his  hand :  next  he  is  t'O  make  three  crosses  upon  the  font : 
and  then  he  is  to  divide  the  water  with  his  hand,  pour- 
ing it  out,  cross- w/se,  to  the  four  parts  of  the  wo'ld. 
Having  duly  gone  through  this  process,  muttering  all  the 
while  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  be  heard  by  the  bye- 
Btanders,  he  is  to  change  his  voice,  and  recite  a  short 
player  in  the  tone  of  reading.  The  prayer  being  ended, 
he  breathes  three  times  upon  the  water  in  the  form  of  a 
cross  ;  and  then,  resuming  the  low  muttering  tone  of  his 
former  incantation,  he  drops  a  little  wax  into  the  water. 
Thrice  he  drops  tliis  wax  into  the  water,  and  thrice  he 
takes  it  out ;  blowing,  at  its  last  immersion,  three  times 
upon  thewatfrin  the  cruciform  figure  of  the  Greek  let- 
ter t  Psi.  Lastly,  he  mixes  oil  and  cream  with  the  wa- 
ter, moving  his  hand  to  and  fro  in  the  shape  of  a  cross  ; 
and  the  consecrated  comviijctioy  as  it  is  termed,  is  thought 
to  be  then  duly  prepared  lor  the  administration  of  the 
sacrament  ot  baptism.  Nor  is  the  cross  used  in  this 
absu.dedly  superstitious  manner  throughout  the  initiatory 
rite  oi  (  hrislianity  alone,  lioly  eggs  and  holy  candles, 
holy  salt  ajid  holy  water,  go  through  a  somewhat  simi- 
lar ceremony ;  and  are  marked,  in  a  similar  manner,  with 
the  sign  of  the  cross.  Nay,  even  v^  hen  not  immediately 
en.2:aged  in  performing  the  rites  of  his  multifarious  ado- 
ration, let  a  Papist  be  assailed  either  by  natural  or  super- 

suonim  rf'nr)i«sionem  peccatorum  iiijunxit,  ul  hc  cruce  sijrnarent  ad  hanc  pe«- 
tem  cxtivpui;aum."  (Afatt  Paris  Uisl  Ma^.  Auf^l.  p.  241.  ciictlby  Mr.  bliarpe.) 
This  same  badge  of  /Af  cross  will  jirobably  be  ag'ain  assumed  m  t/ie  last  holy 
war,  undertaken  by  the  beust  and  the  fuUe  prophet,  seeminj;ly  against  the  pro- 
leituiits  and  f/ie  Jcivs.  (Rev.  xU.  If,  2U.)  Of  tins  war  more  will  be  said  here- 
ailcr. 


179 

^JKitural  terrors,  and  lie  will  forthwith  almost  mechaniral- 
iy  commence  the  operation  of  crossing  himself  in  various 
parts  of  his  body.* 

Such  is  the  wonderful  accuracy  of  the  whole  prophecy 
.respecting  both  the  name  and  the  tnark  of  the  baus' — 
TJiough  the  ancient  Romans  called  themselves  Lotins, 
yet  they  were  better  known  by  the  appellation  of  Ho.ncnis. 
When  the  Empire  was  divided,  both  th?  eastern  and  the 
western  members  of  it  still  denominated  themselves  Ro- 
mans ;  but,  for  the  sake  of  distinction,  zV^  west  'rnbrancli 
was  henceforth  styled  the  Latin  empre-,  and  its  eastern 
branch  the  Greek  empire.  The  revived  beast  howexer, 
•"  that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is,"  is  in  a  special  ma'.iner, 
under  his  last  head,  the  Lathi  empire :  and  it  is  the  pecu- 
liar name  of  this  indeniical  revived  beast,  which  (the  pro- 
phet tells  us)  comprehends  the  number  QQQ.  Now  the 
peculiar  name  of  that  beast  is  Latinns:  and  Latinus  ex- 
actly contains  the  number  665.  Can  we  dou'ot  then  of 
Laiinushemg  the  7?«>/ze  intended  by  St.  John? — As  for 
the  mark  of  the  beasts  which  I  conceive  to  be  the  cross, 
this  mark,  no  less  than  the  name  Latinus,  is  peculiar  to 
the  beast  that  is,  or  the  papal  Roman  empire,  as  contra^ 
distinguished  from  the  beast  that  was,  or  the  pagan  Ho- 
man  empire.  The  ancient  Roman  beast  despised  the  cross : 
but  the  revived  Roman  or  Latin  beast  made  it  his  pecu- 
liar badge  not  only  in  religious  but  civil  matters,  intro- 
ducing it  into  his  standards,  blazoning  it  in  the  armorial 
bearings  of  many  of  his  great  men,tand  displaying  it  up- 
on the  crowns  of  all  his  ten  horns  ;  insomuch  that  the  cres- 
cent is  not  more  the  mark  of  Turkei),  or  the  dragon  of 

*  Missal.  Roman,  edit.  Plantln.  p.  273— 285.  Cited  by  Mr  Sharpe.  Mrs. 
Bowdler  thinks,  that  the  naine  of  blaspJumy,  which  she  supposes  to  mean 
apostacij,  and  which  St.  John  beheld  written  upon  the  heads  of  the  beast,  is  Jie 
«ia;'A7  in  question  I  am  far  from  disliking  her  idea  ;  and  many  may  very  pro- 
bably p'  efer  it  to  that  which  I  have  adopted  from  Sh-  Isaac  Newton  Accord- 
ing to  this  interpretation,  none  are  permitted  to  buy  or  sell  exc>'pt  Jiose  woo 
are  implicated  in  tiie  predicted  blasphtmy  or  apcstacy  with  which  the  vian  oj  sin 
has  tainted  the  jMtin  empire.     Practical  Observ  on  the  Rev.  p  o5. 

+  "  That,  which  made  this  o'dmay  so  considerable,  and  so  frequently  used 
in  heraldry,  was  the  ancient  expeditions  into  the  Holy  land,  and  the  hoiy  war: 
for  the  pilgrims,  after  their  pilgrimag-e,  took  the  cross  for  their  cocjlji.z.Mce, 
and  the  en->i^-ii  of  tliat  war  was  the  cross  ;  and  therefore  these  expediti  ns  were 
called  Croissades  In  these  wars,  the  Scots  earned  St.  Jlndrt-w's  crass  ;  lue 
French,  a  cross  argent ;  the  Kn^^lish  a  cross  or  ,-  the  Germans,  ^ahls^  the  Itat- 
rans,  rtrw-  .•  the  Spaniards, ^'Ji/e.^,"    GmUrra's  Heraldry,  p  Hi. 


180 

Chinat  than  the  much  abused  symbol  of  the  cross  is  of" 
the  papal  Latin  empire — The  name  then  of  the  heast  is 
Latinus  ;  the  mimber  of  his  name  is  (^6  ;  and  his  mark, 
+  the  cross 

With  his  description  of  the  name  oj  the  revived  beast, 
the  prophet  interweaves  an  intimation  of  the  extreme 
jealously  with  which  the  ecclesiastical  heast  should  regard 
every  opposition  to  his  authority.  All,  who  refused  to 
bear  the  name  of  Latim  or  Rovians-,  and  to  receive  the 
mark  of  the  crossy  as  badges  of  their  communion  with 
him,  and  as  an  acknowledgment  of  his  supremacy,  should 
be  allowed  neither  to  buy  nor  to  sell. 

No  one  can  be  ignorant  of  the  tremendous  interdicts 
and  excommunications  of  the  Pope,  St.  John  howr'ver 
does  more  than  merely  speak  of  them  in  general  terms ; 
he  points  out  the  precise  mode  of  their  operation.  Bp. 
Newton  has  collected  a  variety  of  instances  in  which 
the  predicted  tyranny  of  the  ecclesiastical  beast  has  re- 
ceived even  a  literal  accomplishment.  "  If  anj^"  says 
te,  "  dissent  from  the  stated  and  authorized  forms  of  the 
Latin  church,  they  are  condemned  and  excommunicated 
as  heretics ;  and,  in  consequence  of  that,  they  at  e  no  long- 
er suffered  to  buy  or  sell :  they  are  interdicted  from  traf- 
fic and  commerce,  and  all  the  benefits  of  civil  society. 
So  Roger  Hoveden  relates  of  IVili'ajfi  the  Cowjuero)\  that 
he  was  so  dutiful  to  the  Popc^  that  he  would  not  per- 
mit any  one  in  his  power  to  buy  or  sell  any  thing,  whom 
he  found  disobedient  to  the  apostolic  see.  So  the  canon 
of  the  council  of  Lateran  under  Fope  Alexander  the  thi>  d, 
made  against  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  injoins  up- 
on pain  of  anathema,  that  no  man  presume  to  en'ertain  or 
cherish  them  in  his  house  or  land,  or  exercise  traffic 
With  them.  The  synod  of  Tours  in  France  under  M<"^«;W6' 
PopCy  orders,  under  the  like  intcrmination,  that  no  man 
should  })resume  to  receive  or  assist  them,  no  not  so 
much  as  to  hold  any  communion  with  them  in  buying  or 
selling;  that,  being  deprived  of  the  comfort  of  humani- 
ty,* t^ey  may  be  compelled  to  repent  of  the  error  of  their 

•  Such  are  the  convincing  arguments  used  by  Papists  against  those  whom 
they  are  pleased  to  style  heretics.  The  same  pains  and  penalties  appear  to  be 
rit-ill  attached  to  excommunication  irvJrcland,  so  far  as  the  Popish  priests  are 


181 

ways.  Pope  Martin  the  fifth,  mhh  bull  set  out  after 
the  council  of  Constance,  coiumands  in  like  manner,  that 
thev  permit  not  the  heretics  to  have  houses  in  their  dis- 
tricts, or  enter  into  contracts,  or  carry  on  commerce,  or 
enjoy  the  comforts  of  humanity  with  Christians."* 

The  sura  then  o!  the  whole  is  this.  The tzvo  apoca  • 
lyptic  beasts  are  the  tzvo  contemporary  Roman  Empires^ 
temporcd  ^rA  spirit ^'al,  each  subsisting  under  its  proper 
head.  The  last  head  of  tlie  one,  under  which  it  will  go 
into  perdition,  is  its  eonblc  herd-,  tl e  p^tricio-imperial 
line  of  the  Carlovins^ian  Emperors  :  the  :>o(r  h<  ad  of  the 
otjjer  is  the  live  of  Popes  irom  t lie  year  606,  vvlien  the 
saints  were  formally  given  into  the  hand  of  t'>e  I  tile  ho*m, 
and  when  fJie  pe>  iod  of  12160  daijs  commenced.  These 
tzvo  /J w/;ire.?  mutually  support  each  other  in  their  joint 
tyrannical  persecution  of  the  witnesses  :  and  are  primari- 
ly, though  unconsciously,  influenced  in  their  proceedings 
by  the  infernal  serpent. 

In  order  that  the  close  connection  of  the  two  empires 
Biay  the  more  evidently  appear,  St.  John  gives  us  a  com- 
plete double,  though  united,  symbol  of  them  both,  as  they 
stand  leagued  together  till  their  final  destruction  under 
the  last  vial ?it\he  termination  of^//e  l^QOyenj-'s. 

"  And  there  came  unto  me  one  of  the  seven  angelSj, 
which  had  the  seven  vials,  and  talked  with  me,  saying 
unto  me.  Come  hither  ;  I  will  shew  unto  thee  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  whore,  that  sitteth  upon  many  waters  : 
with  whom  the  kin2:s  of  the  earth  have  committed  forni- 
cation,  and  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  have  been  made 
drunk  with  the  wine  of  her  fornication.  So  he  carried 
me  away  in -the  spirit  into  the  wilderness  ;  and  I  saw  a 
wom.an  sit  upon  a  scarlet  coloured  beast,  full  of  names 
of  blasphemy,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  And 
the  woman  was  arrayed  in  purple  and  scarlet  colour,  and 
decked  with  gold  and  precious  stones  and  pearls,  having 
a  golden  cup  in  her  hand,  full  of  abominations  and  filthi- 

ableto  enforce  them.  In  the  debate  In  the  house  of  Lords  (May  10th  1805.) 
on  what  has  been  insidiously  termed  the  catholic  emancipation,  Lord  Redesdalfe 
publicly  declared,  that  he  knew  aprotestant  gentleman,  who  had  savK!  an  un^ 
fortunate  man  under  a  popish  sentence  of  excommunication  from  starving  i% 
t,h5  streets. 

*  Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Rev,  xiii. 


182 

ness  of  her  fornication.  And  upon  her  forehead  was  a 
name,  written,  Mystery,  Babylon  the  great,  the  mother 
of  harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth.  And  I  saw  the 
woman  drunken  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with 
the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus  :  and,  when  1  saw  her, 
I  wondered  with  great  admiration." 

Here  again  we  behold  M^^^rcfl/  secular  Rovian  beast 
seven-headed  and  ten-homed^  now  represented  as  closely 
leagued  with  a  mystic  liarlvty  in  the  same  manner  as  he 
was  before  connected  with  the  ixvo-horned  beast.  The 
reason  is  this :  a  harlot  is  only  another  symbol  of  an 
apostate  idolatrous  church:  both  thczvonian  and  the  se- 
cond beast  equally  typify  the  spiritual  empire  of  the  Pa- 
pacy. In  the  former  symbol.  Popery  was  described  as 
the  co-adjutor  and  instigator  of  the  temporal  beast  :  in 
the  present  symbol,  it  is  represented  in  the  plenitude  of 
its  power  riding  trium})hantly  u|>on  the  neck  of  kings, 
and  exalting  its  authority  far  above  that  of  its  secular 
colleague.* 

The  great  whore  is  said  to  sit  upon  many  waters — These 
waters  are  explained  by  the  angel  to  mean  peoples,  and 
multitudes,  and  Jiatinns,  and  tongues.  The  sitting  there- 
fore of  the  whore  upon  many  waters  is  precisely  equiva- 
lent to  her  sitting  upon  the  beast  ;  for  the  beast  sym- 
bolizes the  divided  Roman  empire,  and  consequently  all 
the  waters  or  7iations  which  it  comprehends. 

She  is  the  whore,  with  whom  the  Icings  of  the  eorth 
have  commit  ted f or  nicat:  oily  and  with  whose  tnfat  lating 
cup  all  their  subjects  have  been  intoxicated — The  kings  of 
the  earth  are  the  kings  wit  bin  thep-ecmcts  of  the  Rowan 
earth  or  empire  :  and  the  fornicatinij  whicii  they  have 
committed  with  the  zvhore,  is  spiritual  fornication,  or  an 
idolatrous  apostacy  from  the  simplicity  of  the  Gos[)el. 
As  the  kings  or  bonis  q/  the  secular  bc^st  sup^wried  with 
all  their  might  the  corruptions  oi  the  whore,  so  were  their 

*  The  construction  of  tliis  compoiind  hieroglyphic  fuinishes  another  argu- 
ment, in  aclflilion  to  Umsc  ah-eacly  adduced,  to  |)rove  that  the  len-hon.td  Ua^t 
cannot  be  the  Papacy.  The  harlot  is  evidently  a  distinct  power  troin  the  biast 
upon  which  slic  ndes.  Dut  the  hunut  is  the  J^afuiey.  Tiieretbre  r  -r  bensi  can- 
not be  the  I'lipacii  likewise.  It  is  not  unworthy  of  obsi-rvatiun,  thxt  ilic  lo.e  of 
system  !ias  acliially  led  some  commentators  to  assert  exprcsslj,  ih.a  the  beast 
is  the  same  as /ii«  riV/cr.  "Idem  Anlichrislus  per  muiiercm  et  pef  bcMtain 
•ipcc'andus  prodncitur"     ¥o\    Synop  in  lou. 


183 

subjects  made  drunk  with  Iier  poisonous  doctrines.  None 
escaped,  but  the  two  mystic  witnesses  :  and  their  refusal 
to  partake  of  the  wine  of  her  fornication  was  the  cause 
of  all  the  persecution  which  they  endured  both  from  the 
/dugs  and  from  the  inha  bitants  of  the  Roman  earthy  who 
had  tasted  of   her  maddening  cup. 

The  place,  xvhere  St.  John  beheld  the  whore  ridmg  upon 
her  scarlet  beast-,  was  the  zvilderness — He  saw  the  woviaii, 
once  the  chaste  sj)ouse  of  Christ,  now  polluted  with  spirit- 
ual furnicationy  and  preferring  the  wilderness  of  error,  sin, 
and  delusion,  to  her  former  appointed  place,  the  inclosed 
xiineyard^  of  the  Church.  He  saw  her,  so  far  from  testi- 
fying any  shame  on  account  of  her  adulteries,  glorying 
and  triumphing  with  the  brazen  front  of  a  determined 
strumpet  in  her  manifold  abominations..  He  saw  her  ad- 
vancing yet  another  step  in  iniquity  ;  and,  instead  of  pos- 
sessing the  comparative  innocence  of  resting  satisfied  with 
her  own  whoredoms  alone,  labouring  to  make  proselytes 
to  her  fornications,  tyrannizing  over  the  struggling  con- 
science of  the  irresolute,  and  *'  drunken  with  the  blood  of 
the  saints  and  martyrs  of  Jesus."  When  he  saw  a  church 
of  Christ  thus  fallen  from  her  high  estate,  thus  apostate, 
thus  corrupted,  thus  persecuting  the  faithful  with  even 
more  bitterness  than  pagan  Rome  ;  well  might  he  wonder 
with  exceeding  great  admiration.  To  a  primitive  believer 
the  thing  would  seem  as  it  were  impossible ;  and  St.  John, 
who  doubtless  like  the  other  prophets  fully  understood 
the  ^ewera/ meaning  of  his  own  symbolical  language,  was 
probably  at  a  loss  to  conceive  how  his  prediction  could 
ever  be  accomplished  in  a  professed  church  of  his  meek 
and  lowly  master.t 

Lpon  the  forehead  of  the  xvhore  teas  written.,  Mystery, 
Babylon  the  great,  the  mot  her  of  harlots  and  abominations 
of  the  eai  th — Hence  we  may  conclude,  that  Babylon 
was  not  her  real,  but  only  her  mystic,  name.  Accord- 
ingly, when  the  angel  teaches  St.  John  "  the  mystery  of 

•  Isaiah  v.  xxvii. 
■\  St.  John,  with  the  books  of  tlie  ancient  prophets  before  him,  could  not  but 
know,  that  a  hai  lot  \v:is  the  type  of  un  apostate  and  idolatrous  church.  The  days^ 
of  Aholah  and  Aliohbamah  were  now  past ;  Israel  was  no  longer  the  church  of 
the  Lord.  S,  John  therefcre  would  be  certain,  that  the  scarlet  w/joi-f  must 
niean  some  fu'ure  Christian  church  :  hence  natui'ally  .'\rose  his  great  admira- 
tion,    bee  Ezek,  .\vi.  and  ixiii, 


the  woman,  and  of  the  beast  that  cavrieth  her,"  he  expli- 
citly iniorras  iiini,  that  "  the  woman,  w  hicli  he  saw,  is 
that  great  cit^y  u  Rich  reigncth  over  the  kings  oi  tlic  earh." 
T/iis grta>  (It I)  h  >wi'ver  can  be  nothing  but  tin:  tm.i^  re  :)f 
Rome,  i^ aga J!  Jiohw  it  cannot  he  in  the  day^  oj  the  ar- 
lot ;  because  pa  ■^i'ji  Rome  was  rather  the  Uar<er  thai)  the 
ieccher  of  idolatry,  if  then  it  be  not  [wgan  Honit.  it 
mu>it  he paprj  /lo/ne.  This  pint  is  yet  further  evuJMnt 
from  the  manner  in  which  thv^  angel  speaks  of  tJ e  ten 
kings.  He  tells  the  prophet,  that  tiiey  had  not  rec»  j  ed 
their  kingdom  as  y.tly  but  siiould  receive  power  along 
wiih  (he  deast  in  one  apocal3^ptic  season:  and  h'^  adds, 
that  they  should  give  their  power  und  strength  to  t'/e  re- 
vived heast ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  they  should  be  the 
secular  heast\'i  engines  oi  persecution,*  and  should  up- 
hold with  all  their  might  the  new  system  of  idolatr}',  by 
the  establishment  of  which  the  bmsty  that  was  not,  as- 
cended afresh  out  of  the  bottomless  pit.  77/c  ten  kings 
therefore,  w^lio  weie  yet  future  in  the  days  of  St.  John> 
and  who  erected  their  thrones  upon  the  ruins  of  the  an- 
cient empire,  who  first  gave  their  j:)ower  to  the  beasty  and 
■who  afterwards  should  hate  the  whore,  their  former  jwra- 
mour,  have  manifestly  been  contemporary,  not  with  /wf- 
gni,  hut  with  papal,  kome  :  the  Zi'hore  therefore  cannot 
be  pagaiii  but  must  he  papal,  Roaie.\ 

Thus  it  appears,  th.t  this  grand  compound  hieroglyphic 
of  the  woman  and  her  heast  represents  the  whole  of  the 
great  city  which  reiQ:neth  over  the  /lia^^s  of  the  earth  ;  the 
woman  symbolizmg  its  spiritaal  empire,  and  her  beast 
S3'mhr>lizing  its  temporal  empire  :  that  is  to  say,  this 
complete  hieroglyphic  exhibits  to  us  at  one  view  tiie 
two  co-existing  Roman  empires,  wliich  the  prophet  had 
before  descril)ed  separately  under  the  symbols  of  two 
Jriendly  contemporary  htasis,  loagned  together  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting    both   a  civil  and   an  ecclesiasticiil 

•  "  It  was  g-ivcn  unto  tiiin  (^///e  secular  becutj  to  m.ikc  war  witli  the  saints 
and  to  overcome  them"  (licv.  xiii.  7;  This  he  did,  at  the  insti^-ation  in- 
deed of  the  stcoiul  beast,  but  through  the  instrumentality  ofhis  own  ten  horns. 

•    t  The  reader  will  fmd  the  whole  cliaracter  of  the  hmlot  «xcellenil\  » lucidat- 
ed  by  J3p.  Newton  in  his  Dissertation  upon  tins  iiatlofluc  Apocalypse. 


185 


tyranny  over  the  minds  as  well  as  over  the  bodies  of 


men.* 


SECTION  V. 


The  history  of  the  true  Church  during  the  period  of  the 
great  Apostacij — The  harvest  and  vintage  of  God's 
jvrath. 

After  this  account  of  the  persecution  of  the  xvitnesses, 
the  wai-  of  the  dragon,  and  the  rise  and  tjn-anny  of  the 
two  beasts,  St.  John  proceeds  to  describe  the  rtati  of  the 
true  Church  during  tlie  same  period  of  \'2Q0  years  ;  \ts 
great  contest  with  tiie  mystic  Bahylnn  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformstion  ;  and  the  judgments  oj^  God  upon  his  ene- 
mies ihxvmg  the  two  grand  peri  ds  comprised  umXev  the 
seventh  trumpety  namely,  the  harvest  and  tlie  vintage  of 
God's  wrath. 

"  And  1  looked,  and  lo,  a  Lamb  stood  on  the  mount 
Zion,  and  with  him  an  hundred  forty  and  four  thousand, 
having  his  Father's  name  vi^ritten  in  their  foreheads. 
And  i  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  as  tlie  voice  of  many 
waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  a  great  thunder  :  and  I  heard 
the  voice  of  harpers  harping  with  their  harps.  And  they 
Fun.;  as  it  wei'e  a  new  song  before  the  throne  and  before 
the  four  beasts,  and  the  elders  ;  and  no  man  could  learn 
that  song,  but  the  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand, 
which  were  redeemed  from  the  ejirth.  These  are  they, 
which  were  not  defiied  with  women,  for  they  are  virgins : 
these  are  they,  which  follow  the  Lamb  w]iithersoe\  er  he 
goeth  :  these  were  redeemed  from  among  men,  being  the 

•  Mr.  Galloway  slngolarlv  fancies,  that  the g'-cct  whore  means  the  confederacy 
of  the  beast,  thefascpi-ophct,  ar.d  tlie  kii.gs  of  tlie  earth.  This  opinion  oi  his 
runs  directly  counter  boUi  to  ?ymbolic.J  propriciy,  and  txi  the  p!ain  declara- 
tion of  St.  John.  A  vhore  is  the  symbol  of  a  degenerate  ai.d  conupt  church,  and 
is  never  used  lo  typify  a  consphccv  ■■  the  seven-headed  and  te  -hointd  bd.st, 
upon  which  she  is  sitting-,  is  manifesily  the  great  Roinun  beast  which  h;id  als  ea- 
.  dy  been  described  in  tlie  13th  chapter  ol  Un.  itevelaiion  ;  and  tiie  AposUe 
explicitly  tells  us,  that //u  Wiorf  is  "that  ff!\at  city  which  reig-ncUi  over  the 
kings  of  theeai'th."  Hence  it  is  manifest,  tliat  she  must  be  the  R-.man  empire 
either  pagan  ov papal  Consequently  she  cannot  be  a  confederacy,  as  Mr.  (ial- 
loway  supposes,  of  Papists,  Mohammedans^  and  I:\pdcls.  What  i.s  scarcely 
fair  in  a  professed  discussion  of  a  prophecy,  \iv.  CJallowav  omits  all  tiiat  part 
of  i>-  which  makesag-ainsi  his  system.  He  quotes  ths  17ih  cliap^erof  the  Re- 
velation, wiiich  full)  describes  ?/iewAore  and  her  beact,  only  as  far  as  the  6ih 
A'erse.     Sec  Comment,  p.  2" 6. 

VOL.  ir.  24 


186 

first  fruits  unto  God,  and  to  the  Larob.  And  in  their 
mon:h  was  found  no  guile  :  for  they  are  without  fault  be- 
fore the  throne  of  God." 

Hitherto  we  have  beheld  only  the  gloomy  side  of  the 
aHairsof  the  C7iwr<^//,  the  t'-ouMesand  persecuMons  which 
she  experienced  from  V/.  drtj'^oii  at-d  the  Inohcasfs  ;  we 
are  now  invited  to  contemplate  tliat  paradt.'X,  wliich  real 
Christianity  can  alone  explain.  The  144,000,  here  men- 
tioned, are  the  spiritual  descendants  of  the  twelve  Apos- 
tles, apostolically  multiplied.  Tliey  are  the  inmi'^-diate 
successors  of  the  144,000  sealed  servants  of  God,*  who 
bore  their  testimony  to  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
days  of  Paganism  ;  and  who  "came  out  of  great  tribula- 
tion," to  enjoy  a  short  respite  from  their  troubles  in  the 
tranquil  age  of  Constantine.t  They  are  the  sane  m 
short  as  the  two  nitncsses,  or  the  line  of  faithful  bel  ever  Sy 
whom  God  su[)ported  by  the  invisible  though  powerful 
agency  of  hisSpiri»-  through  the  whole  term  of  the  reign 
of  the  beasts.  In  th  particular  history  of  the  Apo  tacy 
itself,  they  are  described  as  oppressed  and  prophesying 
in  sackcloth:  here  t-ey  are  represented  in  a  state  of 
exultation  and  tjiumph,  as  rejoicing  in  that  "joy  which 
no  man  taketh  from  them."  The  two  accnunls  there- 
fore, when  put  together,  exhibit  them  to  us,  like  ^he  j>rim- 
itive  Ch'istians,  as  "sorrowtul  yet  ijlw;iys  rejoicing,"  as 
"  rejoicing  in  tribulation,"  and  as  even  '*  exceeding  joy- 
ful in  tribulation."  That  this  exultation  is  purely  of  a 
spiritual  nature,  and  that  it  subsists  along  with  great  tem- 
poral ad  versit}^,  is  evident  both  irom  the  preceding  exter- 
nal history  of  the  witnessesy  and  from  the  intimations 
which  are  given,  even  in  the  present  chapter  itself,  ti.at 
the  Church  is  still  in  a  suffering  state  notwithstanding 
her  triumphant  spiritual  joy  in  the  Lamb. J 

The  144,000  appeared  to  the  Ap  istle  as  standing  on 
the  mount  Zioriy  or  in  the  true  Churchy  because  they  con- 
stituted tlie  persecuted  Church  in  the  rvildeniess  .-d  and, 
as  i  lie  folio  WW  s  of  the  beast  have  the  mark  and  name  of 

•  They  are  said  to  have  been  sealed  in  the  ."xpre  of  Constantine,  to  separnte 
them,  as.  I  liave  already  observed,  from  the  ni:iiiy  tliat  then  began  to  "  cieaye 
to  them  with  flatteries."     Dan  xi  34. 

t  Rev.  vii.  i  See  Bcv.  xiv.  12, 13.  %  Rev.  xi\.  6, 14, 


the  beast ;  so  have  tliese  the  seal  qf  God  impressed,*  anxi 
the  name  of  God  written,  on  iheir  torehf  ads.  They  alone 
are  able  to  learn  tl;e  rifw  song  of  the  heavenly  harpers, 
because  they  alone  are  the  woi  shippers  of  the  onetriieCod 
through  the  one  true  mediator  Jesus  Christ ;  the  adher- 
ents of  the  Jposfacy  oKcrm^^  up  their  de\otions  to  other 
objects,  and  through  other  mediators.  They  are  virgins, 
ui) defiled  with  vv(  men,  inasmuch  as  they  are  free  trom 
the  pollutions  of  idol.'.trj^;  wiiich  is  spiiitual  whoredom, 
and  adultery.  They  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he 
goeth,  resolutely  ..diiering  to  the  religion  of  Christ  in 
troublesome  times  as  well  as  in  prosperous  ones,  and  flee- 
ing into  sequestered  '/allies  and  wild  deserts  rather  than 
relinquish  their  profession  of  the  Gospel.  They  are  re- 
deemed from  among  men,  being  rescued  by  the  Almigh- 
ty power  of  divine  grace  from  the  corruptions  and  abom- 
inations of  Babylon  ;  and  they  are  consecrated  as  the  first 
fruits  of  Christianit}^  unto  God  and  the  Lamb,  an  earnest 
and  assurance  of  a  more  plentiful  harvest  first  at  the  era 
of  the  Reformation,  and  afterwards  at  the  yet  more  glo- 
rious era  of  the  Millennium.  In  their  mouth  was  found 
no  guile  :  inasmuch  as  they  handle  not  the  word  of  God 
deceitfully,  like  Popish  venders  of  indulgences,  and 
preachers  of  purgatorj^  human  merit,  and  idolatry ;  but 
faithfully,  and  simply,  declare  the  way  of  everlasting  life. 
And  they  are  without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God, 
having  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb ;  God  not  imputing  their  trespasses 
unto  them,  but  accounting  them  as  if  they  had  never 
sinned,  through  the  imputed  righteousness  of  Christ, 
who  was  made  sin  for  them,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him. 

By  these  144,000,  I  understand  [)eculiarly  the  depress- 
ed Church  in  the  wilderness  previous  to  the  time  of  the 
Reformatioyi  :  for  history  sufficiently  demonstrates,  that 
there  have  been  in  every  age  some  faithful  worshippers, 
who  consented  not  to  the  general  Apodacy-,  but  who 
prophesied,  although  in  sackcloth,  against  its  abomina- 
tions. These  however  went  on  their  way  in  compara- 
tive obecurity,  rejoicing  that  they  were  ae«outtteU  wer- 
«Rev.  Tit.  3i 


188 

thy  to  suffer  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  They 
make  no  very  prominent  figure  in  history,  nor  weret'iey 
ahle  to  sh-'ike  the  deep-rooted  authority  oi  the  vian  of  sin. 
Hence  they  are  represented  only  as  prophesying  in  sack- 
cloth, and  as  patiently  exulting  in  their  sufferings  on 
niouiit  Zion  in  the  piesence  of  tiie  Lamb.  We  must 
next  turn  our  eyes  to  those  more  etlicacious  and  decisive 
measures  which  forced  the  papal  tyrant  to  tremble  upon 
his  usurped  throne  for  his  now  disputed  authority.* 

"  And  I  saw  anotlveransjel  Wy  in  the  midst  of  heaven, 
having  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred, 
and  tongue,  and  people  Saying  witii  a  loud  voice.  Fear 
God,  and  give  glory  to  him,  for  tiie  hour  of  his  judgment 
is  come  :  and  worship  him  that  made  heaven  and  earth, 
and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  waters." 

The  appearance  of  the  aigcly  or  Christian  minister-,\ 
here  memioned,  is  sudden  and  unex})ected.  While  the 
14-4,000  are  humbly  singing  the  song  of  the  Lamb  in 
despised  obscurity,  this  servant  of  God  boldly  shews  him- 
scli  in  the  very  midst  of  the  sijm')olical heave n-,  a  conspi- 
cuous object  to  the  whole  world,  armed  only  with  the 
everlasting  Gospel;  which  he  0])enly  preaches  to  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth,  or  the  Roman  einjnrc-,  loudly 
calling  unto  all  jiations  to  icar  God  and  worship  him  only. 
■  This  striking  and  j^eculiar  type  will  be  found  precisely 
to  answer  in  ever}' particular  to  the  dawn  rj^  the  Ih for- 
mation. When  the  I4i.,000  had  long  rejoiced  in  their 
surierrngs,  and  had  long  separated  themselves  from  the 
communion  oi  the  man  of  sinyXix  order  that  they  might 
"•  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth  ;  when  a 
lefonnation  of  the  glaring  corruptions  of  Popery  was  lit- 
tle likely  to  originatf  in //'C  .vj/z/^/^v/ia//  heaven  either  t'c- 
cle^ia.stieal  or  aecular  ;  then  it  was  that  Luiher  fm^t  step- 
ped forward.  "  While  the  Roman  pontiff,"  says  the  his- 
torian Mosheim,  **  slumljcred  in  security  at  the  head  of 
the  Chuich,  and   saw  iiothing   throughout   the  vast  ex- 

»  See  Kp.  Newton's  Dissert  on  Uev  xiv.  In  tlie  exposition  of  the  first  part  of" 
this  <  liaj-iei,  1  luvc  ioiiowccl  his  Lordship  ;  in  Uiul  ol  ihe  SLCcetdin^j  verses  I 
;iii4  o.jh  ;ed  to  disbv;ut  tioai  liiin. 

t  Sec  Uev.  I.  20. 


189 

tent  of  his  dominion  but  tranquillity  and  submission; 
and  while  the  worthy  and  pious  professors  of  genuine 
Christianity  almost  despaired  of  seeing  that  Reformation, 
on  which  their  most  ardent  desires  and  expectations 
were  bent ;  an  obscure  and  inconsiderable  person  arose 
on  a  sudden,  in  the  year  loll,  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  long  expected  change,  by  opposing  with  undaunt- 
ed resolution  his  single  force  to  the  torrent  of  papal  ambi- 
tion and  despotism."* 

The  angel  is  repres;entecl  as  dearhig  the  everlasting 
Gospel — Accordingly  the  Gospel  was  the  only  instru- 
ment which  his  antitype  Luther  used  in  opposing  the 
fury  and  machinations  of  his  enemies,  and  iii  spreading 
the  light  of  the  Reformation.  After  the  appearance  of 
a  special  edict  oS.  Leo  the  tenths  in  which  he  commanded 
his  spiritual  subjects  to  acknowledge  his  power  of  deliv- 
ei'ing  from  all  the  punishments  due  to  sin  and  trans- 
gressions of  every  kind,  and  when  the  iniquitous  traffic 
of  indulgences  was  at  its  height ;  then  did  Luther  raise 
his  warning  voice,  and  call  upon  the  whole  earth  to  turn 
away  from  those  vanities  unto  one  God  and  one  media- 
tor between  God  and  man,  to  worship  him  only  who 
made  heaven  and  earth.  Not  content  however  with 
barely  maintaining  this  evangelical  tenet,  he  speedily 
turned  the  powerful  two-edged  sword  of  the  Gospel 
against  his  antagonists,  by  publishing  a  German  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible;  "  the  different  parts  of  which,"  says 
Mosheim,  "  being  successively  and  gradually  spread 
among  the  people,  produced  a  sudden  and  almost  in- 
credible effect,  and  extirpated,  root  and  branch,  the  er- 
roneous principles  and  superstitious  doctrines  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  from  the  minds  of  a  prodigious  number 
of  persons."  Thus  accurately  did  the  type  of  <tfz  angel 
bearing  the  Gospel  ansv/er  to  the  proceedings  of  the 
great  reformer  Luther :  and  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that 
the  Reformation  itself,  -which  he  \vas  one  main  cause  of 
introducing,  ai^d  which  was  in  reality  a  republication  of 
the  long-concealed  Gospel,  has  been  actually  so  termed 
in  a  history  of  its   progress  quoted  by  ^^losheim.j     The 

*  Eccles.  Hist  Cent.  16.  Sect.  1.  Chap.  ". 
t  Hist jvia  Evan^'^lii  reuovutl. 


190 

rapidity,  witli  which  it  afterwards  spread  *iiioiig  the  kin- 
dreds, tongues,  and  nations,  is  sulliciently  wt-U  known  ; 
and  i^s  proarpss  is  further  pointed  out  in  the  tupe  of  the 
two  angeis.  who  appeared  to  the  prophet  as  closely  fol- 
lowing thx'jir  t. 

The  nvgel  is  sect  to  fi  i  in  the  ni'dst  of  heaven — In  the 
lan^^uage  of  symliols,  heaven  siguihes  either  the  Church 
or  the  State,  according  as  it  is  taken  in  a  .spiritual  or  in  a 
se'ular  sense.  Now  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  in  both 
these  senses  the  type  accurately  corresponds  with  the 
history  of  Luther.  He  was  an  Augustine  monk  ;and,  at 
the  coniMiencernent  of  the  Rcfo'mation,  had  not,  like 
the  Walde.'ises  and  Hussites,  separated  himself  from  the 
Church  of  Rome.  On  the  contrarj^  he  rai.-ed  his  voice 
in  fheveif  midst  of  tht' ecclesiastical  hf^aven  ;  and,  at  the 
iirst,  was  by  no  means  inclined,  either  to  quit  the  com- 
munion, or  directly  oppose  the  authorit}^  oU/.eFope. 
Many  j^rior  attemi  t^  had  been  made  to  bring  about  a  re- 
formation ff oni  zv/hout  the  western  Church  :  but  the 
only  one,  which  proved  in  any  degree  successful,  was 
made  from  withinii.^  So  again,  if  the  heaven,  in  which 
the  angel  was  seen  to  fly,  be  understood  in  a  secnlar 
sense,  the  type  will  in  this  case  also  be  foi;nd  equally 
applicable  to  the  Saxon  reformer.  "  Contrary  to  the 
general  fate  of  the  preachers  of  new  tenets,  it  was  Lu- 
ther's lot  to  proclaim  his  doctrine  in  the  midst  of ///e/Zov^- 
7'alive  heavens,  bclore  the  emperor  and  the  princes  of 
the  empire,  assembled  in  open  diet.  Patronized  from  the 
first  by  princes,  the  Reformation  was  introduced  into  the 
countries  where  it  took  place  by  the  authority  of  the 
sovereigns  themselves  ;  n(^t  b}'  a  party  first  gained  among 
the  subjects,  too  powerful  lor  the  sovereign  to  resist."t 

"And  there  loliowed  another  angel,  saying,  Babylon 
is  fallen,  is  iallen,  that  great  cit}^  because  she  made  all 
nations  drink  ol  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication.'* 

\}y  {\\\?>  second  angel  \  conce\\e  Calvin  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  diilorent   reforraedj  continental  churches  to 

*  I  mean  not  to  say,  that  ;)o  prior  attempts  had  been  made  from  within  it* 
tlul  tliat  none  hud  been  made  Mircesslidly. 

f  Whilaker's  Comment   p.  432. 

*  I  use  the  void  reformed  as  i»  is  lamiliaily  used  in  contradistinction  to  Zit- 


m 

be  peculiarly  intended.  The  preaching  of  Luther,  hos* 
tile  as  it  eventually  proved  to  papal  tyr.infi}^  was  not 
originally  so  direct  and  undisguised  an  attack  upon  it  as 
that  of  the  second  ans^el.  Strongly  under  the  influoace 
of  habits  formed  by  a  monastic  education,  he  long  hesi- 
tated entirely  to  throw  of  the  yoke.  When  the  open 
declaration  of  his  opinions  had  raised  him  many  enemies, 
though  he  firmly  refused  to  recant  without  conviction, 
yet  he  addressed  himself  by  letters,  written  in  the  most 
submissive  and  respectful  terras,  to  the  Roman  Pontiff 
and  to  several  of  the  bishops,  shewi-ig  them  the  upright- 
ness of  his  intentions,  as  well  as  the  justice  of  his  cause, 
and  declaring  his  readiness  to  change  his  sentiments  as 
soon  as  he  should  see  them  fairly  proved  to  be  eironeous ." 
HJs  own  account  of  the  state  of  his  mind  during  this 
period  will  bpst  shew  with  what  extreme  difliculty  it  ex^ 
tricated  itself  from  the  trammels  of  blind  obedience  to 
the  see  of  Rome.  "  1  found  myself,"  says  he,  "  involv- 
ed in  the  controversy  of  indulgences  alone,  and  as  it 
were  by  surprise.  And,  when  it  became  impossible  for 
me  to  retreat,  I  made  many  concessions  to  the  Pope ; 
not  however  in  many  important  points;  but  certainly, 
at  that  time,  I  adored  him  in  earnest.  In  fact  h')w  des- 
pised and  wretched  a  monk  was  I  then!  Whereas,,  in 
regard  to  the  Pope,  how  great  was  his  majesty  !  The  po- 
tentates of  the  earth  dreaded  his  nod.  How  distressed 
my  heart  was  in  that  year,  (151?)  and  the  following; 
how  subraissi*'e  ray  mind  was  to  the  hierarchy,  not  feign- 
edly  but  really  !  Nay,  how  I  was  almost  driven  to  des- 
pair through  the  agitations  of  care,  and  fear,  and  doubt, 
those  secure  spirits  little  know,  who  at  this  day  insult  the 
majesty  o'i  the  Pope  \w\ih  much  pride  and  arrogance! 
But  I,  who  then  alone  sustained  the  danger,  v/as  not  so 
certain,  not  so  confident.  I  was  ignorant  of  many  things, 
which  now  by  the  grace  of  God  I  understand,  I  dis- 
puted, and  I  was  open  to  conviction.  Not  finding  satis- 
faction in  the  books  of  theologians  and  canonists,  I  wish- 
ed to  consult  the  living  members  of  the  Church  itscli'. 
There  were  indeed  some  godly  souls,  who  entirely  ap- 
proved my  propositions;  but  1  did  not  consider  theiV  au- 
thority as  of  weight  with  me  in  spiritual  concerns.     The 


,  192 

popa,  card'nah,  bishops,  and  monks,  wave  the  ohjects  of 
my  confidence.  At  length,  after  I  became  en<ab!ed  to 
answer  eveiy  objection  tliat  could  be  brought  against  me 
from  the  Scriptures,  one  diOiculty  still  remained,  and 
onl}'^  one ;  namely,  that  the  Chinxh  ought  to  be  obeyed.^ 
By  the  grrice  of  Christ,  I  at  last  overcame  this  difliculty 
also."t  Such  was  the  conflict  which  took  place  in  the 
mind  of  Luther.  But  Calvin  and  the  succeeding  reform- 
ers treated  the  Church  of  Roine  with  an  indignant  rough- 
ness from  the  very  beginning.  Adopting  the  language 
of  the  Vv'aldenses,  who  had  avowedly  separated  them- 
selves from  her  communion  in  obedience  to  the  prophetic 
exhort ation,4:  they  scrupled  not  to  apply  to  her  the  name 
of  BabyloUy  and  to  denounce  against  her  in  the  words  of 
the  Apocalypse  the  future  dreadful  judgments  of  God. 
"  By  the  same  figure  of  speech,  that  thejlrst  iwgel  cried, 
that  the  hour  of  Ivs judgment  is  corner  this  second  angel 
proclaims  that  Babylon  s  fallen.  The  sentence  is  as 
certain,  as  if  it  were  already  executed  :"^  whence,  after 
the  manner  of  the  ancient  prophets,  the  present  tense  is 
used  instead  of  the  future.||  By  the  light  of  Scripture, 
the  daring  usurpations,  the  rank  idolatry,  and  the  blas- 
phemous pretensions  of  the  Papacy,  were  detected  and 
exposed.  That  undefinable  dread  of  its  heavenly  au- 
thority, which  at  first  so  strongly  influenced  the  mind 
of  Luther,  was  unknown  and  unfelt  by  subsequent  preach- 
ers: and,  in  the  height  of  their  zeal,  even  exceeding  their 
warrant,  while  they  justly  branded  Rome  with  the  name 
of  Babylon,  the}^  prematurely  stigmatized  the  Pope  with 
that  of  Antichrtst. 

"  And  the  third  angel  followed  them,  saying  with  a 
loud  voice.  If  any  man  worship  the  beast  and  his  image, 
and  receive  his  mark  in  his  forehead,  or  in  his  hand,  the 
same  shall  drink  of  the  wine  of  God,  which  is  poured  out 
without  mixture  into  the  cup  of  his  indignation ;  and  he 

•  "  I  saw  anotlier  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven." 
-(•  Cited  by  Milner.     Eccles.  Hist.  Vol.  iv.  p.  331. 
:j  "  Come  oui  oi"  her,  my  iJ-.'ople,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and 
that  ye  receive  not  other  plapues."     Rev.  xvii.  4. 

§  1{)).  Newton's  Dissert  on  Rev.  xiv. 
II  •*  Babylon  is  fallen,  is  fallen."    Isaiah  xii.  ii.    See  Up.  Newton's  Dissert- 
on  Uev.  xiv. 


19 


Q 


shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  holy  angels,  and  in  the  j.resence  of  the  Lamb! 
And  the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascendeth  up  for  ever 
and  ever,  and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor  night,  who  v.or- 
ship  the  beast  and  his  image,  and  whosoever  receiveth 
the  mark  of  his  name. 

As  thf'Jirst-And  second  an g:  Is  represen'e'  the  Lutheran 
and  Calvin'v.tic  ehurches  oithr  cQu^iueiit,  so  I  apptehend 
the  third  angel  typifies  the  insular  church  of  England ; 
which  is  not  professedly  in  ail  points  eitjier  Lvtheran  or 
CahinistiCy  and  which  has  justly  merited  and  obtained 
the  glorious  title  of  the  buhcark  of  the  Reformation:^' 
The  description,  wdiich  is  given  of  the  office  of  the  third 
angel,  accurately  corresponds  witli  the  part  which  the 
Anglican  church  has  taken  in  the  contest  with  the  ad- 
herents of  Fopery.  For  more  than  a  century  after  the 
Reformation  the  v/ritings  of  the  English  divines  contin- 
ued to  denounce  the  vengeance  of  heaven  against  those 
who  still  partook  of  the  abominations  of  the  apostate  Ho- 
man  beast  after  all  the  warnings  which  they  had  receiv- 
ed; and  the  ablest  expositors  of  those  prophecies,  which 
relate  to  the  corrupt  tyranny  of  the  mystic  Babylon,  have 
been  children  or  fathers  of  our  national  Church.  Of 
these  it  will  be  sufficient  to  mention  the  illustrious  name 
of  Mede;  who,  by  his  successful  application  of  many  of 
the  predictions  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  to  Popery,  loudly 
called  upon  the  whole  world  to  come  out  of  the  harlot 
c7Vj/,  lest  they  should  "drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath 
of  God." 

"  Here  is  the  patience  of  the  saints  :  here  are  they, 
that  keep  the  commandments  of  God  and  the  faith  of 
Jesus.  And  1  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto 
me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth;  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  tjjat  they  may 
rest  from  their  labours,  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

*  The  pres/>i'teral  and  Calvinistic  chnreh  of  Scotland  must  be  considered  is  a 
ineinber  oi  tlie  second  ungel,  inasmuch  as,  although  insular  herself,  she  has  de- 
rived both  her  discipline  and  doctrine  from  the  reformed  churches  of  the  con« 
tihent  :  while  the  venerable,  though  depressed,  episcopal  church  of  Scotland, 
may  be  esteemed,  in  a  similar  manner,  a  member  oithc  third  angel,  beir.g  the 
same  both  m  doctrine  and  discipline  as  the  church  of  England,  though,  so  far 
as  her  present  line  of  episcopal  succession  n  conrp.vnfd/of  lat-er  o"j^if}.  See 
.^kinner's  Eccles.  Hist,  of  ScottaTi^. 
VOL.  H.  25 


Gloriously  successful  as  the  Reformation  ev'entualiy 
was,  the  ptieuce  oi  the  sa'uits  was  severely  exercised 
during  its  ])rogress.  It  was  a  season  of  great  trial  and 
persecution  :  and  many  of  them  of  under stcDuting  perish- 
ed in  trying,  and  in  purging,  and  in  making  white,  their 
apostate  brethren.*  Great  was  the  increase  which  the 
noble  army  oi*  the  martyrs  then  received.  They  over- 
came yie  dragon,  not  by  the  arm  of  flesh,  but  "  by  the^ 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  testimony ; 
and  they  loved  not  their  lives  unto  death. "t  Hence  they 
bad  need  of  that  consolatory  declaration,  "  Blessed  are 
the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth."  By  their 
preaching,  the  gloomy  fears  of  purgatory  were  disj)clled; 
and  tlie  pious  learned  to  build  with  confidence  upon  the 
assurance  of  the  Spirit,  that,  whenever  they  ilepart  hence 
and  are  no  more  seen,  "the}'-  rest  from  their  labours,  and 
their  works  do  follow  them.":j; 

"  And  I  looked,  and  behold,  a  white  cloud  ;  and  upon 
the  cloud  one  sat,  like  unto  'he  Son  of  man,  having  on 
Jh'^  head  a  golden  crown,  and  in  his  hand  a  sharp  siclde. 
And  another  angel  came  out  of  the  temple,  crying  with 
a  loud  voice  to  him  that  sat  on  the  cloud.  Thrust  in  thy 
sickle  and  reap  ;  for  the  harvest  of  the  earth  is  rij)e.  A nd 
be,  that  sat  on  the  cloud,  thrust  in  his  sickle  on  the  earth  : 
and  the  earth  was  reaped. 

"  And  another  angel  came  out  of  the  temple  which  is 
in  heaven,  he  also  having  a  sharp  sickle.  And  another 
angel  came  out  from  the  altar,  which  had  power  over  iire ; 
and  cried  with  a  loud  cry  to  him  that  had  the  sharp  sickle, 
sayings,  Thrust  in  thy  sharp  sickle,  and  gather  the  clusters 
of  the  vine  of  the  earth  ;  for  her  grapes  are  fully  ripe. 
And  the  anjjel  thrust  in  his   sickle  into  the  earth,  and 

•  •      •  1 

gathered  the  vine  of  the  earth,  and  cast  it  mto  the  great 
winepress  of  the  wrath  of  God.  And  the  winepress  was 
trodden  without  the  city ;  and  blood  came  out  of  the 
winepress  even  unto  the  horse  bridles,  by  the  space  of 
a  thousand  and  six  hundred  furlongs."' 

•  Dan.  x!  35.  +  IJcv.  xii.  11 

t  For  the  Rubstaiice  of  these  remarks  upon  the  cliaractcrs  of //»*  three  an^ch, 
I  am  indebteJ  to  Mr.  Whitaker;  whose  nioJe  of  interpreliiijj  this  particular 
portion  of  the  Apocalvpse  I  very  much  prefer  to  that  adopted  by  Bp.  Nev,*tor 
Sec  WliU&ker's  (Jomnient.  p.  43U— 436, 


195 

Having  passed  the  epocli  of  the  Reformation,  we  now 
advance  into  the  times   of  God's  last  judgments  upon  his 
enemies,  the  days  of  the  third  woe-trumpet.      Two  re- 
snarkable  periods  oi  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  judg- 
ments, the  several  steps  of  the  whole  of  which  are  after- 
%vards  described  under  the  seven  vials,  are  here  arrancred 
und-  r  ^wo  grand  diviswns,  figurativfely  styled  the  harvest 
and  ihevi  tage.     In  the  days  of  Bp.  Newton,  the  third 
wre-truvipet  had  not  begun  to  sound  ;  none  therefore  of 
tht  vials  were  then    poured  out.     Hence  his  Lordship 
justly  observed,   "  What  particular  events  are  signified  by- 
th.'s  harvest  and  vintage,  it  appears  impossible  for  any 
man  to  determine  ;  time  alone  can  with  certainty  discov- 
er, for  these  things  are  yet  in  futurity.     Only  it  may  b6 
observed,  that  these  txvo  signal  judgments  will  as  certain- 
ly come  as  harvest  and  vintage  succeed  in  their  season  ? 
and   in  the  course  of  providence,  the  one  will  precede 
the  other,  as,  in  the  course  of  nature,  the  harvest '\%  before 
the  vintage;  and  ///^ /^^/^r  will  greatly  surpass  the  form- 
er,  and  be  attended  with  a  more  terrible  destruction  o£ 
Ood's  enemies."*     But,  although  both  these  signaljudg^ 
Quents  were  future  when  Bp.  Newton  wrote,  it  has  bee* 
our  lot  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  third  woe,  and  to  behold 
in  the  French  Revolution  the  dreadful  scenes  of  the  har- 
'vest.     Still  however  a  more   dreadful  prospect   extend* 
before  us.     The  days  of  the  vintage  are  yet  future  :  for 
the  time  hatli  not  yet  arrived,  when  the  great  controver- 
sy of  God  with  the  nations  shall  be  carried   on  between 
the  txvo  seas,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  glorious  holy 
mountain,  in  the  blood-stained  vale  of  Megiddo,  in   thft 
land  whose  space  extends  a  thousand  and  six  hundred 
jurlongs.-\ 

•  Dissert,  on  Rev.  xiv. 
TxtL.  V  'o»^<^o"S'aeration  of  tiie  subject,  I  rest  in  the  opinion  of  Medey 
denoter'.  r'"'T'  ^J^'^/'-'^g^'  -"'l/engelius.  that  the  aplcal.puc  karvesc 
tZJ:  "/'f  ^"''  "°t  ofmaxy,  but  of^u.-rath.  Mr.  Mede,  who  has  el;iborately 
^l\TT^^  discussed  the  point,  observes,  that  tlie  idea  of  a  harvest  \ncUaIn 
i  »ee    /u,,^,  ..  uie  veapuig  of  the  corn,  thegatliering  of  it  m,  and  the  threshing  of 

Whe  tUe  reaping -Md  t/ie  threslnn^^  are  considered  ;  of  rcmtution  ami  salvjtion 
Wlicn//iem-i.a.'Am«^isconsKlcred.  (Comment.  Apoc.  in  Me.^ssm.)  Now 
th!,''^"/  ";  T.  "Z"'"''^/"''--  /'«'-^^**  seems  to  me  n.ost  definift  ly  to  teach  us, 
tnat  «  harvest  of  judgment  is  intended.  Throufrhout  the  wh:.le  book  of  Ue- 
Ser;/.r''l'  ;;^^.^^'='^P^^°"  "f-  ^'-Z  I^='^^^S<  s  wUich  sufficiently  e;.pLVm  them- 
-ftPl>es,M5  cmh  u  used  .is  a  symbol  of  rAe  Monian  entire  ^agan  and  papn^ 


196 

Buch  are  the  contrnts  of  the  little  book.  Its  several 
chapters,  running  parallel  to  each  other  in  point  of  time, 
jointly  furnish  a  complete  I'.ropheiic  historxf  of  the  1  Vest- 
cm  Aposlacii  (luring  the  whole  period  of  the  ViQO  yearSi 
under  ail  the  ihr^ee  ivoe-tnimpcis.  It  principally  howev* 
er  exhibits  the  corrvptions  of  Poperjf  under  the  twr>Jirst 
•a-ne-trinnpets  :  the  third  is  but  briefly  touched  upon,  and 
that  only  to  prevent  a  break  in  the  period  of  \Q>QO years. 

Fpon  thi^  canh  all  the  xials  of  Gotl's  wrath  are  poured  out,  whatever  subse- 
quent tlistinction  may  be  made  in  their  eflusion.  (Rev.  xvi.  1.)  It  is  the  vine 
of  this  eartli  that  is  to  be  p^athererl,  when  her  grapes  are  fully  ripe  ;  and  it  is 
the  ripe  harvest  of  this  silf-savie  earth  that  is  to  be  reaped,  when  the  time  for 
reaping  is  come.  Here  we  may  note,  tiiat  it  is  not,  as  in  our  Lord's  parable 
(Matt,  xiii  24,  38),  said  \.ohe  the  harvest  of  afeld,'v:\\\c\\  is  afterwards  for- 
jTially  exi)lained  to  mean  the  ivhole  'world :  but,  as  the  sickle  is  thrust  into  the 
earth  to  gather  the  viiic  nf  the  earth,  so  is  tlie  sickle  likewise  tlu'ust  into  the 
ea'th  to  ri  ip  the  harvest  of  the  earth.  If  then  the  earth  mean  tlic  Roman  empire 
in  the  case  of  the  vintage,  which  cannot  reasonably  be  doubted,  since  those 
th:it -dve  cist -.utn  the  winepress  are  t/ie  Iioma7i  beast,  the  false  prophet,  and  the 
kings  of  thai  same  earth,  and  since  (according  to  tlie  acknowledged  principles 
of  syml)olical  imagery)  the  vine  of  the  earth  must  denote  the  corrupt  church  of 
the  mifstic  Babylon,  whose  abominations, — whose  ripe  clusters  of  iniquity, — will 
eventually  occasion  the  ruin  of  its  supporter  the  secular  beast  (Dan.  vii.  11.)  ; 
if,  1  say,  the  earth  mean  the  lionuin  empire  in  the  case  of  the  vintage,  must  we 
not  conclude  from  the  almost  studied  similarity  of  phraseology  used  by  the 
prophet,  thatf/ie  earth  means  likewise  the  l{oma7i  empire  in  the  case  oi'  t/ie  har- 
vest ?  And,  if  this  be  allowed,  what  idea  can  we  ainiex  to  the  re  iping  of  the 
Jiarvest  of  the  corrupt  lioinan  empiie,  wJiich,  like  the  grape t  of  that  same  em- 
pire, is  declared  to  be  ripe,  except  that  of  some  tremendous  Jud^tncnt  that 
sliould  precede  the  vintao-e,  and  more  or  less  affect  tlie  -whole  empire  ?  In  sucli 
an  opinion  also  I  am  tlie  more  confirmed  liy  finding,  tliat  a  judgment  about  to 
befall  Babylon,  the  constant  apocalyptic  type  of  the  Roman  church  and  empire, 
is  by  Jeremiah  expressly  termed  a  harvest.  (See  Jcrem.  li.  33.)  This  diftir- 
ence  indeed  tin  re  is  between  the  two  prophets,  that  Jeremiah  dwells  upon 
the  third  part  of  the  tiarx'est,  the  threshing  ,-  while  St.  John  selects  the  imagery 
of  the  first  part,  the  reaping  :  yet  1  cannot  but  think,  that  the  context  of  both 
passages  sufficiently  sheyvs,  that  a  harvest  of  judgment,  not  of  mercy,  is  intend- 
ed. Tht  apocalyptic  harvest,  by  being  confined  to  the  earth  or  tue  Roman  em- 
fire,  cannot  denote  either  the  general  ingathering  of  Judah  and  Israel,  or  the 
universal  vifitx  of  the  gentiles  to  the  millennian  chuch  ;  and  since,  like  the  rnn- 
tag- ,  it  is  exclusively  c<<nfined  to  the  i  lolatrous  and  persecuting  Roman  empire, 
since  in  both  cases  the  sickle  is  equally  tluust  into  this  empire ;  i  feel  mysi  If 
conipi'ilid  to  conclude,  that,  like //le 'iii'n/w^e,  it  denotes  some  signal  judgment. 
This  7Mf/^e/it  I  suppose  to  be  the  first  part  nf  the  third  ii-oe  ;  a  -a-o',  which 
must  be  t-xpected  to  mark  a  Jieriod  in  history  no  less  striking  than  tlie  suc- 
cessive founding  oi  the  Saracenic  and  Turlinh  empires  ;  a  tene,  which  is  uslie  ed 
in  by  an  event  no  less  singular  than  definite,  the  fall  of  a  tenth  pan  oj  the 
great  Roman  city,  or  of  one  of  the  ten  o'igin^il  tiuihico-Romijn  mnnn  -chies  by  an 
rart/iquake.  This _;uJ5'-mt;i/  in  short  I  suppose  to  be  fie  horrors  of  the  second 
French  re-vnlution,  and  its  immcaiate  consei^ucnces,  comnM  nc\nf;  on  the  \2th  of 
^Ougust,  179.1,  and  ushered  in  by  the  fUi  ^J  the  vxonnrchy  botli  arbitrary  anti 
Jiiiuted  which  at  tiiattimc  was  the  only  oni-  tliat  remained  of  llie  ten  original 
kingdoms  :  a  revolution,  which  in  th  ,se  consequei.ces,  or  (to  adopt  the  [>•  oplKtic 
phrast  ology)  duri  ig  the  reaping  of  the  luii-vest  of  the  earth,  has  been  felt  to  tha 
remotest  purta  of  the  Rvman  emfire. 


197 

As  the  little  book  comprehends  the  whole  of  thu  period, 
a  point  which  itself  re()eate(lly  insists  i'.i^)on,'^  it  was  ne- 
cessavv  to  notice  the  sounding  of  the  third  woe-trnmpet ; 
wliich,  like  its  two  fellows,  is  included  in  the  V2^0  years.\ 
The  prophet  therefore  does  notice  it,  briefly  informing 
us  that  it  should  be  immediately  preceded,  and  as  it  were 
introduced,  by  «  ^reat  earthquake  which  should  occasion 
the  fell  of  a  tenth  part  of  the  Latin  city  ;  and  that  it  should 
principally  consist  of  tzvo  tremendous  manifestatio-ns  of 
God's  wrath,  two  sea.^ons  of  pecuhar  misery,  the  harvest 
and  the  vintage.  A  more  particular  account  of  these 
matters  he  reserves  for  future  consideration  under  the 
pouring  out  of  the  seven  vitds  :  and  the  account  itself  he 
places,  not  in  the  little  book,  but  in  the  larger  book  of 
the  Apocalypse,  inasmuch  as  it  concerns  not  merely  the 
wesfenii  but  likewise  the  eastern  Apostacy-,  and  affects  in- 
deed more  or  less  even  the  whole  world.  The  I5th  chap- 
ter of  the  Revelation  therefore  must  be  considered  as 
chronologically  succeeding  the  9thj  the  intermediate 
chapters  being  a  parenthetical  history  of  the  fVest,  and 
constituting  what  St.  John  terms  a  little  book  together 
with  an  inirodiiction  to  it.  In  the  9th  chapter-,  we  have 
an  account  of  the  two  first  ivoes  in  the  East :  mthe  \5th, 
the  prophet  begins  to  describe  the  effects  of  the  last  woe. 
Hence  it  is  manifest,  that  the  intermediate  space  must 
necessarily  be  occupied  by  the  little  book  and  its  iiitro- 
dnction.  Let  us  now  attend  the  prophet  in  his  account 
of  the  effusion  of  the  vials,  which  are  all  comprehended 
under  the  third  woe,  and  which  must  be  divided  into 
three  classes:  the  vials  of  the  harvest,  the  intermediate 
mats,  and  the  vial  of  the  vintage. 

*  See  Rpv.  xi.  2,  S.  xii.  6,  14.  xiil.  S. 
+  At  least  so  far  includf>fl,  t^iat  six  out  of  its  seven  vials  are  comprehended 
Avithin  r/ie  rj60^e«rs.  The  last  vial,  or  th-jit  •which  contains  Me  season  of  the 
"jiivnge,  seemb  lu  be  poured  out  as  soon  as  ihe  1'260  years  expire  ;  and  it  coin- 
cide, with  what  Daniel  calls  the  time  of  the  end,  or  the  period  of  God's  great  con- 
troversy  -with  the  nations. 


CHAPTER  XT. 

'^oncerrinsr  the  effects  of  the  last  zvoe-  Iruml^ei,  f/iepmmng, 
out  of  the  saen  vialsy  and  the  reslomtiov  of  i  e  ^ovs.  ' 

THE  propliet,  having  separately  detailed  the  ef- 
fects of  /he  two  firit  woe-trumpets  in  the  East  and  in  the 
West,  and  liaving  briefly  touched  upon  the  sounding  of 
the  third,  now  proceeds  to  give  us  a  more  full  account 
of  the  miseries  which  it  should  produce  For  this  pur- 
pose he  divides  it  into  seven  pet^iods,  wh'ch  he  distin- 
guishes by  the  pouring  out  of  seven  vials  ;  and,  to  shew 
us  that  they  are  all  comprehended  under  the  last  woe- 
irinnpet,  the  commencement  of  the  blast  of  which  lie  had 
alreafly  announced,  he  styles  them  the  seven  last  plagues. 
They  are  in  fact  the  same,  I  apprehend,  as  the  seven  tuunr 
ilers,  the  roll  of  which  St.  John  heard,  when  he  had  fin- 
ished his  account  of  the  second  woe-trumpet  as  afflicting 
ihe  East.  Conceiving  rightly  that  in  point  of  time  they 
were  the  next  in  order  to  tlie  events  which  he  had  last 
detailed,  he  seems  to  have  supposed  that  they  were  imrne- 
dlateh}^^  to  succeed  them,  and  therefore  prepared  himself 
to  write  their  history  :  but  the  great  angel,  having  yet  to 
reveal  to  him  the  contemporaiy  effects  of  the  two  Jirst 
woe-trvmpets  in  the  West,  and  to  bring  down  the  second 
woe-trwnpet  to  its  complete  termination,  commanded 
him  to  *'  seal  them  up  and  to  write  them  not  ;"  swear- 
ing solemnly  by  the  Almighty,  that  "  their  time  was  not 
3^et,  but  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel.'* 
Those  days  are  now  come.  We  have  seen,  thRt  the  ,^  rcat 
ear!.hqu(  ke  at  the  close  of  the  second  woe  is  the  FrenJi 
Tevolution\v[  the  year  1789:  and  we  have  likewise  seen, 
that  the  third  rvce  came  quickly  after  in  the  year  I7J'3, 
when  the  reign  of  Gallic  liberty  and  equality  commenc- 
ed, llien  it  was,  that  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  or 
the  third  wne-anq-el,  began  to  be  heard:  consequently 

*  The  9th  cliapter  of  the  lievelalion  terminates  in  the  rear  1672  witli  the 
siege  (if  Can. eiiiec  ;  n,imel\  at  tlic  end  oC //le  Aow,  the  day,  ifie  moi^tli,  and  the 
ytur,  for  which  the  Turkish  horsriiun  liad  been  prepart-d  ;  wlicn-as  tlie  second 
Wiioe  d.<c.s  not  lei  niinale  till  iheytar  IZtJD ;  and  the  third  tyoe,  wtucli comprehends 
*hs  seven  vails,  does  not  begin  to  sound  till  the  ijcar  ir^i'. 


199 

we  may  then  expect,  that  ^/;^  seven  thundejs  would  be^ 
gin  to  roar,  and  that  tht  seven  vialSy  full  of  the  last  plaguesr 
of  an  offended  God,  would  begin  to  be  poured  out.* 
•  The  history  of  the  two  Jirst  woe-tr limpets  is  given  in  a 
two-fold  order,  as  affecting  equally  both  the  East  and  the. 
If'e^t :  but  the  history  of  the  third  is  given  only  in  a  sii> 
gle  order,  inasmuch  as  some  of  its  vials  are  poured  upon, 
the  one  branch  of  the  Roman  empire,  and  others  upon  the. 
ether  branch;  alloi  {\\?m  not  equally  extending  to  the 
whole  empire^  as  was  the  case  with  ike  first  and  second, 
woe-trumpets.  It  may  likewise  be  observed,  that  th© 
contents  of  one  vial  are  not  represented  as  hemgfull^ 
poured  out  before  another  begins  to  be  emptied;  though 
it  is  evident,  that  they  commence  in  regular  chronological 
succession.  In  this  respect  there  is  a  striking  difference 
between  the  "ciah  and  the  woe-trumpets.  We  are  expli- 
citly informed  by  the  prophet,  that  tiie  blast  of  the  first 
woe-tr>f7?ipet  entirely  ceases  before  the  second  begins  to 
sound  ;  and  that  of  the  second,  in  a  similar  maimer,  before 
the  third  begins  to  sound  :tbut  it  is  no  where  said,  that 
each  vial  is  emptied,  before  its  successor  begins  to  h& 
poured  out.     Hence  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  conclude, 

*  Mr.  Whitaker  singularly  fancies,  XhsX  the  last  ivoe-tnnnpet,  or  the  srvemh 
trumpet,  is  the  same  its  the  last  trump  at  the  day  of  judgyjisnt  mentioned  !\  St. 
Paul.  I  have  not  met  with  any  commentator  who  agrees  with  him  in  this  opin- 
ion, except  the  Jesuit  Cornehus  a  Lapide.  .\s  for  the  vinls,  he  supposes  many 
of  them  to  have  been  long  since  poured  out :  and  maintains  that  they  will  ali 
fee  poiJi-ed  out  before  the  sounding  oi  the  lust  woe,  "  after  which  he  lias  never 
been  taught  to  look  for  any  thing  but  the  resurrection  and  its  awful  conse" 
quer.ces."  Thus  he  plainly  makes  the  seven  laat  p:.agues  precede  the  last  wee  ^ 
and  teaches  us  that  the  last  oftha  three  luoes,  whereof  f/;e  txco  first  are  the  woes 
of  f/ze  Saracens  and  the  Turks,  is  the  making  all  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ.  This  1  have  ever  been  accustomed  to 
consider  as  a  blessing  lather  Uian  a  tvce  :  whence  I  have  been  induced  to  pre- 
fer the  opinion  of  Mr.  Mede,  Bp.  Newton,  and  Sir  Isaac  Newion,  to  that  of  Mr; 
Whitaker  and  Cornelius  a  Lapide  ;  namely,  that  the  ivoeful  part  of  the  sevrnt/i 
trumpet  precedes  its  joi/fd part,  and  that  it  will  bring  much  misery  upon  tiie 
earth  ere  the  nations  are  converted  to  Christianity  and  brought  into  the  pale 
of  the  Millennian  Church.  Since  moreover  the  seventh  trumpet  is  represented 
as  the  last  -woe,  and  since  the  seven  vials  are  said  to  be  the  Inst  plagues,  I  con- 
clude with  Bp.  Newton  that  they  must  synchronize  :  otherwise  there  will  be 
?W5 /a*<  displays  of  God's  wrath.  Mr  Whitaker  says,  thai  the  seven  vials  are 
denominated  the  last  plagues,  because  in  them  is  filled  up  the  wrath  of  Cod  % 
and  thinks,  that  we  ought  to  be  cautious  of  considering  them  as  termed  last- 
merely  in  pnnt  of  time.  Bp.  Newton,  on  the  contrary,  argues,  that  they  musi 
be  las;  in  point  of  time  ,■  because  thi.  wrath  of  CJod  would  7iot  be  filled  up  in 
•thera,  if  there  were  others  beside  them.  See  Mr.  Whitaker's  Letter  te  Dr, 
O^ilyie,  j».  3^— <;omment.  p.  44  j — Bp.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Rev  x^ 
t  Se§  Hey.  is,  12,1-3.  iwl  xi.  li.  15, 


900 

•■••••••••rr 

that  fwo  or  more  of  the  vials  may  be  pouring  out  at  the 
same  time,  though  the  einision  of  one  commenced  before 
that  of  another. 

Besides  the  division  of  the  third  woe-iricmpet  into  the 
se'ven  vials,  it  is  represented  as  comprehending  likewise 
two  grand  periods  of  peculiar  distress,  figuratively  term- 
ed by  St.  John  the  harvest  and  the  vintage.  The  harvest 
occupies,  I  conceive,  the  beginning  of  the  third  woe-trum- 
peti  or  the  earlier  part  of  the  last  days  of  atheistical  infi- 
delity. It  symbolizes  the  miseries  inflicted  upon  man- 
kind by  the  tyranny  of  Antichrist,  and  synchronizes  with 
the  first  half  of  Daniel's  account  oi"  the  liing  who  magni- 
Jied  himself  above  every  god.*  This  period  comprehends 
the  threefirst  vials.  The  vintage,  on  the  other  hand,  oc- 
cupies the  termination  of  the  thi"d  zvoe-trumpct,  or  the 
time  of  the  e?id.  It  relates  to  the  great  controversy  of  God 
with  the  nations,  and  the  entire  overthrow  of  Popery  and 
Ivjidelity.  This  period  synchronizes  with  the  second  half 
of  Daniel's  account  of  the  atheisticalking  ;\  and  is  com- 
prehended under  the  seventh  vial,  the  vial,  as  it  may  be 
termed,  of  consummation.  The  fourth,  jifthy  and  sixth, 
vials  are  poured  out  in  the  intermediate  space  between  the 
vials  of  the  harvest  and  the  vial  of  the  vintage  ;  and  the 
/«5/^  of  these  three  may  be  considered  as  preparing  the 
way  for  the  final  manifestation  of  God's  wrath.  Thus  it 
appears,  that,  agreeably  to  the  analogy  of  the  natural 
harvest  andvintoge,  some  time  will  intervene  between  the 
figurative  harvest  and  vintage ;  that  this  time  will  be 
marked  by  the  pouring  out,  at  certain  indefinite  periods, 
of  the  fourth,  the  fifth,  and  tJie  sixth,  vials :  and  that  at 
length,  when  the  mystery  of  God  is  about  to  be  accom- 
plished, when  the  waters  of  the  Euphrates  are  completely 
dried  up,  when  a  way  has  been  prepared  for  tlie  kings  of 
the  East,  and  when  the  great  confederacy  has  begun  to 
be  put  in  motion  by  the  secret  agency  of  the  three  un- 
clean spirits,  the  last  tremendous  vial  of  the  vintage  will 
be  poured  out  at  the  close  of  the  IQ.GO years. 

Subsequent  to  his  account  of  the  seven  vials,  St.  John 
gives  us  a  more  enlarged  pro[)hetic  history  of  the  vintage, 
prefacing  it  with  a  description  of  the  scarlet  whore  pre- 

•  DaXi.  xl  36— S9.  ^  Dan.  x*.  40—45.  lii.  1. 


^01 

Xfious  to  her  being  overtaken  by  the  judQjments  of  God 
^he  events,  which  he  particularizes,  are  the  ovtrthrow  of 
Babijlon,  the  bottle  of  the  kings  if  the  ecrth,  and  ike  idier 
destruction  of  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet.  Ail  these 
events  are  to  be  comprehended  under  the  last  "viaU  as  is 
manifest  from  this  consideration.  The  seven  vials  are 
expressly  said  to  he  the  last  plagues :  but,  if  the  events 
in  question  be  not  comprehended  undar  some  one  of 
them,  ff^^  z,)?«/^  certainly  are  noi  the  last  plagues  ;  be- 
cause, in  that  case,  they  wdl  be  prior  to  those  events  : 
whence  I  conclude,  tha-  the  events  must  necessarily  be 
comprehended  under  some  one  of  them.  But,  since  the 
events  are  described  as  terminating  the  present  order  of 
things  previous  to  the  Millennium,  and  since  the  last 
vial  of  the  last  trumpet  of  the  last  senl  cannot  but  be 
considered  as  the  vial  of  consununation,  the  events  must 
unavoidably  belong  to  the  list  vial. 

These   preliminary  observations  being  made,  I  shall 
proceed  to  a  particular  consideration  of  each  distinct  viaL 

SECTION  I. 

Concerning  the  vials  of  the  harvest. 

The  two  frst  woe-trumpets  described  the  rise  of  the 
two- fold  Apostacyy  Papal  and  Mohammedan,  and  the  plen- 
itude of  power  to  which  it  speedily  attained  :  the  third 
introduces  the  reign  of  Antichrist ;  and,  after  having  fore- 
told under  the  vials  of  the  harvest  the  miseries  with 
which  he  should  afflict  mankind,  predicts  under  the  vial 
of  the  vintage  the  downfall  of  the  Apostacy  and  the  total 
overthrow  of  ail  God's  enemies. 

We  have  alread\-  seen,  that  the  third  woe-trumpet  be- 
gan to  sound  on  the  l^th  of  August,  179'2,  immediately 
after  the  limited  monarchy  of  France  was  overthrown, 
and  when  the  tyrannical  reign  of  liberty  and  equality 
commenced.  This  being  the  case,  we  must  look,  lo:-  the 
pouring  out  of  all  the  seven  vials,  which  form  so  many 
distinct  periods  of  the  third  woe-trumpet,  posterior  to  the 
IQth  of  August,  179'3  ;  observing  however,  that  the  har- 
vest itself  m\x%i  be  considered  as  commencing,  not  merely 

vol...  II.  (vg 


S0i2 

with  the  first  *viaU  but  with  the  earliest  blast  of  the  truni- 
peti  and  that  the  miseries  previously  produced  by  the 
fall  of  the  tenth  part  of  the  Latin  citij  may  be  esteemed 
(to  make  the  allegory  complete)  the  first  fruits  of  the 
harvest. 

*'  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple,  saying 
to  the  seven  angels,  Go  your  ways,  and  pour  out  the 
vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  upon  (he  earth.  And  the  first 
went,  and  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  earth  :  and  there 
fell  a  noisome  and  grievous  sore  upon  the  men  which 
had  the  mark  of  the  beast,  and  upon  them  which  wor- 
shipped his  image." 

The  earth  is  the  Roman  empire  :  the  men,  ovho  bear  the 
7nark  of  the  beast,  and  worship  his  image-,  are  the  once  su- 
pentitictis,  but  now  atheistical,  members  of  the  Latin  Em- 
pire  071(1  Church  :  and  the  noisome  and  grievous  sore, 
which  is  represented  as  first  openly  breaking  out  nfter 
ihegr-at  earthquake  which  overthrew  a  tenth  part  of 
th'  ctVy  and  alter  the  commencement  of  the  reign  of 
anarrhi/  at  the  first  blast  of  the  third  woe-trumpet,  is  the 
ddi'sire  sp  rit  of  atheism,  or  that  gross  lie  of  Antichrist, 
the  dt  iat  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.^ 

Since  this  imagery  is  borrowed  from  natural  maladies, 
for  the  rigiit  understanding  of  it  we  must  consider  how 
such  maladies  operate  upon  the  human  frame,  hs  the 
hu.. 'tours  then,  which  at  length  proflucc  as 're  in  the  body 
natural,  secretly  work  for  some  time  previous  to.  their 
eruption  ;  sothehinnours,  which  produced  this  figurative 
sore  in  the  body  politic,  had  long  been  concocting  previ- 
ous to  its  open  appearance.  /Itheism  indeed  existed  in. 
the  very  days  of  the  Apostles  ;  for  even  then  were  there 
mamj  Antichrists^  even  then  was  the  spirit  of  Antichrist 
ki  the  world  :  but  it  began  to  be  more  systematically 

•  This  mode  of  expression  is  perfecUy  agreeable  to  the  scriptural  practice 
of  describings  s/(/W/«a/ by  nflrura/ maladies.  (See  Isaiah,  i.  5,  6)  Sir  Isaac 
JCewton  supposes,  that  "  a  (lia-nble  plague  of  ■mar  is  signified  by  a  sore  and 
pain  :"  and  Mr.  Uicheno  has  followed  him  in  tliis  opinion,  applyinf;;  the  effu- 
sion oi'the^rst  vial,  which  lie  thinks  like  myselt  was  poured  out  in  the  autumn 
of  the  year  1792,  to  the  calamities  whicli  the  confederates  of  Pihiitz  cxperienC' 
ed  from  Uie  arms  of  the  French  republic  But  I  cannot  find,  thai  we  have 
any  authority  lor  annexing  such  an  idea  to  the  word  norc.  In  J  Chron.  vi.  28, 
it  is  used  in  a  general  sense,  including  war  indeed,  but  including  likewise  ma- 
ny oth«c  calamities.    Signs  of  the  times,  I'art.  UI.  p.  166,  16~. 


disseminated  by  the  dragon,  that  original  father  of  all 
Jies,  when   he  quitted  his  old   station  in  the  figurative 
heaven  of  the  Latin  church,  and  tooka  more  advan  ageous 
position  upon  the  earth.     For  a  season  the  noisome  sore 
Broke  out  only  upon  a  few  individuals  ;  but,  in  the  course 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  infernal 
ingenuity  of  Voltaire  and  his  associates  spread  the  poi- 
sonous humour  far  and   wide  throughout  Europe.     Stilt 
however  we  did  not  behold  the  full  effect  of  the  devil's 
labours  upon  the  Roman  earth.     According  to  the  sure 
word  of  prophecy,   tne  great  earthquake  of  the  French 
Mevolution   was  to  take  place  in  the  year  1789,  and  the 
third  woe-trumpet  was  publicly  to  introduce  the  anar- 
chical privrplesoi  Aiitichrist  on  the  \Wi  of  August^ 
I79iy  ere  the  noiso}}ie  sore  of  Atheism  broke  out  mider 
the  first  vial     But,  when  that  memorable   IQth  of  Au- 
gnsi  was  past,  and  when  on  the  no  less  memorable  ^Qih 
of  the  samenpmthy  an  open  profession  of  Atheism  was 
made  by  a  whole  nation  once  zealously  devoted  to  the 
papal  superstition,  then  was  the  first  vial  poured  out 
upon  the  earth,  then  commenced  i//e?  entptionoi  the  noi- 
some sofy     At  this  period,  in  consequence  of  tlie  success? 
of  the  French  revolution,  corresponding  societies  and  athe- 
istical clubs  were  every  where  held  feaHessly  and  undis- 
guisedly.     All  Europe  se<  med  to  have  drunk  deep  of  the 
^up  of  trembling.     Scarcely  a  Christian  was  to  be  found 
within  the  limits  of  the  papal  Latin  earth:  and,  in  pro- 
testant  countries,  many,  who   had  clean  escaped  from 
them  that  live  in  error,  had   been  allured,  through  the 
lusts  of  the  flesh,  by  vain  promises  of  liberty,  of  a  law- 
less freedom  from  all   restraint  both   civiland  religious, 
to  forsake  the  religion  of  their  fathers.     At  this  period, 
moreover,  the  project  of  converting  all  the  kingdoms   of 
the  earth  into  atheistical  republics  'framed  after  the  model 
of  the  misshapen  democracy  of  France,  was  unreservedly 
and  triumphantly    avowed  by  infidel  demagogues,  and 
l^'udly    and    incessantly    applauded    by    the  po[)ulace 
throughout  the  zvhole  great  Roman  city.    When  all  these 
signs  r,f  the  times  concurred  together,  when  the  p.  isonous 
humours  were  perfectly  concocted,  then  it  was   that  the 
nQtsome  sore  broke  out.     The  principles  of  Antichrist 


S04 

were  now  puMicly  developed  in  the  face  of  tiie  whole 
world  :  and,  since  all  the  prophetic  periods  of  the  Apo- 
calypse are  dated,  not  from  the  secret  cogitations  of  the 
heart  which  are  kiv  \vn  only  to  the  Almighty,  but  from 
some  overt  and  prominent  dis})lay  of  those  cogitation?,  re- 
duced to  .ictual  practice,  and  manifested  tfj^the  e^cs  of  all 
rncr.  ;  to  what  era  shiill  we  look  for  thejirs'  tv  disguised 
(ivoiral  of  naU anal  j4 theism,  hr  fhrfirsf  pen  erup  ion  of 
ihe  noisome  sore  predic'ed  under  th  s  vi  /,  xcep.  t/ie  26t/t 
of  Migust,  \1\)'2,  oil  vvhici)  day  the  denirl  of  a  God  was 
foi  the  iirst  hmefmialii/  established  by  laxv  f 

"And  thesrcond  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the 
sea  :  and  it  became  as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man ;  and  e  ery 
living  soul  died  in  the  sea." 

The  pouring  nuf  of  ^//?>i''>/ immediately  succeeds  that 
of  the  firs'.  ;  and  it  relates,  I  conceive,  to  the  dreadful 
massacres  of  revolutionary  France,  which  commenced  ear- 
ly m  the  September  of  the  year  1 792  ;*  massacres,  which, 
extending  Irom  the  metropolis  to  the  provinces,  convert- 
ed that  unhappy  country  into  one  great  slaughter-house. 
Thes:  a  symbolizes  a  nation  in  a  violent  state  ofeffcrves- 
ceuce  and  revolution  :  and,  when  it  is  said  to  become  as 
ihe  blood  of  a  dead  man^  we  are  evidently  led  to  con- 
clude, that  the  nation  thus  convulsed  with  intestine  dis- 
cord is  deeply  stained  with  the   blood  of  its  slaughtered 
citizens.     That  such   has  been  in  an  eminent  degree  the 
case  with  France,  in  consequence  of  her  being  infected 
with  the  noisome  sore  of  Atheism.,  we  have  all  uiihappily 
beheld,  as  it   were,   with  our  own  eyes.     We  have  seen 
murder  accumulated  upon  murder ;  and  the  life  of  man, 
which  every  civilized  legislature  has   hitherto  regarded  of 
the  utmost   importance,  considered  as  a  thing  of  no  \  a- 
lue.     Of  so  little  conpequence  did  it  appear  in   the  eyes 
oi  M^vdXy  the  frievd  of  the  people,  that  hcscrujlcd  not 
to  assert,  that,  in  order  to  cement  liberty,  the  national 
club  ought  to  strike  ofT  200,000  heads.     During  the  ragn 

The  m  issacres,  wliich  took  place /^f/bre  this  time,  are  not  comprehend"  d 
under  tf'C  .it'o^iilvial,  because  tliey  were  per\>eu-jt^:d  pn-Dtaus  lo  tlit  soMn>  i:  g' 
qft/ie  third  -uoe-lrumpet  on  t/ie  I'-V'/i  of  Jlir^tt.it,  1792-  Tin  j  beionpf  o\  tl;.  con- 
trary to  c/ie  ^rent  tarthguahe  of  tlie  first  revoiii  ;om.  wliicii  commenceil  :.  fe 
i/^or  1789,  and  tlie  iastsliork  ofwhich  piodiicerl,  :<ip-(  ner  \vi  li  (l,e downfall  of 
The  limited  monax-chy  of  I'rance,  tjie  aU-ociiies  oi't/ii;  10th  o/^lujitst,  1792. 


205 

of  terror,  as  it  was  emphatically  termed,  "  the  revolu- 
tionary tribunal  added  daily,  for  a  long  time,  new  vic- 
tims to  the  thousands  who  had  fallen  on  the  fatal  days 
of  August  and  September.  Here  the  mockery  of  justice 
was  complete;  for,  in  the  condemnation  of  the  accused, 
the  conviction  of  :  he  jury,  without  the  examination  of 
witnesses,  or  even  the  confession  of  the  prisoner,  was 
declared  sufficient  to  establish  guilt."  As  for  the  privi- 
lege of  extending  mercy  to  the  condemned,  it  was  con- 
temptuously disclaimed  :  and  all  applications  for  pardon 
were  rejected  with  the  declaration,  that  the  enlightened 
government  of  republican  France  possessed  no  such 
power.*  It  was  esteemed  indeed  a  sufficient  crime  to  be 
suspected  of  being  a  suspicious  person.  "  In  such  a 
state  of  society,  when  fortune,  honour,  and  life,  depend- 
ed upon  the  caprice  of  sanguinary  individuals,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  private  assassinations  were  frequently 
perpetrated  with  impunity  ;  and,  from  the  torpor  and  iii- 
seiisibility  that  prevailed,!  were  regarded  as  trivial  acts. 
Suicide  likewise  became  the  resource  of  the  unfortunate, 
especially  of  those  who  had  renounced  every  idea  of  re- 
ligion, of  the  superintendance  of  a  Providence,  and  of  a 
future  existence.  Thus  those,  who  escaped  from  the 
tribunal  of  the  ruling  faction,  perished  by  their  own 
hands.  Valaze  stabbed  himself ;  Echelle  and  Condorcet 
preferred  poison ;  L'Huillier  killed  himself  in  prison  ; 
Rebecqui  drowned  himself :  they  were  both  agents  in 
the  atrocities  of  Avignon,  and  the  second  of  September. 
Hidon,  and  the  academician  Champfort,  fell  by  their 
own  hands.  Such  also  was  the  end  of  Roland,  who  was 
one  of  the  principal  actors  in  the  revolution  of  the  tenth 
of  Augnst — In  the  short  space  of  two  years,  almost  every 
individual  oi  the  [principal  actors  in  that  revolution  was 
brought  to  a  violent  end.     Danton  and  Westerman,  the 

*  *'  1  fly  fiir  off,"  said  the  poet  Klopstock,  "  from  the  cries  of  that  execrable 
tribunal,  vv  hicli  murders,  not  only  the  victim,  but  which  murders  also  the  mer- 
cy «)f  the  people."  Well  then  mie^lit  Dumourier  observe  in  his  address  to  his 
own  countrymen,  *' If  the  despotism  of  a  single  individual  be  dangerous  to 
libtMt},  how  much  more  odious  must  be  that  of  seven  hundred  men,  many  of 
wiiom  are  void  of  prmciples,  witliout  morr.ls,  and  wlio  have  been  able  to  reach 
tlidt  supremacy  by  cabals  or  crimes  alone." 

+  — "  it  became  as  the  blood  of  «  dead  man,'" 


205 

«ne  who  directed,  and  the  other  who  executed,  the  coim- 
sels  of  the  insurgents,  perished  on  the  same  day,  and  on 
the  same  scalTold.  A  similar  fate  befell  many  of  those, 
who  decreed  the  death  or  imprisonment  of  the  king. 
Of  the  693  members  of  the  Con\  ention,  who  voted  that 
the  king  was  guilty,  seven  were  assassinated,  eight  were 
suicides,  thirty-four  were  proscribed,  ninety-two  were 
imprisoned,  and  sixty-iive  were  guillotined.  The  addi- 
tion of  those,  wlio  have  since  sulfered  in  various  ways, 
will  swell  this  account  to  a  far  greater  number.  Thus, 
for  a  considerable  time-,  in  the  interior  of  France  each 
rec(  n' fcent  surpassed  in  horror  that  which prect^ded  it  ; 
wid  the  metropolis  was  the  centre  of  massacre^  athtism^ 
an  a  anachi).  The  con  duct  oj  the  governors  and  the  gov- 
erned was  eqnalli)  an  ou'rage  to  all  decarwui  hunu'nity, 
and  consistency  of  conduct — In  short,  it  appears,  that 
there  have  been  two  millions  of  persons  murdered  in 
France,  since  it  has  cal'ed  itself  a  republic"'^  After 
the  dow  nfall  of  Robespierre,  the  effusion  of  blood  began 
to  abate  :  for  the  vial  of  the  second  angel  was  then  ex- 
hausted. France,  however,  was  previously  converted 
mio  a  vast  Aceldama  ;  or,  to  use  the  strong  language  of 
prophecy,  its  revolutionary  sea  '  became  as  the  blood  of 
a  deadnunh  and  every  lifing  soul  died  in  the  ^e«."t 

*'  And  the  tliird  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the 
rivers  and  fountains  of  waters,  and  they  became  blood. 
And  I  heard  the  angel  of  the  waters  say,  Thou  art  right- 
eous, O  Lord,  which  art,  and  wast,  and  shalt  te,  because 
thou  hast  judged  thus.  For  they  have  shad  the  blood 
of  saints  and  prophets,  and  thou  hast  given  them  blood 
to  drink  ;  for  they  are  worthy.  And  I  heard  another 
out  of  the  altar  say.  Even  so.  Lord  God  Almighty,  true 
and  righteous  are  thy  judgments." 

As  the  sea  signilies  ^'z  nation  in  a  violent  state  ofrevQ- 

*  Rett's  Hist,  the  Inter.  Vol.  ii.  p.  243—252. 

\  IVIr.  Blclicno  svipposes  this  second  vial  t>  have  begun  to  bepourcd  out  o\x 
tlie  sea  in  the  year  1793,  wlic  n,  as  he  thinks  proper  to  express  it,  "  the  niari- 
timc  countries  joined  the  Antichristi.an  tyrants  in  their  rrubade  ajjainsi  tlie 
liberties  of  France,  and  when  the  naval  power  ot"  Europe  was  i)ut  into  motion." 
(signs  of  the  times,  Part  iii  p  168.)  He  lias  n(  warrant  for  explaniing  a  ijrwi- 
huiica!  prophecy //.'crrt//;/ ;  more  csiucially  s  i.cc  he  himself  had  explained 
the  effiision  of  thejirst  vial  not  literally  but  ^jmliulicailif' 


007 

Uitionary  tumuU,so rivers  f\m\ fount a'ms symboUzo king" 
doms  and  heir  iteads  existiii,^  in  ihc  (ppo  ic  sfa'e  of  a 
reg  lar  ad  ,etUed  gov  rnmtnt.  These  mystic  streams 
are  the  dfferent  powtrsoi  the  papal  Latin  en  pire;  which 
were  now  to  receive,  by  the  unheard  of  inr<;ads  of  a  bar- 
barous republican  enemy,  the  due  reward  of  their  former 
persecutions  of  the  saints.  By  a  long  and  bloody  war, 
the  whole  constitution  ot  the  Germanic  body  has  been 
shaken  to  its  very  centre  ;  and  i's  t-mpcror,  the  successor 
and  representative  of  Charles  the  fft'i-,  that  great  enemy 
of  the  zvi'nesses,  and  of  the  pejured  Sigismicndy  that 
wretched  tool  of  papal  malice,  tiembling  for  the  safety 
of  his  capital,  has  been  compelled  to  sue  for  an  ignomi- 
nious peace  with  the  republic  of  France.  In  the  course 
of  the  same  war  prpal  Italy  has  been  overrun  and  pil- 
laged of  every  thing  valuable  :  Savoy,  the  ancient  parent 
and  persecutor  of  the  Waldenses,  has  been  wrested  from 
its  sovereia:n,  nothins;  in  a  manner  beincj  left  to  him  but 
t-he  empty  title  of  a  king :  Spain,  after  suffering  for  a 
time  the  horrors  of  war,  has  been  reduced  in  effect  to  the 
state  of  a  mere  vassal  province  of  France  :  the  renegado 
inhabitants  oi  the  United  Provinces,  who  preferred  their 
pelf  to  their  God,  and  whose  polluted  presses  had  long 
teemed  with  the  blasphemous  productions  of  Voltaire 
and  his  associates,  have  been  first  duped  into  a  revolu- 
tion, and  have  ever  since  been  plundered  and  harassed.^ 
by  their  unrelenting  tyrants;  and  the  Helvetic  confede* 
racy,  in  na?ne  partly  papal  and  partly  protestant,  but  in 
reality  tainted  with  atheism  to  its  very  core,*  has  been 
dissolved  ;  its  citizens  have  been  massacred  ;  and  its  ter- 
ritory has  been  plundered,  by  the  infernal  cruelty  and 
harpy  rapacity  of  republican  banditti.  Future  historians 
will  speak  of  this  unparalleled  war  with  astonishment 
They  will  describe  Europe  as  bleeding  at  every  pore,  and 
trembling  for  the  fate  of  every  civilized  government. 
They  will  detail  battle  after  battle,  massacre  after  massa- 
cre, campaign  after  campaign.     They  will  represent  fer- 

*  ••  HoUatidw&s  the  grand  asylum  of  infidelity  in  the  North,  the  nursery  and 
cliief  propagator  of  its  works,  by  the  licentious  liberty  allowed  to  the  press" — 
and.asfor  Switzerland,  D'Alembert  and  Voltaire  boosted,  that"  in  Calvin's  own 
town  there  were  but  a  few  beggarly  fellows  who  believed  in  Christy  and  ^sX 
frOTH  Uenevaio  Berne  not  a  Ciiristian  wa-s  to  be  foufld'-" 


508 

tile  provinces  wasted  with  fire  and  sword,  and  they  will 
speak  with  horror  of  rapes,  and  murders,  of  pillage,  and 
extortion,*  of  prisoners  deliberately  put  to  death  in  cold 
blood,  and  of  wounded  soldiers  systematically  poisoned 
by  their  apostate  commander  But,  while  they  present 
this  dreadful  scroll  of  human  calamities  to  the  sickening 
attention  of  posterity,  they  will  not  fail  to  attest,  that 
these  heavy  judgments  of  the  Lord  have  principally 
fallen  ujwn  the  rivers  and  fountains  of  the  paprU  Hainan 
empire.  Pro!  est  ant  statesy  that  have  in  any  measure  pre- 
served the  faith  of  their  ancestors,  have  in  a  manner  been 
exempt.  Self-defence  and  wanton  provocations  compell- 
ed Englandio  enter  into  the  contest.  Her  firmness,  un- 
der Providence,  blasted  all  the  designs  of  her  malicious 
enemy  against  herstlf,  and  drove  him  back  to  his  own 
shores  disgraced  and  vanquished,  with  his  navy  shattered 
and  with  his  mariners  disheartened.  But  her  hapless 
{lilies,  already  devoted  by  the  just  judgment  of  Grxl  to 
drink  in  ?/ze/r  turn  torrents  of  blood,  inasmuch  as  they 
have  heretofore  profusely  shed  the  blood  of  saints  and 
prophets,  it  exceeded  her  power  to  save.  The  mighty 
arm  of  the  Lord  snatched  her  from  impending  destruc- 
tion, and  withered  the  boasted  strength  of  her  foe  when 
directed  against  herself :  but  the  angel  of  the  waters, 
while  she  was  preserved  in  the  midst  of  wide-extending 
havoc  and  desolation,  sternly  denounced  the  vengeance 
of  heaven  against  her  popish  confederates.     "  They  have 

•  Such  was  the  rapacity  of  the  republican  tyrants,  that  "  two  years  had 
been  sufRcient  to  place  the  countries  conquered  by  France,  "  the  Netherlands, 
Holland,  and  the  states  situated  between  the  JMeuse  and  the  Uhine,  "  on  a 
level  with  herself,  and  to  reduce  them  to  one  common  equality  of  death  and 

misery These  countries,  but  a  short  time  before  so  ricli  and  so  abundant, 

were  exhausted,"  by  bearing  tiie  whole  burden  of  maintaining!^  the  French  ar- 
my ;  "  their  whole  specie  was  absorbed  by  contributions,  their  manufactures 
were  suspended,  ami  their  produce  consumed."  (Hist,  of  the  Campaign  of 
1796.  p.  4.)  The  same  work  contains  a  very  full  account  of  the  various  rob- 
beries systematically  committed  by  the  Pre:  ch  in  Germany  aid  Italy.  (Sec 
p.  44,  70,241,247,  24 >,  2 '0,  2  ;4,  256,  364,  365,  365.)  In  short,  the  order 
given  by  the  Directory  to  their  generals  was,  that  "  they  should  maintain  tlieir 
troops  by  victory  ;"  and  order  so  faithfully  obeyed  by  Buonaparte,  that  lu' 
'•  had  no  hesitation  to  say,  in  the  proclamation  which  he  made  to  his  soldiers 
in  entering  into  <;arynthia,  that  all  tiie  expences  ^ifihcarmyof  Italy,  during 
eleven  months,  had  been  paid  by  the  conquered  countries,  and  that  he  had  be- 
sides sent  30  millions  of  livres  to  France."  (Ibid.  p.  5,  366.)  These  were 
.>omf  "fthc  bkrstiit^'s  of  rrpubljcan  fraternity  ! 


Q09 

slied  the  blood  of  saints  and  prophets,  and  thou  hast  given 
them  blood  to  drink  ;  for  they  are  worthy."* 

From  what  has  been  said  it  appears,  that  the  thre^Jirst 
m  Is  relate  to  the  French  Revolution^  describing  at  once 
the  principles  jpon  which  it  was  founded,  and  the  mise- 
ries, both  intrrnat  and  ext'rnaU  which  it  has  produced. 
This  t  e>7iendous  revolution^  which  more  or  less  has  affect- 
ed t'lexvhnlf  Roman  Em^nre,  I  conceive  to  he  the  first 
period  a!  he  th  rd  zvoetnimpef,  which  St.  John  i-gura- 
trely  d»jscribes  under  the  image  of  a  harvest ;  a  harvest 
not  of  Riercy,  but  of  God's  wrath  against  the  nations. 
Aftei-  this  figurutive  harvest  has  been  gathered  in,  there 
is  to  be  a  sort  of  pause  between  it  and  the  commence- 
ment of  the  vintafre  The  affairs  of  the  world  are  in  some 
measure  to  return  to  their  old  channel  :  yet  they  are  not 
to  roll  >n  so  smoothly,  but  that  the  interval  between  the 
harvest  and  the  vintage  will  be  ma  iked  by  certain  im- 
poiiaiit  eve-its.  These  events  are  predicted  under  the 
three  jollowi/ig  vials, 

SECTION   II. 

Concerting  the  three  intermediate  vials. 

The  reader  must  decide  for  himself  how  far  it  is  prob- 
able, that  three  out  of  the  seven  vials  have  already  been 
poured  <  >ut  at  the  commencement  oi  Uie  last  xvoe-trumpet^ 
<:,QiVi'^\\i\\\\Vig]S\x\\\y  that  grand  period  o\  it,  which  by  St. 
John  13  styled  the  h:rve.st^  and  by  which  1  understand 
the  French  Revolution.     TcC  concluding  vial  is  reserved 

*  Mr  Galloway  whimsically  supposes,  that  the  a'-.^et  of  the  waters  is  the  tnar- 
itiine  Sovereign  of  Great  B.  iiain  In  tlie  well-di  ser.ed  encommms,  which  he 
bestows  u[iOi  our  rwered  monarch,  I  heartily  concur,  ihoii_afh  1  cannot  think 
that/ie  is  meant  by  the  atigel  of  the  ivateis  This  angel  is  maniftstly  no  other  than. 
the  angel,  who  had  jusL  poured  out /»'s  wai  upon  ike  waters  of  th.  rivers  and 
fountains  ;  whence  he  is  naturally  styled  the  angel  of  the  -waters,  or  the  angel 
•whose  influence  affected  the  ivaiers.  Mr.  Galloway  appears  to  me  to  have  been 
by  no  means  successful  in  his  interpretation  of  any  of  !he  viafs,  excepting'  the 
sixth,  which  he  riffhtly  applies  to  Turkey.  In  his  elucidation  of  the  third  he  has 
been  peculiarly  unhapp\  Enii'eU  qLnUing-  the  languas^e  of  symbols,  he  fan- 
cies that  tlie  rivers  Sindfowitui.ii-  mean  Germany,  for  no  other  reason  but  because 
that  cou'-.try  is  lufll  watered  witii  abiin.iance  cf  large  streams-  In  a  sermon,  which 
I  published  some  years  ai^o  upon  the  pouring  out  of  theviiih,  1  was  right  in  my 
j^eiie-  al  idea  respecting  tlieni,  but  in  more  than  one  instance  vtong-  in  my  par- 
'iculur  application  of  them. 

VOL.  n.  (27 


210 

for  the  end  of  it,  or  the  termination  of  the  1260  yenrs  ; 
and  comprehends  the  econd grnvd period  of  the  nnta^e. 
Asiovthe  p'U'th.JiftJi,  and  sLvth,  viais,  I  consider  them 
as  occupying  th"  intermedia  e  space  between  the  horvrst 
and  the  vinlnge  ;  and  am  inclined  to  view  the  sixth  vial 
in  the  light  of  a  harbinger  and  precursor  of  the  iist.  Lii<:e 
a  heiald  it  prepares  the  way,  and  makes  every  thing  ready 
for  the  final  tremendous  manifestation  of  God's  righteous 
judgments  upon  his  enemies. 

"  And  the  fourth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the 
sun  ;  and  power  was  given  unto  him  to  scorch  men  with 
fire.  And  men  were  scorched  with  great  heat,  and  blas- 
phemed the  name  of  God,  which  hath  power  over  these 
plagnes ;  and  they  repented  not  to  give  him  glory." 

In  the  language  of  symbols,  the  sun  of  a  kins^dom  is 
the  govermnenf.  of  that  kingdom  ;  and  t  e  sun  of .  n  rm- 
pirey  if  it  be  a  divided  empire,  is  the  goiernm:  nf  of  the 
most  powerful  stafewithin  that  empire.  When  the  polit- 
ical sun  shines  wih  a  steady  lustre,  and  yields  a  salutary 
warmth,  it  is  a  blessing  to  a  people.  But,  when  it  glares 
with  a  fierce  and  unnatoral  heat,  scorching  all  the  produc- 
tions of  human  industry  with  the  intolerable  blaze  ot  a 
portentous  tyranny,  it  is  the  heaviest  curse  which  can 
befall  a  nation. 

Since  the  whole  prophecy  of  the  Apocalypse  relates  to 
i]ie  Roman  empire,  the  j-w;?  mentioned  under  this  v/^'/ 
must  b(.  ttir.su  i  of  the  R<man  firinament :  since  the  pour- 
ing out  of  all  the  vi  Is  takes  place  long  posterior  to  the 
division  of  the  em;  ire^  this  mn  must  be  tite  sun  o''  the  di- 
*vided  empire :  and  since  tlie  three  firs'  vials  have  carrif^d 
us  to  the  end  of  the  harvest  or  tlie  anan  Ideal  horrors  of 
the  French  Revolution,  this  ^w?  must  mean  the  i^oveni- 
ment  of  that  state  within  the  limits  of  the  empire  whit  h 
at  the  pvesenf  era  is  the  most  powerful.  The  prediction 
thenol  tliejonrthvial  obviously  intimates, that  thefranto 
scenes  of  the  harvest  should  be  succeeded  by  a  sijsfeinatic 
military  tyranni),  which  should  be  exercised  over  a  con- 
siderable pait  oiihe  Roman  emp  re  by  the  government  of 
the  most  powerful  state  then  existing  within  ,ts  limits. 
The  world,  exhausted  witli  the  miseries  of  the  s  mboUeal 
harvest,  and  wearied  with  the  wild  struggles  oi  licentious 


anarchy,  should  tamely  submit  to  the  lawless  domination 
of  an  unrelenting  despot.  In  pointing  out  the  particvlar 
government  intended  by  this  scorching  sun  of  ihe  Latin  07' 
I-'apal  Jirmamenti  the  reader  will  doubtless  have  antici- 
pated me.  The  present  Popish  states  are  France,  Aus- 
tria, Spain,  Portugal,  Napl.s,  Sardinia,  and  Etruria.  Of 
thf  so,  I  apprehend,  no  one  will  be  inclined  to  deny,  that 
France  is  by  many  deQ;rees  rhe  most  powerful  ;  and  con- 
sequently tliat  its  i^uvermnent  must  inevitably  be  esteem- 
ed the  syn  of  the  system  *  To  observe  then  the  accurate 
completion  of  the  prophecy  of  ^ A d^/b/zr if//  ^'iah  in  which  it 
is  said  that  power  was  given  to  this  sim  to  scorch  men  m  itli 
lire,  and  that  they  were  scorched  with  great  heat,  we  have 
only  to  cast  our  eyes  over  the  continent.  A  system  oi" 
tyrann}^  hitherto  unknown  in  Europe  except  in  the  worst 
periods  of  the  Roman  history,  has  been  established,  and 
is  now  acted  upon  by  him  who  styles  himself  Em- 
peror of  the  French  :  and  the  scorching  raj/s  of  military 
despotism  are,  at  this  moment,  telt,  more  or  less,  through- 
out France,  Holland,  Switzerland,  Italy,  Spain,  and  the 
west  of  Germany.  A  regular  plan  of  making  each  man  a 
spy  upon  his  neighbour,  destroys  all  the  comfort  and  all 
the  confidence  of  social  life ;   and  France,  with  herde- 

*  Should  the  present  usurper  of  the  throne  of  France,  who  already  emulates 
the  imperial  rank  of  Austria,  or  should  any  successor  of  his  at  some  future  pe- 
riod, proclsiim  himsc\f  Jimperor  of  the  Iioma>:s,  and  thus  transfer  the  crown  of 
Charlemagne  from  Germany  to  France,  as  it  was  heretofore  transfer  leu  from 
France  to  Germany  ;  he  would  then,  like  Charlemagne,  be  the  representative 
9f  t/ic  last  head  of  the  beast.  Buonaparte  is  already  in  fact  master  of  Italy,  and 
appec  rs  to  be  upon  the  eve  of  reviving  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Lombai  dy. 

Since  this  note  was  written,  the  usurper  of  the  throue  of  the  Bourbons  has 
formally  proclaimed  himself  kiii^-  of  Italy,  and  has  encircled  his  brows  with  the 
ancient  iron  crown  of  the  Lombard  sovereigns.  Thus  is  one  of  the  great  max- 
ims of  German  jurisprudence  completely  overiurned  ;  namely.  "  that  tiie 
prince,  who  was  elected  Emperor  in  the  German  diet,  acquired  from  that  in- 
stant the  subject  kingdoms  of  Italy  and  Rome."  (See  Gibbon's  Hist. of  Decline 
and  Fall,  Vol,  ix.  p.  191.)  May  not  the  voice  of  ambition  soon  whisper  in  the 
ear  of  the  new  sovereign  of  Italy,  that  the  right  of  electing  a  Homan  Etnpcror 
belongs,  not  to  the  princes  of  Germany,  but  (as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Charle- 
magne) to  the  senate  and  people  of  Rome  ?  As  for  the  Pope,  he  is  ready  to 
give  his  sanction  to  any  new  dignity  which  Buonaparte  may  think  proper  to 
assume.     May,  1S05. 

I  have  now  to  add,  that  the  disastrous  termination  of  the  campaign  of  1S05 
has  made  the  chief  of  tlie  French  government  tht  undoitb:eilrepresentuuve  of  Char - 
Icmagne,  and  consequently  the  last  head  of  the  beast.  The  house  of  Austi  lu  seems 
tacitly  to  have  exchanged  the  title  of  Emueror  of  the  liomans,  for  tliat  ot  Em- 
peror of  Austria  .-  and,  although  Buonaparte  has  noi  yet  formally  as.-iumed  it,  it 
can  add  nothing  to  his  power  when  lie  uoes  assume  it,  for  he  is  already  rlie  urU' 
controlled  emperor  of  the  %vpit';:';i  Continental  Roman  t^f^rld.    Jane  3^  1806. 


(212 

graded  provinces,  or,  as  they  are  termed  with  dijjiomatio 
mockery,  allies,  groans  under  the  weight  of  endless  requi- 
sitions, levies,  and  extortions,  at  once  tormented  herself, 
and  the  savaq-e  tormentor  of  others.* 

■r       •  •  • 

It  IS  not  unlikely,  that  the  influence  of  this  tial  wdl  ex- 
tend to  the  very  commencement  oitlie  tivtagt\'\  The  vio- 
lence o*  democratical  and  atheistical  madness,  that  dread- 
ful harvest  of  God's  wrath,  has  now  abated :  but,  since 
part  of  the  business  of  the  ivtermed^ate  vLds  is  first  to  jve- 
pare  that  popish  and  iiijidei  conjederaci)  which  will  be 
linally  broken  in  the  days  cAthe  vintage,  and  afterwards  to 
collect  the  /ihigs  of  he  Lrtui  earth  to  the  great  battle  of 
the  Lord  at  Armageddon  ;  thesini  of  military  tyranny  will 
most  probably  glare  with  uaabated  violence  to  the  very 
time  of  the  end,  and  be  the  principal  immediate  instru- 
ment both  of  forming  and  directing  that  covfedrracy .% 

Th  efTect,  produced  both  by  these  plagues  and  by  the 
foUrwiag  ores-,  will  only  be  blasphemy  and  hardness  of 
heart,  instead  of  a  reformation  of  principles  and  practice, 

•  *  Even  before  the  era  of  the  Revolution,  and  previous  to  the  vast  acquisi- 
ti'ju  of  power  made  by  France  since  that  convulsion,  tlie  sovereigns  of  the 
Capeiian  dy  lasly  were  so  conscious  of  their  preponderating'  influence  in  Eu- 
rope, that  with  a  kind  of  arrogant  fatality,  they  assumed  for  their  dislinguisii- 
ing  badge  the  sun,  with  this  motto,  A'ec  pluribua  impar,  uloiir  tqual  to  tnany. 
This  notion  of  superiority  indeed  was  so  familiar  to  Frenclimen,  lliat  the* 
health  of  his  sovereign  is  said  to  have  been  once  proposed  by  a  French  Am- 
bassador to  Lord  Stair,  and  the  very  name  of  the  sun.  Mith  the  same  idea 
no  doubt  the  largest  ship  in  the  French  navy  w.is  called  the  royal  sun.  I'poii 
this  sicn,  or  the  sio'ccrnmcnt  nf  Fra:  ce,  we  have  now  beheld  the  fourth  vial  poured 
out,  enabling  it  to  scorch  men  with  fire. 

+  Since  this  was  written  in  the  vear  1801,  the  sphere  of  the  influence  of //;/> 
scorching  sun  has  been  tremendously  increased  ;  and  there  is  now  scarcely 
•An\  1>:\Y\.  oi  the -Mestcrn  Roman  Evipive  unaffected  by  its  intolerable  blaze 
Jure  3;  1806. 

i  Mr.  Sharpe  thinks,  that  the  scorching  of  the  Sun  means  nnlimiicd  monarchy 
in  general,  operating  in  the  ket|)iiig  up  of  standing  armies  and  marti.d  law  ; 
and  he  censures  the  governmen'  of  England  for  preferring  regular  troops  to 
militia.  Independent  of  his  unwarranUtble  extension  of  the  symbol  from  tte 
figurative  tun  'f  the  Jiuvopcan  coniinon-i'callh  to  e^eiy  siparate  star  of  its  fivnia- 
intr.t,  I  cannot  but  think  tiim  a  little  unreasonable  in  liis  animad.  cr.>.ion.s.  It 
would  certainly  be  a  very  happy  thing  for  the  country,  if  a  standing  army 
could  Ih'  dispensed  with  ;  but,  since  it  is  our  misfiutune,  notour  fault,  to  live 
in  the  immediate  neigiibourhood  of  a  horde  of  ferocious  and  well-lniim-d 
banditti,  we  must  as  we  value  our  liberty  and  independence,  be  well  prepared 
for  their  reception.  A  traveller  finds  it  much  more  agreeable  to  |)uisue  his- 
journty  without  the  incumbrance  of  arms,  and  without  the  fear  of  molestation  : 
out,  if  his  track  be  througii  a  country  infested  by  robbers,  he  must  cither  sub- 
mit to  the  inconvenience  of  bearing  \vea];ons,  or  to  the  still  greater  inconve- 
iil'-nce  of  being  plundered.    Were  the  nation  defended  I)y  none  bat  br.ive  im- 

f>eiferilydisci[-l!ued  troops,  it  would  be  ill  able  t"  cope   with  antagonists  per 
uipb  not  less  brave,  widwith  every  advantage  oi"  discipline. 


The  earthquahey  which  overthrew  the  tenth  part  of  the 
ci  y,  "aused,  as  we  have  seeii,//^e  revmant  fthe  seed  oj' the 
%v  man  togive  glory  unto  the  Lord :  but  tlie  efihsion  of  the 
i:;/^/^  upon  God's  enemies  produces  not  the  least  tendency 
to  repentance.  We  must  not  therefore  look  for  any  fur- 
ther reformation  from  Fopciy  ;^  for  the  'via/s  are  instru- 
ments of  God's  wrath,  not  of  his  mercy.  France  accorcf- 
ingly  lias  nominally  returned,  like  a  dog  to  its  vomit,  to 
her  old  alliance  wiih  the  blasphemous  corruptions  of  Po- 
pery ;  but,  according  to  every  account  of  eye-witnesses, 
she  still  really  and  indiv'uhi'dly  strengthens  herself  in  the 
yet  more  blasphemous  abominations  of  Antichrist. 

Yet,  although  there  will  be  no  further  reformation,  it 
does  not  appear,  that  the  inspired  writers  give  any  intima- 
tions of  some  still  more  dreadful  persecution  of  t!ie  wit- 
nesses ^  than  that  which  they  have  already  undergone  from 
thd  zvo  Latin  beasts  :  on  the  contrary,  Scripture  seems 
tome  at  least  rather  to  lead  to  a  directly  ojjposite  opin- 
ion. I  mean  not  indeed  to  deny,  that  individual  protest- 
ants,  those  for  instance  who  reside  in  popish  countries, 
may  experience  persecution:  these' \v'\\]  continue  to  pro- 
phesy in  sackcloth,  to  the  very  end  of  the  1260  days.  \ 
would  only  be  understood  to  intimate,  that  I  can  discover 
no  warrant  for  expecting  that  Prot<'stc'ntism  in  gemraU 
as  nationally  professed,  will  ever  be  so  far  subdued  by  Po- 
penj,as  to  undergo  tiiroughout  the  whole  world  a  grand 
universal  peneculion.  The  troubles,  produced  by  inces- 
sant war  with  the  atheislico-papal  powers,  will  be  the 
great  means  of  purifying  the  Churrh  :  not,  I  think,  any 
persecution  resembling  those  of  t he  Pagan  Emperors  or 
the  Roman  Pontiffs  in  tiie  plenitude  of  their  power. 

I  am  led  to  form  this  opinion  by  observing,  that  all 
the  vials  of  tlie  last  woe-tru)!ipetiixe  represented  as  being 
poured  out  upon  the  Papal  and  Mohammedan  Roman 
empire ;\\x\)Q>\\i<iose,  that  hrrce  the  mark  of  (he  beast: 
upon  those,  that  have  sited  the  blood  of  saints  and  pro- 

*  I  have  already  stilted  other  groiuuls,  besides  this,  when  treating-  of  tie 
lai-horned  bemt,  for  adoi^liiig-  siicli  an  opinion. 

f  "  Pliiala:  omiies,"  says  Mr  Mede,  "  in  bestiani  (scil.  Romanam)  cffiin- 
duiitur."  ((;om.  Aj)oc.  in  loc.)  "  Go  your  ways,  and  pour  out  the  vials  of  liie 
wrath  of  God  upon  the  earth."  (Ilev.  xvi  1')  T  <;  '-fni'A  thvou^hcul  \]\t 
Apocalypse  denotes  ths  Jiomir  eripi'-f. 


214 

phets  ;  upov  those^  that  have  blasphemed  the  vame  of  God 
by  reason  of  the  no  some  sore  of  atheism  :  upo>!  the  st  at 
and Lingd  m  of  the  beast  None  ol  these  particulars  are 
dcscnplivc  of  sui  h  protes  anf  states^  as  have  hehl  last 
the  faith  of  tlieir  ancestors,  and  have  not  apostatized,  like 
Holland,  Switzerland,  and  protestant  German3%  to  tiie 
Ije  o{  Antichrist.  The  last plai^ucs,  comprehended  un- 
der the  thi'd  woe-irnmpet,  are  poured  out  onlii  upon  pa- 
pislSi  blasp/iei/iii/g  atheits,  and  Mohammed  ns :  and  al- 
though under ///e  seventh  vial  "  there  shall  be  a  time  of 
trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation  ;'* 
yet  it  is  a  time  of  trouble  to  noije  but  the  beasf,  the  fal:e 
propliety  an(i  the  congregated  kings  of  the  Roman  earth. 
At  the  glorious  era  of  the  Reiorrm.twti^  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  called  aloud  from  heaven,  "  Come  out  of  the  mys- 
tic Babylon,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her 
sins,  and  that  ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues  "  Surely 
then  we  must  unavoidably  conclude,  that  those,  who  did 
come  out  of  her,  who  obeyed  the  warning  voice,  who 
ctased  to  be  partakers  of  her  sins,  who  sufTered  them- 
selves not  a  second  lime  to  be  deluded  by  the  3'et  mo  e 
gross  lie  of  atheism,  will  liken  ise  receive  not  of  her 
plagues.  Whether  ti/e  migliiy  king  of  the  IVo  thy  who  is 
j\Q^\\Xm\ papist  wox  pro'e.taiity  and  whose  am|le  territo- 
ries arc  without  the  i.nnlsol  tl,e  great  Latin  city,  be  des- 
tined to  inihct,  "at  the  time  of  the  end,"  its  death- 
wound  upon  the  sj)iritual  em[)ire  of  Mohuminedy  events 
alone  can  determine.  The  position  of  his  dominions  gives 
him  immediate  access  to  the  realms  of  both  Persia  and 
Turkey:  but  upon  this  j)oint  I  piesume  not  to  be  wise 
ab.)ve  xchatis  nritten  It  ?s  h()we\er  written,  that,  al- 
though///e  f/rfl^o?^  shall  direct  the  rage  of  his  favourite 
minister  Jnfirhrist  against  the  remnaid  of  the  seed  of  the 
n'oman  ;"*  yet  the  vials  sliail  be  exclusively  poured  out 
upon  the  enemies  of  God.  Hence  i  conjecture,!  that 
this  final  attempt  oi  the  dragon  will  totally  fail  of  success, 
because  it  exceeds  the  peculiar  conmiission  of  the   injidd 

*  Ucv.  \\\.  17. 
1 1  may  do  more  indeed  than  mt  rely  ^oiijicture  that   such  \s  ill  be   the  case  : 
the  complete  faiiuie  iii  this  last  attempt  ot"  tlu-  dra^.^on  is  exprcssUi    prtdic'.cd    ill 
'.he  overthrow  of  thefahefiroplict  and  his  ndkcrcius  at  the  battle  of  .djw'gediioH, 
»M  the  if^ion/'f.'7(ci/(  the  tvo  teas. 


gJ5 

Jdn^^ :  and  hence  I  conclude,  that,  as  the  great  protest- 
ant  states  of  Europe  have  hitherto  been  marvellously  pre- 
served amidst  the  plagues  oi  the  pa^ml  B'idjion,  so  ihey 
will  be  preserved  even  to  the  time  of  the  end. 

"  And  the  fifth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the 
seat  of  the  beast:  and  his  kingdom  was  full  of  darkness, 
and  they  gnawed  their  tongues  for  pain,  and  blasphem- 
ed th-'  God  of  heaven,  because  of  their  pains  and  their 
sores,  and  repented  not  of  their  deeds." 

In  the  Apocalypse  mention  is  made  of  tzvo  beasts ,  the 
secular  and  the  ercle  iast  cat ;  and  it  might  be  doubted 
which  of  the  two  was  here  intended,  weve  we  not  assist- 
ed ui  our  inquiries  by  the  general  context  of  the  whole 
prophecy,  "^henevex  the bea4'\?>  simply  mentioned,  by 
way  of  emivence  as  it  were,  1  believe  it  will  invariably  be 
found,  that  tht^.  ten-horned  ox  secular  beast  is  meant,^  not 
the  two-lio7VJ(  d  or  ecclesiastical  beast.  In  addition  to 
this  general  proof,  ihe  pariicular  cf-ntext  of  the  present 
passage  may  be  adduced.  The  angel  is  said  to  pour  his 
viil  upon  the  seat  of  the  beast.  Now  thejirst  beast  is  ex- 
piessly  said  to  ha\e  had  a  seat  or  t fir  /zc  given  him  by 
ihr  dragon  ;  because,  although  7iomi}ia!ly  Christian,  he 
exercised  liis  secular  authoritj,  like  his  p  edeccssor  the 
pa^a:iem^vre->  in  peisecuting  the  C:urch  o)  God  :\  where- 
as no  mention  is  made  of  the  seatoj  the  second  'ea4j  and 
for  this  plain  reason  ;  the  secular  authority  of  the  Pope 
was  confined  within  the  narrow  limits  of  an  Italian  prin- 
cipahty,  and  all  the  persecutions  which  he  ever  excited 
against  the  faithful  were  carried  into  effects  by  the  first 
beast  x\\xou^\  the  instrumentali  y  either  of  his  last  liead 
or  of  his  ten  Iwnis.X  Hence  I  think  it  manliest,  that  the 
^/fm^,  upon  whose  .sefl^  the  present  vied  is  poured,  is  the 
.first or .^C'lila'  beast. 

What  is  precisely  meant  by  thisjudgment  it   is  impos- 
sible at  present  to  determine  with   any   certainty,  inas- 

•  See  Rev.  xiv.  ",  11.  xvi.  '2.  xix.  19.  +  Rev.  xli.  2. 

i  All  the  diHerent  miivtyrs,  wlio  were  persecNted  to  d<iath  as  heretics,  after 
they  had  been  foundguilt}  by  the  tcclesiastical  courts,  \vere  fovmally  di-Hvered 
over  lo  ilie  secular  arm  foi  punishment  "  Ix  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  pui  any 
man  lo  death, '  was  the  constant  lang-uape  of  t/w  tiuo-honud  beast,  as  it  hc-eto- 
ibe  was  of  tiie  Jewish  priests  when  demanding  the  death  of  Chnst.  Some'. 
linies  even,  witii  a  croeodde  affectation  of  clemency,  the  secular  beast  was  be- 
sought by  his  merciful  colleague  not  to  deal  too  harshly  with  the  condemned. 


216 

much  as  it  is  yet  tutiire.  If  however  we  may  argue  from 
analogy,  since  the  Qh'iug  of  a  seat  or  ihmm'  to  the  beast 
/jjj  t/if^  drn^^nit  evidently  iwcans  the  hwe^ ting  him  with  the 
same  secular  power  of  making  war  with  the  suinfs,  as  that 
exercis'-d  bij  him  while  in  iiis  pagan  state y  the  pouring  out 
of  a  vial  upmt  that  scat  so  as  to  fill  his  whole  kingdom 
with  darknesSy  seems  most  naturally  to  represent  some 
grievous  calarnitij  which  should  materially  affect  th.it  se^ 
cufar  power  of  persecution,  and  fill  ids  whole  kingdom  wiik 
con:  ter nation  and  confusion. 

Tht  beast  here  spoken  of  is  the  beast  under  his  last 
head:  but  what  power  will  be  that  last  he  d,  when  the 
present  vial  is  poured  out,  must  be  determined  by  the 
event.* 

*  I  Iiave  alreacly  observed,  that  tlie  last  head  of  the  beast  is  by  the  Apostle 
termcil  the  beaut  himstlf. 

Since  this  was  written,  the  battle  of  Austcrlitz  has  been  fought,  and  possibly 
thef/if:  vitl  has  been  poured  out  From  the  amblj^ums  nature  of  the  C.trlo- 
v!n:^ian  head  of  the  beast,  which  has  sometimes  been  atlached  to  one  kingdom 
and  family,  and  sometimes  to  anotlier,  I  dare  not  even  now  po.itivelu  say,  that 
tSe  eflusion  of  tfie  fftli  lial  has  commenced  ;  but  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  it  has  com.menced,  and  lliat  the  house  of  Austria  mow  feels  its  bale. 
i\\\  efl'ccls.  Tliis  via!  is  said  lo  be  poured  out  on  the  throne  or  secuLn-  authtrlty 
of  tlie  beast  under  his  last  head,  the  representative  of  which  previous  to  the 
late  campaign  was  <Ae  G'erww?!  einlnror  rf  the  Homar.s  ;  and  it  produces  the 
cfiecl  of  hlling  liis  kingdom  with  darkness.  Lft  the  reader  turn  his  eyes 
to  the  i)resent  slate  of  that  unfortunate  prince,  and  of  (wliat  anciently  and  in- 
deed till  very  lately  properly  constituted  his  kingdom)  Germ  .vii  •a\\\1  Italy ; 
and  he  will  behold  the  power  of  the  imperial  throne  subverted,  and  the  Em- 
peror degraded  to  the  condition  of  a  mere  kiti^r  of  Jivsiriii,  elbowed  out  of  his 
empire,  stripped  even  of  his  hereditary  dominions,  and  trembling  at  the  nod 
of  an  implacable  enemy,  who  seems  even  now  to  be  meditating  his  entire  destruc- 
tion ;  he  will  beliold  Gcrvuiny  passing  under  the  )oke  of  a  new  Charlemagne, 
mmX  parcelled  out  according  to  the  sovereign  pleasure  of  a  daring  usurper,  its 
ancient  constitutioi^anniliilated,  and  itself  full  of  political  darkness  and  con- 
fusion ;  he  will  behold  Italij  equally  degraded,  equally  dark,  equally  confused. 
And  what  is  the  consequence  of  these  calamities  ?  "  They  gnawed  their 
tongues  for  pain,  and  blasphemed  the  God  of  lieaven  because  of  their  pains, 
and  their  sores,  and  repented  not  of  their  deeds."  And  do  we  find  any  Uiing 
like  a  reforntation  in  Germany  and  Italy?  'Ihey  present  only  the  hideous  spec- 
tacle of  the  abominations  of  I'opcry,  blended  witli  blas|;hemies  of  Infidelity. 

Though  I  scruple  not  to  say,  that  there  are  strong  reasons  for  believing  that 
the  fifth  v.ii!  has  begun  to  be  poured  out,  I  repeat  that  I  am  unwilling  at  present 
^o*»ii't'// to  make  such  an  assertion.  \\\\^T\e\eT  the -waters  "f  the  mystic  Jiu- 
phraies  are  romplctely  dried  up  under  the  sixth  vial,  we  shall  then  know  witli 
certainty  ih^l  the  fifth  vial,  which  precedes  it,  must  have  been  poured  out  ;  wc 
shall,  then  consequently  be  able  to  determine,  whether  the  fifth  vial  was  poured 
out  at  the  close  of  the  year  1805,  or  whether  it  lelates  to  some  yet  fu- 
ture calamity  about  to  befall  the  present  Carloviti^ian  head  of  th  beast  This 
last  however  I  fear  we  have  not  much  reason  to  expect.  The  fall  of  the  Turk" 
ish  monarchy  will  throw  a  won<lcrful  light  on  the  study  of  the  apocalypse  ;  be- 
cause it  will  definitely  leach  us  in  wh.it  part  of  it  we  jirc  now  living,  and  will 
prove  til  it  all  t!  r  five  first  viaU  (let  them  relate  to  what  they  may)  must  have 
Ljccn  previously  poured  out-  If  no  events  Uiereforc,  answering  to  those  dcscrib 


SI  7 

"  And  the  sixth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the 
gi-efit  river  Euphrates;  and  the  water  thereof  was  dried 
up,  that  the  way  of  the  kings  from  tlie  East  mis:ht  be  pre- 
pared. And  I  saw  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs  come 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of  the  mouth 
of  the  beast,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  false  prophet. 
For  they  are  the  spirits  of  devils,  working  miracles, 
which  go  forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the 
whole  world,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  that  great 
day  of  God  Almighty.  Behold,  I  come  as  a  thief.  Bless- 
ed is  he,  that  watcheth,  and  keepeth  his  garments,  lest 
he  walk  naked,  and  they  see  his  shame.  And  he  gath- 
ered them  together  into  a  place,  called  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue  Armageddon." 

Under  the  sixfJi  trumpet^  the  four  Turkish  sultanies, 
the  mystic  xvaters  of  the  Ottoman  empire,  issued  from  the 
river  Euphrates  :  under  the  sixth  vial-,  the  wa'crsof  the 
same  Euphrates  are  to  be  completely  dried  up.  We 
cannot  therefore  reasonably  doubt,  that  the  symholicaL 
Euphrates  means  in  both  cases  the  same  pnzcer*     Hiv* 

ed  under  the  fifth  rial  shall  take  place  between  the  present  time  and  the  downfall 
oi  t  e  Tu  kish  monarJii/,  I  hesitate  not  to  say,  that  that  x'ial,  which  immediate* 
ly  succeeds  the  commencement  of  the  scorchinjj  military  tyranny  predicted 
under  the  fovrth,  must  have  begun  to  be  poured  out  in  the  late  disafitrous 
campai^^n.    June  3,  18u6. 

*  Since  this  was  written,  I  have  seen  a  paper  in  the  Christian  Observer  for 
January  1805,  in  which  the  Euphrates,  here  mentioned  by  the  propliet,  is  con- 
nected with  Nome  ;  on  the  ground  that  the  literal  Euphrates  is  connected  with 
tlie  literal  Jiadi/loii :  whence  it  is  argued,  that  the  drying  up  of  the  Euphrates  im- 
plies the  impending  destruction  of  .Inticliristian  lioine.  Had  the  writer  attended 
to  the  uniformity  and  strict  exactness  of  the  apocalyptic  language,  he  would 
propably  not  have  hazarded  such  a  conjecture.  The  mystic  st- earns  of  the  Eu- 
phrates under  the  sixth  trumpet  manifestly  relate  iothe  infanctiof  the  Turkish  em- 
pire .•  the  dniing  up  tlieiefuve  of  those  mystic  stvcains  under  the  sixth  i-ial  must 
relate  to  its  d  struction.  So  again  :  if  the  Euphrates  of  the  sixth  vial  is  to  be 
connected  with  Home,  the  Euphrates  of  the  sixth  trumpet  must  likewise  be  con- 
nected with  Home;  for,  unless  we  violate  completely  the  dffiniteness  of  the 
whole  Revelation,  what  t/ie  Eup/iratcs means  in  r>;ie  passage,  itmus'.  mean  in  ano- 
ther. Consequent  ly, if //le  Euphrates  oft/ie  sixth  vial  be  tiie  papal  nations  f  th  lio- 
Ttian  empire,  or  (what  the  writer  of  this  paper  seems  to  insinuate)  the  ivftuence 
tif  the  Papacy  over  those  tuitiu7is;  then  we  must  conclude,  unless  we  are  willing' 
to  give  up  all  consistency  of  language  in  tlie  Apocalypse,  that  the  Ex.phrates  of 
the  sixth  trumpet  means  the  same  ;  in  which  case  we  shall  at  length  arrive  at 
the  absurd  position,  that  the  four  Turkish  sultanies  issued  from  the  Papa!  ;irt« 
tions  of  the  Roman  empire,  or  that  the  Turlish  monarchy  originated  from  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Papacy.  The  fact  is,  as  1  have  already  abundantly  shewn,  rivers 
typify  nation*  ;  and,  when  a  particular  river  is  mentioned,  the  nation  upoft  its 
hanks  is  intended.  The  Euphrates  therefore  of  the  sixth  trumpet  is  the  syml)0l 
i}^  the  Turkish  morrarchn  .-  whence  it  will  follow,  that  the  Eiiph.rads  of  the  sixth 
VOL.  ir.  ^8 


^216 

ers  typity  tuitions ;  anrl,  when  n parfirulnr  rhe7*is  speci 
lied,  t/te  fuitiou  i'luNcdiatehf  conuccted  zvilh  that  river  is 
ob^'iously  intended.  Such  !)eing  the  case,  as  t/ie  issvhig 
forth  of  thr  four  niV  amesy  those  mmtir  ivaters  of  the  En- 
pfirafes  whicli  deluged  the  Eastern  Empire,  denotes  the 
rise  of  the  Turkish  power  y  so  the  drying  up  of  those  wa- 
ters must  evidently  denote  its  subversion:  Now,  since 
the  drying  up  or  evaporation  of  water  is  a  slow  process, 
we  may  naturally  conclude,  that  the  expression  points 
out,  not  merely  the  subversion  of  the  Turkish  power  in 
the  general,  but  the  particular  jnode  of  that  subversion  by 
the  slow  consumption  of  its  political  strength,  and  by  the 
graduaHvasting  away  of  its  people.  When  the  sixth  an- 
o('l  however  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  fgurativs 
JFluphrafes,  we  read  that  its  waters  v/ere  completeli/ dried 
up,  insomuch  that  a  way  Vv^as  prepared  for  the  kings  from 
the  East.  Hence  it  is  manifest,  when  we  consider  the  slow 
process  of  evaporating  natural  water,  that  we  may  ex- 
])ect  the  wa'crs  of  the  Ottoman  empire  to  begin  to  be 
dried  up  many  years  previous  to  their  final  exhaustion  un- 
der the  sixth  vial.^ 

The  prelude  to  the  pouring  out  of  this  vial  we  may 
behold  with  our  own  eyes.  Let  us  only  advert  to  the 
present  state  of  the  Turkish  power,  and  we  shall  be  con- 
vinced, that  for  some  years  tJte  symbolical  Euphratcai^ 
waters  have  been  gradually  drying  up.  The  approacli 
ing  termination  indeed  of  the  Ottoman  empire  is  so  man- 
ifest, that  even  those,  whose  attention  is  solely  directed 
to  politics,  are  sufficiently  aware  that  the  time  of  its  ex 
tinction  cannot  be  very  far  distant.  Of  late  it  has  beep, 
preserved  rather  by  the  jealousy  of  the  great  European 
powers,  than  by  any  physical  strength  of  its  own  :  and  it 
doul.itlcss  will  be  preserved  by  the  hand  of  Providence 
till  his  own  appointed  season  shall  approach  for  preparing 
a  way  for  the  kings  from  the  East,  and  for  gathering  to- 

'.Uil  must  be  tlte  xavic.  Unless  this  be  allowed,  St.  John  uses  the  same  symbol 
in  diffirt-'t  senses,  and  consL(]vitntly  puts  an  entire  end  to  all  certainty  of  in- 
terpretation. (See  the  btj^iiuriii::^  of  Chap.  ii.  of  the  present  work.)  The 
writer  of  this  paper  seems  to  have  taken  liisidea  from  some  of  the  commcnta- 
Iprs  cited  by  I'ole.    bee  Synop.  in  loc. 

"^.See  Whitakci's  Comment,  p.  139,  ct  uifr?l. 


gether  the  Hngs  of  the  Latin  tvorlcl  to  tiie  battle  of  tlif 
■great  day  of  God  Almiglity  * 

Not  only  however  lias  the  political  strength  of  Tu "key 
'begun  to  be  dried  up,  but,  as  it  were  designed  that  noth- 
ing should  be  wanting  to  the  exact  completion  of  the 
prophecy,  even  its  population  has  likewise  begun  to  di- 
minish. This -singular  circumstance  is  noticed  by  Mr. 
Eton.  After  some  enquiry  into  the  causes  of  it,  he  adds, 
■^'It  is  therefore  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  depopulation 
€0uld  not  formerly  have  made  so  rapid  a  progress  as  at 
present :  and  that,  in  a  ccntur}'  more,  things  reinaining 
in  their  present  situation,  the  Turkish  empire  will  be  near- 
ly extinct.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  Curds  in  the 
mountains,  and  other  independent  tribes  wlio  do  not  mix 
with  the  Turks,  are  exempt  from  the  mortality  occasioned 
hy  all  the  calamities,  which  afflict  the  countries  more  im- 
mediately subject  to  the  Porte. "f 

Nor  yet  does  the  empire  of  the  Euphratean  ivalersB\xh- 
mit  without  a  struggle  to  its  fate.  "  Many  attempts  have 
been  made  within  the  last  century,  principally  by  French 
officers,  to  renew  the  ancient  military  spirit  of  the  Turks, 
and  to  instruct  them  in  European  tractics.  Gazi  Hassan, 
the  celebrated  Pasha,  tried  with  unlimited  power,  for  nine- 
teen yea'S,  to  inspire  his  own  spirit  into  the  troops  ;  but 
he  found  all  his  efforts  in  effectual,  "t 

Who  the  kings  f rem  the  East  are,  for  \^'li0m  a  way  is 

*  Rassla  has  more  tlian  once  appeared  to  be  on  the  very  eve  of  swa\lo\vin_^ 
up  Turkey  ;  and  yet  she  has  always  been  prevented  from  accomplishinpf  her 
sufficiently  evident  dcsij>-nr>.  It  is  a  sinr^ular  circumstance,  tliat  the  Turks 
ihemsvilves  forebode  their  future  overtlirovv  at  the  hands  of  tlie  llussinn  monar- 
chy "  The  lower  orders,"  says  Mr.  Eton,  in  iiis  siirvey  of  IheTurkisli  empire, 
"  are  at  the  present  day  persuaded,  that  the  Russian  standard  will  enter  Con- 
stantinople through  a  certain  tjate.said  to  be  pointed  out  by  an  ancient  prophe- 
cy ;  and  the  j^i-cat  men  are  so  far  from  opposint^  tliis  weakness  by  superior 
energy  that  they  look  to  the  Asiatic  shore  as  a  secure  retreat  from  the  fury 
of  the  conquerors." 

Whenever  the  xvaters  of  the  imjutic  Euphrates  are  dried  up,  we  shall  then  be 
■able  to  decide  with  certainty  what  is  intended  hy  the  flouring  out  of  the  Jifth 
vial  upon  the  seat  of  the  beast,  inasmucii  as  ?/;e  (Joiiri?i^  omijf  (hat  vial  pre- 
cedes the  downfall  of  the  Turkish  evipL-c  tinder  the  sixth. 
■-  It  may  not  be  improper  to  observe,  that  the  vial  is  net. said  to  be  poured  otit 
for  the  purpose  of  drying  up  the  v-'citers  of  the  Euphra:es,  but  only  to  mark  the 
period  when  they  xiere  dried  uj),  that  a  waj'  might  be  prepared  for  the  kings 
from  the  East.  Hence  we  are  not  to  imagine,  tliat  f/ic  v:al  is  already  poured 
out,  because  the  -n'aters  have  already  begun  to  be  dried  up  :  but  we  must  con- 
sider this  exhaustion  of  them  only  as  a  prelude  X.<<  tLa  pouring  of  it.o.ut. 
f  Eton's  .Survey  of  the  Turkish  Empire,  p.  1.'70.  t  ibid.  Chap.  S. 


prepared  by  the  anniiiilation  of  tlie  Turhish  empire^  it  \% 
impossible  to  say  before  the  event  takes  place.     The  most 
probable  coijectnre  is,  that  the  lost   ten  tribes  of  Israel 
are  intended.     It  is  a  very  remarkable  circumstance,  that 
precisely  at  the  j^resent  era,  an  era  marked  so  strongly  by 
the  signs  of  the  times,  as  to  give  us  cver}^  reason  to  believe, 
that  we  are  living  in  the  predicted  last  days  of  Antichris- 
tian  blasphemy,  and  that  tJie  1260  years  are  rapidly  draw- 
ing near  to  tiieir  termination  :  it  is,  I  sajs  a  remarkable  cirr 
cumstancc,  that,  at  this  very  era,  a  people  should  begin  to 
attract  our  notice  in  the  East  Indies,  which  appear  to  be 
a  fragment   either  of  the  lost  ten  tribe'^y  or  of  the  Jews 
that  never  returned  from  the  Babylonian  captivity.     The 
late  Mr.  Vansittart  was  the  first,  I  beheve,  who  brought 
forw'ard  to  })ublic  notice  the  traditions  of  tiie  Afgltons  or 
Ilohdlas.     Having  met  wath  a  Persian    abridgment   of 
the  Asrarul  Aj'aghinah^  or  the  secrets  of  the  Afghans,  he 
was  induced  to  translate  it,  and  to  transmit  it  to  Sir 
\A  illiam  Jones,  then  president  of  the  Asiatic  society ;  who 
subjoined  the  following  note  to  it.     *'  This  account  of 
•the  Afghans  may  lead  to  a  very   interesting  discovery. 
We  learn  from  Esdras,  that  the  ten  tribes^  after  a  wan- 
dering journey,  came  to  a  country  called  Arsareth  ;  where 
we  may  suj)pose  the^^  settled.*  Now  the  Afghans  axe  said, 
by  the  best  Persian  historians,  to  be  descended  from  the 
Jezvs ;  they  have  traditions   among  themselves  of  such 
a  descent  ;  and  it  is  even  asserted,  that  their  families  are 
distinguished  by  the  names  of  Jewish  tribes,  although, 
since  their  conversion  to  the  Islam,  they  studiously   con- 
ceal  their  origin.     The   Fiishto  language,  of  which  I 
have  seen  a  dictionary,  has  a  manifest  resemblance  to  the 
Chaldaic ;  and  a  considerable  district  under  their   domi- 
nion is  called  Hazareh  or  Ilazarefy  which   might  easily 
have  been  changed  into  the  word   used  by  Esdras.     I 
strongly  recommend  an  enquiry  into  the  literature   and 
history  of  the  Jfghansy] 

From  this  inU  resting  noteof  that  great  linguist  we  learn 
four  very  curious  particulars  relative  to  the  Afghans  : 
l.that  they  have  a  tradition  among  themselves,  that  they 
are  of  Jew  ish   origin,   although  not  very  forward  to  acr 

•  ?.  Esdras  xiii.  40—4".  f  Asiatic  UcscarcLes,  Vol.  ii.  Numb.  d. 


Q21 

knowledge  their  descent ;  2.  that  this  is  not  a  mere  \'ague 
tradition,  known  only  to  themselves,  and  ridiculed  by 
their  neighbours,  but  that  the  best  Persian  historian?,  with 
whose  empire  they  have  always  been  connected,  assert 
the  very  same  ;  3.  that  a  considerable  district  under  their 
dominion  is  to  this  day  called  HazareU  a  word  nearly  re- 
sembhngy^r^m'^///,  which  (according  to  the  apocryphal 
Esdras,  whoever  he  miglit  be,  and  at  whatever  period  he 
might  live)  was  the  name  of  the  country  into  which  the 
ten  tribes  retired  :  4.  and  that  their  language  has  a  mani- 
fest resemblance  to  the  Chaldaic. 

Before  I  entirely  quit  this  part  of  my  subject,  I  shall 
notice  a  coincidence,  which  is  at  least  curious,  if  it  de- 
serve no  better  name.  Mr.  Mede  conjectures,  that  the 
kingSy  for  whom  the  exhaustion  of  the  ^nijstic  Euphrates 
is  to  prepare  a  waj^  are  the  Jews.  Had  he  said  Israelites 
throughout,  as  he  does  at  first,  he  would  perhaps  have 
expressed  himself  with  greater  accuracy  :  for,  if  the  pas- 
sage do  at  all  allude  to  ttie  restoration  of  the  house  of- Ja- 
cob, it  relates  more  probably  to  the  ten  tribes  than  to  Jii- 
dah.  But  why  should  either  the  Israelites  ox  the  Jezos 
be  styled  kings  P  Such  a  title  accords  very  ill  with  the 
present  condition  of  the  Jews,  and  still  worse  with  that 
of  the  Israelites^  if  they  be  so  entirely  lost  and  swallowed 
up,  as  some  have  imagined.  Mr.  Mede  does  not  attempt 
to  solve  this  difficulty.  If  however  it  should  eventual!}' 
prove  that  the  AfgluiPs  are  realhj  the  remains  of  the  ten 
tribes,  and  if  St.  John  speak  of  the  restoration  of  those  ten 
jfrife  under  the  name  of  kings  from  the  east,  we  shall 
immediately  perceive  //?e  singularly  exact  propriety  with 
which  he  styles  them  kings.  The  whole  race  of  the 
Afghans  denominate  themselves  even  to  the  present  day, 
in  their  Chaldaic  dialect,  Melic,  or,  with  their  plural  termi- 
nation, ]\Ielchim,m  English,  kings.  They  consider  them- 
selves as  a  royal  nation  ;  and,  according  to  their  own  tra- 
dition, claim  their  proud  title  of  Melic  from  a  grant  of 
Mohammed,  whose  religion  they  profess.  If  then  thej'^  be 
of  Hebrew  extraction,  the  drying  up  of  the  mystic  Eu- 
phra'es,  or  the  subversion  of  the  Otloman  empij^e,  would 
undoubtedly  prepare  a  way  for  them  both  literally  and 
piorally,    A  power  would  be  removed,  whose  dominions 


.now  stretch  between  Persia  and  Palestine ;  and  one  great 
branch  of  that  false  rcli.G:ion,  by  whicli  the  Afghans  are  at 
present  deluded,  would  be  broken  ofl'.  According  to 
Mr.  Vansittart,the  sects  of  the  Afghans  are  very  nume- 
rous ;  and  they  appear  to  Idc  a  nation  formidable  at  once 
lor  its  population  and  its  bravery. 

While  a  way  is  pre])aring  lor  the  kings  from  the  East 
by  the  downfall  of  the  Ottoman  power ^  the  diabolical  in 
iluence  of  three  unclean  spirits  will  be  actively  thougK 
imperceptibly  employed  in  gathering  together  the  kings 
of  the  earth  and  oithe  whole  world,  or  of  the  papal  Latin 
empire  and  the  Roman  jvorld,  to  the  battle  of  the  great 
<iay  of  Gofl  Almighty.  The  battle  itself  is  evidently  that 
which  takes  place  under  the  ne.rt  rial,  and  which  is  de- 
tailed with  wonderful  sublimity  by  the  inspired  prophet. 
litre  the  dreadful  preparations  for  it  commence  :  there 
they  are  completed,  and  the  battle  is  fought.*     From  the 

*  Mr.  Sliarpe  tliinks,  that  the  ])reparat;ons  have  ah-eady  commenced  :  but 
he  appears  to  be  a  little  premature  in  this  o])inion,  for  tLe  si.rth  lial  is  certainly 
iiot  yet  poured  out  under  which  tlie  preparations  are  to  be  begun,  inasmuch 
as  the  icaters  oj  ilie  myuic  Kuplirntis  are  not  vet  dried  up. 

IJut,  although  the  preparations  for  the  battle  of.'lrmageddon  cannot  yet  have 
commenced,  because  St.  .John  places  them  nnAer  the  aixth  vial,  and  subsequent 
to  the  exhaustion  of  the  mystic  Euphrates  ;  the  prelude  to  those  preparations 
.scf-ms  to  have  commenced,  even  since  this  Work  vvas  first  published  in  the 
heLHuning  of  the  present  year.  Among  the  other  signs  of  the  times  by  whicli 
the  passing  generation  is  so  uufuUy  marked,  there  is  one  of  so  gigantic  a  mag 
nitude,  of  so  peculiar  a  nature,  and  yet  of  so  very  recent  an  origin,  that  it  pain- 
fully arrests  the  tunvilling  attention  even  of  the  most  careless  observer;  a 
sign  so  closely  connected  moreover  with  the  downfall  of  the  Ottoman  einpire, 
that  one  can  scarcely  avoid  prognosticating  that  downfall  not  to  be  very 
iar  distant.  It  is  predicted,  that,  at  some  indefinite  period  after  the  exhaus- 
tion of  t/ic  EupJ:ratsu7i  •ivatcrc,  three  unclean  spirits  should  go  ibrth  to  gather 
the  kind's  of  the  Roman  ivorld  to  the  battle  of  tlie  great  day  of  (Jod  Almighty  : 
and  it  afterwards  appears  that  these  kings  are  associated  together,  subject  to 
the  guidance  of  .'Ac  heast  under  his  last  or  Carlovingian  heiid,  and  in  close  con- 
nection w'wh  the  false  prophet-  (Compare  Rev.  xvi.  13 — 16.  with  Uev.  xix  19, 
'JO')  Here  wo  may  observe,  that  the  three  unclean  spirits  are  not  said  simply 
to  gather  the  kings  together,  or  to  fonn  them  into  a  coitfcderncii,  but  to  gather 
.hem  together  to  the  battle  of  the  Lord  :  whence  we  may,  and  indeed  must, 
•  bnclude,  that  </k' corz/f (/iTiJci' itself  is  formed /wer/oHS  to  its  being  gathered 
by  the  unclean  spirits  to  Armageddon  ;  and  that  these  spirits  use  it  uncon- 
sciously as  then-  tool,  when  it  a  thus  formed.  At  what  precise  j>eriod  it  luill 
1)C  formed  is  no  where  said.  Tor  any  thing  that  appears  to  the  contrary,  it 
^nay  be  simply  ftrmed  either  befre  or  afer  the  exhaustion  of  the  Euphratean. 
i-atcrv.  'Ihe  event  alone  can  «)elermine;  but  l!ie  previous  probability  is,  that 
t  will  be  formed  at  no  very  remote  period _//oj»j  that  exhaustion,  either  prior 
■■  0  it,  or  jjosterior  to  it.  Now  the  chief  of  this  confederac'/  is  declared  to  be 
.'/ic  Roman  beast  under  Ida  last  or  Carlovingian  head ;  and  one  member  of  it  is 
'leclared  to  be  the  false  prophet  or  the  J'apaci/.  nut,  unless  I  greatly  mistake, 
'.  eccnt  CT'cnls  have  identified  the  h\fitkl-kintf,\\\io  is  to  und^utakc  Jin  expcdi- 


sources,  whence  the  impure  spirits  are  said  to  issue,  it 
apy)ears,  that  the  hemt  and  the  false  prophet,  for  a  season 
at  variance  by  reason  of  the  atheistical  principles  adopt- 
ed by  the  former,  will  then  be  more  closely  leagued  to- 
gether than  ever  ;  and  that  they  will  jointly  meditate 
some  grand  expedition  against  the  woman  and  the  remnant 
of  her  seed,  which  however,  as  we  shall  presently  see 
under  the  succeeding  vial,  will  end  only  in  their  own 
confusion  and  utter  destruction.* 

SECTION  III. 

Conceniing  the  vial  of  the  vintage. 

We  are  now  arrived  at  the  vial  of  consummation,  whicit 
■Mr.   Mcde  very  justly  supposes  to  synchronize  with  tha 

lion  into  Palestine  at  the  time  of  the  end,  with  the  lioman  beast  under  his  last  heady 
who  is  to  do  the  very  same  in  coniunct'on  \w\th  a  formidable  confoderacy.  Do 
we  behokl  trien  any  appearance  of  such  a  conff.deracij  as  that  describetl  by 
St.  John  ;  namely,  a  confederacy  of  the  beast  under  his  Carlovivgian  head,  the 
false  Romish  prophet,  and  the  vassal  kings  of  the  enslaved  Latin  earth  ?  Do  \V« 
"behold  it  likewise  at  the  very  time  when  we  had  reason  to  suppose  it  would  ap- 
pear  ;  namely,  when  the  Eu'phratean  -waters  were  rapidly  drying  up,  and  when 
iheir  complete  exhaustion  seemed  to  be  at  no  very  great  distance  ?  Is  there  any 
answer  necessary  to  these  questions  ?  If  there  be,  view  the  modern  Charle- 
magne first  leaguing  himself  with  the  Papacy,  and  then  creating  at  pleasure  a 
host  oi  vassal  kings.  View  him  extending  his  dominion  over  the  greatest 
part  of  Germany,  over  Holland,  over  Italy,  over  Spain.  View  him  surrounding 
himself  with  regal  slaves,  who  depend  upon  his  nod,  and  exist  only  by  his  will. 
Lastly  hear  bim,  as  if  unconsciously  impelled  to  bear  his  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  prophecy  ;  hear  him  uni'eservedly  avow  himself  to  be  the  federal  head 
of  his  creatures ;  hear  him  proclaim  to  all  Europe,  that  their  mock  sovereignties 
are  mere  federal  states  of  France;  hew  the  political  system,  of  which  he  is  the 
author,  expressly  styled  in  his  degraded  senate  a  confederacy  and  a  pious  league. 
AVliat  other  idea  can  we  form  of  the  coalition  described  by  St.  John  ?  In  every 
particular,  local  and  chronological,  this  nerj  coalition,  unheard  of,  unthought; 
of,  but  the  other  day,  exactly  answers  to  it.  Even  now  rumours  are  afloat, 
that  the  seat  of  the  false  prophet  is  to  be  removed  from  Home,  and  that  the  nev/ 
empire  is  to  be  inaugurated  by  another  imperial  coronation  in  the  seren-hilled 
city.  If  so  what  title  will  be  chosen  but  that  of  Empet-or  of  the  Homans  ?  And 
for  what  purixise  would  that  title  be  chosen,  but  as  authorizing  all  the  ancient 
claims  of  the  Augustan  emperors  .'  The  demands  made  upon  Turkey  by  thj 
sovei-cign  of  I'cnice  will  he  as  nothing,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  inordinate 
ambition  of  the  man,  when  compared  with  the  demands  made  upon  the  whole 
world  by  the  Emperor  of  the  Franco-Romans.     June  4, 1806. 

•  Since  these  three  unclean  spirits  ai-e  said  to  work  miracles,  the  great  boast 
©f  r/ie  apostate  man  of  sin,  it  is  not  improbable,  that  the  visible  agents,  whom 
they  will  employ  on  this  occasion  will  be  certain  popish  emissaries,  who  partly 
at  least  by  false  miracles  will  induce  the  infatuated  adherents  of  the  Church  of 
Kome  to  embark  in  the  expedition  "  Pugnare  se  putant  pro  Christi  vicario, 
pro  gloria  Dei,  et  pro  ecclesia:  revera  autem  pugnabunt  cum  Deo"  (Pol. 
Synop.  in  loc.)  Mr.  Mann  of  the  Chai-ter  House  conjectured  some  years  since, 
that  the  three  unclean  spirits  were  the  Dominicans,  the  Franciscans,  and  the  Jesu- 
its. (See  Up.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  liev.  xvi.)  I  should  rather  have  said,  that 
these,  or  somis  other  orders  of  m'^nk?,  mav  herenfie'.'ht  the  ('tols  of  f/if /.'.•«? 


vintage.  The  reason  is  manifest :  the  vintage  is  the  last 
cvr^nt  predicted  in  tlielHtle  honk,  which  extends,  as  itself 
repeatedly  declares,  through  tnc  xtlwle  1'260  iiears  ;  and 
the  last  vial  is  poured  out  at  the  ex})iration  of  tiiat  period  : 
consequcnilj  the  last  vml  can  only  contain  an  enlarged 
account  of  the  vintage  :  for,  as  Mr.  Mede  naturally  ob- 
serves, there  cannot  be  two  dilFerent  catastrophes  of  the 
same  'Iraraa.* 

"  And  the  seventh  angel  poured  out  his  vial  into  the 
air  :  and  there  came  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  of 
heaven,  from  the  throne,  saying.  It  is  done.  And  there 
Avere  voices,  and  thunders,  and  lightnings  ;  and  there  was 
a  great  earthquake,  such  as  was  not  since  men  were  upon 
the  earth,  so  mighty  an  earthquake  and  so  great.  And 
the  great  city  was  divided  into  three  parts;  and  the  ci- 
ties of  the  nations  fell  :  and  great  Babylon  came  in  re- 
membrance before  God,  to  give  unto  her  the  cup  of  the 
wine  of  the  fierceness  of  his  wrath.  And  every  island 
fled  away,  and  the  mountains  were  not  found.  And 
there  fell  upon  men  a  great  hail  out  of  heaven,  every 
stone  about  the  weight  of  a  talent :  and  men  blasphemed 
God  because  of  the  plague  of  the  hail :  for  the  plague 
thereof  was  exceeding  great." 

Bp.  Newton  very  justly  observes,  that, "  as  the  seventk 
seal,  and  the  seventh  tr?(mpeiy  contained  many  more  par- 
ticulars than  any  of  the  former  seals  und  former  trum- 
pets;  so  the  seventh  vial  contains  more  than  any  of  the 
former  vials. ''"'  It  is  the  vial  of  the  vintage  ;  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  grand  drama  of  W^O  years ;  \.\\e  time  of  the 
end.  Wlien  it  shall  be  poured  out,  the  great  controversy 
of  God  with  the  nations  will  commence ;  his  ancient 
people  will  begin  to  be  restored  ;  and  the  sentence  of  de- 
struction will  go  forth  against  ^//c  hcastuniX  the  false  pro- 
phcty  even  while  they  are  in  the  very  midst  of  their  tem- 
porary success,  and  while  they  are  vainly  flattering  them- 
selves with  the  hope  of  a  complete  victory  over  the 
Church  of  God.  Such  being  its  contents,  it  is  said  to  be 
poured  out  into  the  air,  in  allusion  to  the  dreadful  storms 
of  ])olitical  thunder  and  lightning  which  it  will  produce."^ 

•  See  Mede's  Comment.  Apoc  in  Vindemiam. 
+  See  the  preceding  chapter  on  the  symbolical  lan^ua^c  of  prophecy. 


^25 

Three  imporlant  events  are  comprehended  under  it :  the 
earthquake,  by  which  the  great  city  is  divided  into  tliiee 
parts;  the  overthrow  of  Babylon,  and  the  battle  of  Ai^ 
mageddon,  to  wliich  (,lie  kings  of  the  earth  had  begun  to 
gather  themselves  together  under  the  preceding  vi^l. 

Here  it  may  be  proper  to  remind  the  reader,    that  the 
seventeenth,  eighteenth,  and   nineteenth  chapters  of  the 
Apocalypse,  all  belong  to  ^//«s' /^^^  vial;  and  are  in  fact 
only  a  more  enlarged  account  of  some  of  the  most  promi- 
nent events  contained    by  it*     The  seventeenth  chapfcr 
opens  with  a  description  of  the  great  scarlet  whore,  who 
had  long  tyrannized  over  the  faithful,  and  who  was  now 
about  to  be  destroyed   for  ever.     It  fully   sets   forth  the 
mystery  of  her  union  with  her  beast,  of  her  name  Baby- 
lon, of  the  three-fold  state  of  her  beast,  of  the  rise  of  the 
beast's  last  head,  and  of  the  nourishing  condition  of  the- 
•zmman  while  the  ten  kings  gave  their  power  to  the  beast, 
and  made  war   u})on  the  Lamb,  by  persecuting  his  dis- 
ciples.    Audit  intimates  that  a  great  change  should  ne- 
vertheless take  place  in  the  sentiments  of  those  h'no-s,  so 
thattJiey  should  afterwards  hate  the  ivhore,  and  mai^e  her 
ilaked,  and   eat  her  flesh,  and  burn  her  with  fire.     This 
intimation  seems  to  be  given  as  it  were  by  the  way,  and 
must  not  therefore  be  confined  merely  to  the  days  of  the 
last  vial.     It  is  in  fact  a  sort  of  climax,   extending   from 
the  era  of  the  Reformation  down  to  the  final  destruction 
of  the  whore     She  was  first  made  naked  and  desolate  by 
the  alienation  of  the  Abbey  lands  in  protestant  countries, 
and  by  tlie  withdrawing  of  whole  nations  from  her  com- 
munion.    Her  very  flesh  was  next  eaten    by  the  sale  of 
the  Church  lands  in  revolutionary  France,   by  the  secu- 
larization of   the   German  ecclesiastical  electorates  and 
monastic  principalities,   and  by  the   temporary  erection 
of  an  atheistical  republic  in  her  capital.     But  she  will  not 
be  utterly  burnt  with  fire ///////£•  ^/;72(?o/ i^e  end,  till  the 
fatal  day  of  Armageddon.'^     The  ten  kings  however,  as 

j^*      ,  *  ^^^  ''''^  introductorij  cha/Jter  of  this  work. 

,  In  the  same  battle  witii  the  litt/e  horn  or  th,  harlot  the  Jioman  beast  under 
A/,  lu^t  /:ead  will  perish.  "  I  beheld  tlien  because  of  the  voice  of  the  .-reHt 
words  winch  the  horn  spake :  I  beheld,  even  till  the  beast  was  sla,n,  and  his 
body  destroyed,  and  siven  to  the  burninj,^  flame  '  (  Dan  vii.  11.)  1  apprehend, 
that  the  explanatory  words  of  the  angel  addressed  to  Daniel  m-at i  preciselv 
,he  «amc  as  tliepavticul.^r  passage  in  tlie  ApocaKpscna-.v  under  Guusideraiioif. 

VQj..  rr;  99  ' 


226 

Bp.  Newton  rightly  observes,  cannot  literally  mean  all 
tlv.'  ten  kings,  but  only  a  certain  pi  rt  oi  them  ;  for  sojtie 
nre  afterwards  described  as  leagued  with  fJie  beast,  and 
as  fighting  and  perishing  in  the  cause  of  the  false  pro- 
pliet  ;*  consequently  those,  who  are  friendly  to  the  whorci 
cannot  be  among  the  number  of  those  who  are  instru- 
ments in  the  hand  of  God  of  finally  burning  her  with 
lire — The  eighteenth  chapter  contains  an  account  of  the 
final  over f.hrow  of  Babi^lon — And  r//e  nineteenth  chapter 
describes  the  battle  of  Ai^viageddon. 

1 .  The  earthquahe^  by  which  the  great  city  is  divided 
into  three  partsy  manifestly  signifies,  according  to  the 
usual  import  of  prophetic  language,  some  very  great  revo- 
l7f lion,  hy  which  the  Latin  e?)ipi}'e  shall  either  be  divid 
od  into  three  sovereign tiesy  or  into  three  prefectures-, 
like  the  ancient  Ronuin  empire.  At  the  period  when  the 
French  monarchy  was  overthrown,  the  city  was  already 
divided  into  several  different partSy  symbolized  by  the  ten 
horns  oi  the  beast.  Hence  it  is  said,  that,  in  that  earth- 
quakey  a  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell.  But  here,  by  this  yet 
future  earthrjuahey  the  Latin  city  isio  be  divided  only  into 
three  parts.-\  What  the  precise  meaning  of  this  pre- 
diction is,  and  how  the  city  will  be  divided  into  threeparts^ 
time  alone  can  discover. 

9.  Tlie  fall  of  the  spiritual  hahylon,  described  at  large 

in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  the  Apocalypse,  relates  to  the 

same  event  as  the  destruction  oithe  little  horn  of  Daniel's 

fourth  beast :  they  both  equally  predict  the  complete  sub 

version  of  the  Papacy.    This  is  not  to  take  place  till  af- 

*'  They  shall  take  away  his  dominion,  to  consume  and  to  destroy  it  unto  the 
end."  (,l)an.  vii.  26.)  The  dominion  of  the  horn  began  to  be  taken  away  at  the 
Heformation,  when  many  of  the  kings  withdrew  their  realms  from  the  spiritual 
iiirisdiaion  of  the  I'ope  /but  it  will  not  be  entirely  consumed  and  destroyed 
till  tlic  end,  until  the  words  of  God  shall  be  fulfilled. 

•  Uev.  six.  19. 
t  •'^''■-  I"^ett  imagines  that  the  earthquake,  by  which  the  great  city  was  divided 
into  three  parts,  is  the  Jleformati on  ;  &nd  thai  the  tliree  parts,  intended  by  the 
prophet,  ai-e  t!w  t/iree  co>ife».iio)is  (as  they  are  called)  Popish,  Lutheran,  and 
('(ilvitiiatic.  (Vol.  i.  ])  413.)  Wc  cannot  however  admit  this  earthquake  to 
iiaveany  connection  witli  that  important  period,  unless  by  a  manifest  violation 
of  St.  John's  proplietic  chronology.  The  earthquake,  whidi  divides  the  city  Into 
three  parts,  t:ikes  place  under  :hc  last  vial:  whereas  the  reformation  is  con- 
temj^orary  witii  the  -ivar  of  the  beaut  against  the  -witnesses,  and  happened  under 
the  si.L-th  trumpet,  before  wiy  one  of  all  the  seren  vials  was  poured  out.  Alr- 
Kett,  as  if  conscious  that  this  objection  would  be  made  to  his  scheme,  cndCA 
'\'iurs  to  invalidate  it ;  h\\\,  I  think,  quite  unsuccessfully. 


0^7 

ter  the  end  of  the  1260  years  ;*  when  the  witnesses  shall 
have  ceased  to   prophesy   in    sackcloth,   and   when  in 
one  apocalj^ptic  season  the  judgment  of  Babylon  is  come. 
3.  Exactl}^  contemporary  with  the  lall  of  the  spiritaat 
BabylGH,  or  the  adulterous  church  of  Rome,  will  be  the 
overthrow  of  its  supporter  the  secular  Babylon,  or  the  ten- 
horned  Roman  beast  i     The  power  of  both  v^^ill  be  brokon 
m  the  same  battle  of  Armageddon.     This  is  abundantly 
manifest  from  the   concurring  testimony  both  of  Dan- 
iel and  St.  John.     We   learn  from  the  former  of  these 
prophets,  that  the  last  or  Roman  beast  is  to  be  slain,  and 
his  body  destroyed  and  given   to  the  burning  flame,  be- 
cause of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  whicli  his  little  horn 
spake,;  and  that  the  reign  of  this  little  horn  is  exactly  to 
.continue  l^QO years.     We  learn  from,  the  latter  of  them, 
that  the  same  ten-horned  Ro.uan  beast  is  to  practise  })ros- 
peronsly,  in  his  revived  or  idolatrous  state,  the  very  same 
period  of  42  months  or  \^G0 years  ;  and  that  he  is  to  be 
destroyed,  along  with  his  colleague  the  false  prophet  oy 
two-horned  beast,  in  their  last  great  battle  against  the 
JVord  of  God.     Now  the  iim- honied  beast  ox  false  prophet 
IS   the  same  ecclesiastical  poxi^er  as  the  harlot,  or  spirit- 
ual Babylon  :  consequently,  Hthe  spiritual  Babulon  were 
fallen  ^^ore  this  battle,  it  is  evident  that  the  false  hro- 
pliet  could  not,  along  with  the  tem],oral  beast,  iiave  been 
engaged  in  it.     Hence  it  appears,  that  the  fall  of  the  spir- 
itual Babylon  and  the  battle  of  Armageddon  will  be  pre- 
cisely contemporary,  both  taking  place  together  after  the 
termination  of  the  1'260  years. X 

*  Probably  attheend  of  30 years  after  that  period,  or  at  the  end  of  Daniel's 
1290  years. 

1 1  have  already  stated  that  Babylon  means  the  :tvhdle  Roman  empire  both 
femporal  and  spiritual .-  the  temporal  Babylon  being'  the  same  as  the  ten-horned 
ieast  :  and  the  spiritual  Babylon  as  the  tiuo-horned  beast. 

+  Mr.  Mede  separates  the  fall  of  Babylon  from  t/ie  overthrow  of  the  false 
prophet,  and  imagines  that  in  point  of  time  it  will  precede  it.  Tins  opinion  is 
built  upon  the  idea,  that  Babylon  is  the  literal  city  of  Home,  instead  of //,c'  ■uhole 
papal  empire.  I  cannot  think,  that  it  is  by  any  means  well  founded,  or  tliat  it 
•at  all  harmonizes  with  the  general  language  ol"  the  Apocalypse,  in  which  the 
^-eat  city  universally  means,  not  the  literal  city,  but  the  empire,  of  Hume.  'I'his 
■temgthecase,  whenever  Me  beast  a.r\<X  the  false  prophet  are  routed  at  Arma- 
geddon, the  temporal  and  spiritual  Roman  empiie,  or  the  mystic  Bnbi/lon,  will 
be  .overthrown.  Mr.  Mede  places  the  fall  of  Baboon  under  the  ffthvial,  and 
the  destruction  of  the  beast  and  the  falsf- pr"tihet  under  the  last.  Comment. 
4P0C.  in  Phial.  V- et  Vn. 


!2-28 

As  for  the  battle  of  Annageddoiu  in  which  the  beast 
and  ilte  false  prophet  are  to  be  overthrown,  I  take  it  to 
be  the  concludijig  event  of  the  time  of  trouble  such  as 
never  was  since  there  zcas  a  nation,  mentioned  by  Daniel. 
It  is  the  same  likewise  as  the  dreadful  slaughter  of  the 
Grntilcs  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem^  predicted  in 
such  forcible  terms  by  Zechariah  and  Joel.  This  will 
sufiiciently  appear  from  comparing,  as  I  shall  presently 
do,  all  these  different  prophecies  together.  At  the  close 
of  the  time  of  trouble  foretold  by  Daniel,  the  infidel  king 
is  to  come  to  his  end,  none  helping  him  ;  and  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  time  of  troublcy  which  synchronizes  w^ith 
thefrst  effusion  of  the  seventh  vialy  and  with  the  ter?Hina- 
iion  of  the  IQ60  i/ears,  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  is  to 
commence.  At  the  period  of  the  great  battle  of  the  na- 
tions,  described  by  Zechariah  and  Joel,  which  synchro- 
nizes with  the  destruct  on  of  the  infdel  king  and  the  bat- 
tle of  Armageddon^  the  Jews  ave  represented  as  having 
been  brought  back  to  their  own  countr3^  While,  in  tne 
battle  of  Armageddon,  predicted  by  St.  John,  which  I 
apprehend  to  be  the  last  event  under  the  seventh  vial,  the 
beast-,  the  false  prophet-,  and  the  kings  of  the  Latin  earth, 
are  to  be  completely  routed  with  dreadful  slaughter  by 
the  h.\m.\^\\ylfordofGod;  and  an  end  is  for  ever  to  be 
put  to  their  tyrannical  and  persecuting  domination  over 
the  Church. 

The  bcasty  who  is  to  take  so  active  a  part  in  this  last 
great  struggle,  is  the  same  septimo-octavc  head  as  that, 
which  St.  John  had  before  identilied  even  with  the  jvhole 
beast  himself''^'  To  which  horn  of  the  beast  the  dignity 
of  the  Carlovingian  Emperorship  of  the  western  Roman 
n'orldw'iW  then  be  attached,  it  is  impossible  to  determine 
before  the  event.  Humanly  speaking,  it  seems  upon  the 
eve  of  quitting  for  ever  the  horn  of  Austria.  Should  this 
be  the  case,  and  should  it  once  more  revert  to  France 
along  with  the  old  Carlovingian  sovereignty  of  Italy, -\ 

*  Ilev.  xvii.  11. 

+  Since  tliis  was  written  in  the  year  180-i,  the  Carlovingian  sovereignty  of 
Italy  has  rcvei-ted  to  France.     May,  1805. 

And  I  may  now  add,  that  yet  more  recently  the  Carlovingian  Emperorship  of 
the  (Vest  lias  been  transferred  to  France ;  consequently  the  Infdel  ktnj  and  th 
!r.!t  Mad  of  the  beast  are  now  identified.    June  5,  1806. 


909 

the  ivjidel  king,  at  the  close  of  the  great  apostatic  dramat 
would  be  identified  with  the  last  head  of  the  beast.  As 
for  the  false  prophet,  who  is  to  be  "one  of  his  allies  in 
this  impious  war,  we  have  already  beheld  a  political  re- 
conciliation, or,  as  it  is  styled,  a  concordat  between  him 
and  Antichrist  ;*  the  contrariety  therefore  of  Injidelity 
to  Popery  will  be  no  ira])ediment  to  the  accomplishment 
of  the  prophecy,  that  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  shall 
be  taken  banded  in  arms  together.  And,  with  regard  to 
the  possibility  of  uniting  all  the  Popish  powers  in  one 
common  confederacy,  the  growing  influence  of  papistico- 
infidel  France,  and  the  ease  with  which  she  compels  the 
surrounding  vassal  states  to  take  up  arms  in  her  cause, 
sufficiently  shew,  even  without  the  aid  of  prophecy,  that 
such  an  union  is  not  only  possible,  hut  probable. -\ 

The  preceding  vial  testifies,  that,  after  this  confederacy 
has  been  formed,  it  will  be  gathered  together  by  secret 
diabolical  agency  to  Armageddon,  subsequently  to  the 
downfall  of  the  Ottoman  empire  :  and  there  is  e\'ery  rea- 
son to  believe,  that  it  will  be  directed  at  once  -against  the 
converted  Jews  now  beginning  to  be  restored  by  the  pre- 
vaihng maritime  power  of  the  day,  and  against  their  pro- 
tectors, the protestant  maritime  states,  which  keep  the 
commandments  of  God,  and  which  have  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Hence  it  will  probably  be  a  sort  of  infer- 
nal league  or  crusade  of  all  the  atheistico-papal  powers 
against  the  converted  Jews  and  their  defenders  the  Pro- 
testants ;  of  the  South  against  the  iVorth  of  Europe  ;  of  the 
dragon  and  his  adherents  against  the  symbolical  lypman 
and  the  remnant  of  her  seed.  The  time  of  the  end  how- 
ever is  not  yet  arrived  :  and  few  probably  of  the  present 
generation  will  live  to  behold  even  the  begimmg  of  the 
restoration oj the  Jews  &.ndthe comme}icementnf  the  Anti- 
e/iristian  expedition  to  Palestine,  still  less  therefore  the 

*  It  may  be  observed,  that  Bp.  Newton  here  again  considers  the  beast  not  as 
the  Papacy,  but  as  the  temporal  Latin  empire  ;  while  he  justly  conceives  the 
false  prophet  to  mean  the  ecclesiastical  potver  of  the  Pope-  "  These  enemies  are 
the  beast  and  the  false  prophet,  the  Antichristian  powers  civil  and  ecclesiastical, 
with  their  armies  gathered  together,  their  adherents  and  followers  combined 
and  determined  to  support  idolatry,  and  to  oppose  ail  reformation."  Dissert, 
on  Rev.  xix. 

t  I  have  already  observed  in  a  preceding  note,  that,  since  this  was  written, 
we  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  bestial  confederacij  has  begun  to  be  formed. 
June  5,  1806. 


^0 

dreadful  cov fusion  oj  Armageddon  witli  which  that  eipt- 
ditioii  terminates.*  Whether  at  this  period  the  injidel 
king  is,  or  is  not,  to  have  become,  like  his  predecessor 
Charlemagne,t  the  last  head  of  the  beast,  who  shall  ven- 
ture now  to  determine  ?  This  at  least  is  certain,  that  he 
will  be  a  very  principal  actor  in  "  the  time  of  trouble 
such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation." 

As  I  have  more  than  once  hinted  at  the  probability  of 
the  last  head  of  the  beast,  ox  the  Gothic  Patricio- Emper- 
orship of  the  Romans,  becoming  at  the  time  of  the  end 
attached  to  the  hojm  of  France,  as  it  heretofore  was  in 
the  days  of  Charlemagne,  I  shall  here  simply  state  the 
■declarations  of  concurring  prophecies  relative  to  this  sub- 
ject, and  leave  the  reader  to  draw  his  own  conclusions. 

Daniel  predicts,  that,  at  the  time  of  theend,  or  the  close 
of  the  {9.Q0  ijeai^s,  the  infidel  king  shall  engage  in  a  war 
of  extermination  under  the  pretext  of  religion  ;  that,  in 
the  prosecution  of  this  nefarious  project,  he  shall  invade 
Palestine,  and  occupy  the  glorious  holy  mountain ;  but 
that  eventually  he  shall  perish  between  the  two  seas, 
namely,  the  Deadsea,  and  the  Mediterranean  sea.  The 
prophet,  absorbed  as  it  were  in  contemplating  the  vast 
power  of  this  impious  monster,  does  not  notice  any  con- 
federates with  whom  he  might  be  leagued  ;  but  speaks 
merely  of  the  king  himself,  as  being  the  very  life  and  soul 
of  the  wliole  expedition,  as  being  peculiarly  both  its  con- 
triver and  executor. 

Such  is  the  prediction  of  Daniel.  In  a  similar  man- 
ner, St.  John  declares,  that,  under  the  last  vial,  and  con- 
sequently after  the  close  of  the  same  \1Q0  years,  a  grand 
confederacy  of  the  beast,  the  false  prophet,  and  the  kings 
of  the  Latin  earth,  shall  be  utterly  overthrown  at  Megid- 

*  I  speak  of  course  on  the  supposition  that  I  am  right  in  my  date  of  the 
1260  years.  Should  1  be  so  mistaken  as  that  they  terminate  earlier  than  I  ap- 
prehend, the  events  of  the  last  vial  &nd  of  Daniel's  time  of'  unexampled  trouble 
will  of  course  happen  so  much  earlier. 

+  Buonaparte  afiects,  upon  all  occasions,  to  ape  the  style  and  dignity  of 
Charlemagne  :  and  no  moderation  of  character,  which  he  has  yet  displayed, 
gives  us  any  reason  to  doubt  tliat  he  wishes  to  tread  in  the  steps  of  that  ambi- 
tjous  conqueror.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  remind  the  reader,  that  the  injidel 
kntg  is  not  the  individual  Buonaparte,  nor  any  other  individual,  but  the  injidel 
kingdom  or  poxi-er  of  France. 

I  have  already  stated,  that  the  infidel  A;i»ij  may  now  be  considered  anidcnti- 
■^led  with  the  Carln'ingian  head  of  the  beast.    June  5, 1806. 


Q31 

do>^  which  is  a  town  situated  between  the  two  seas  ot 
Palestine  ;  and  that  the  wine-press  of  the  vintage  shall  be 
trodden  in  a  region  extending  I6OO  furlongs,  which  is 
the  exact  measure  of  the  Holy  land. 

Thus  it  appears,  that,  as  Daniel's  infidel  king  is  to  be 
the  grand  projector  and  manager  of  a  religious  war,  and 
is  to  perish  in  Palestine  between  the  two  seas  after  the 
close  of  the  1260  years  ;  so  the  apocalyptic  beasty  that  is 
to  say,  the  beast  wider  his  last  head-,  is  likewise,  as  it  ap- 
pears from  his  union  with  the  false  prophet,  to  be  the 
main  promoter  and  manager  of  a  religious  war  ;  which, 
precisely  like  the  religious  zvar  of  the  infidel  kivgy  is  to 
take  place  after  the  close  of  the  IQ>60  years,  and  is  to  be 
decided  in  Palestine  or  the  land  which  extends  I6OO  fur- 
longs, and  at  Megiddo,  a  town  of  that  land  which  is  sit- 
uated between  the  seas. 

So  exact  a  correspondence  both  of  time,  place,  and 
circumstance,  evidently  shews,  that  the  war  of  the  infidel 
king  is  the  same  as  the  war  of  the  beast  and  the  false 
prophet :  and,  from  Daniel's  prediction,  we  can  scarcely 
consider  the  king  only  as  an  inferior  actor,  only  as  one 
oi\}i\Q,subordinateY\T\g^  re  presented  by  St.  John  as  leagued 
with  the  beast.  The  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from 
these  premises  I  leave  to  the  cautious  reader.f 

To  return  from  this  digression  ;  if  I  be  right  in  think- 
ing, that  the  gathering  together  of  the  kings  nf  the  Latin 
earth  to  the  battle  of  Armageddon  is  an  expedition  of  a 
confederacy  of  popish  infidels  against  the  co7iveried  Jews 

•  Jli^nageddo7i  signifies  the  destniction  of  Megiddo. 
t  The  first  edition  of  this  woi'k  was  published  just  as  the  intelligence  of 
the  fatally  decisive  battle  of  Ansterlitz  arrived.  The  rumours  of  a  directly  op» 
posite  purport,  that  prevailed  while  the  last  sheets  were  printing,  had  led  me 
to  conclude  that  the  time  was  not  yet  arrived  when  the  -wilful  ttjr ant  should  be 
identified  with  the  Carlovingian  head  of  the  beast  ,■  for,  though'  I  certainly  ex- 
pected, tor  the  reasons  assigned  above,  that  sooner  or  later  that  time  ivo^dd 
arrive,  Ihad  no  warrant  from  prophecy  to  say  luhen  it  would  arrive.  At  length 
we  received  intelligence  of  the  disastrous  issue  of  a  campaign,  which  has 
made  the  atrocious  wretch,  whom  J  doubt  not  to  be  an  instrument  of  vengeance 
in  the  hand  of  a  justly  offended  God,  the  undisputed  refiresentative  of  Charlc- 
7nn^ne,  the  uncontrolled  Emperor  of  the  ictstern  lioman  -world.  Till  this  period 
the  chief  of  the  house  of  Austria  was  the  representative  of  Charlemagne  ;  but  his 
influence  is  now  annihilated  in  Germany,  and  he  is  totally  driven  out  of  every 
part  of  Italy.  Dispossessed  even  of  a  considerable  part  of  his  hereditary  do- 
ininions,  he  seems  tacitly  to  have  resigned  his  ancient  title,  now  to  him  nothing 
but  a  title,  and  to  have  assumed  instead  of  it  that  of  Emperor  (which  in  hi'? 
':1s?:  is  virnially  the  same  as  onlv  Kinir  )  of.lv^tria.    June  5,  1806, 


332 

supported  hy  the  professors  of  evangelical  Protest antisiih 
the  opinion,  that  the  nitntsses  will  not  he  suhjected  to 
the  horrors  of  some  future  persecution,  receives  a  most 
abundant  confirmation.*  The  beast  and  the  false  pro- 
phet indeed  shall  surely  gather  their  forces  together,  but 
not  by  the  Lord  :  for  no  weapon,  hereafter  formed 
against  the  Gospel,  shall  prosper  ;  and  whosoever  shall 
gather  together  against  it  shall  fall.  The  IQ60  i/ears  of 
oppression  Avill  then  have  elapsed ;  and  the  great  con- 
troversy of  Jehovah  with  his  enemies  will  then  have 
commenced.  Every  project  of  the  beast-,  the  false  pro- 
phet-, and  tlie  conqreffated  kings,  will  be  baffled :  and 
sudden  destruction  will  come  upon  them  unawares  as  a 
thief  in  the  night.  Through  the  aid  of  the  great  cap- 
tain of  their  salvation,  those,  who  have  come  out  of 
Babylon^  shall  be  completely  victorious ;  and  the  united 
tyranny  of  Popery  and  Atheism  shall  for  ever  be  de- 
stroyed. 

Having  now  briefly  considered  the  three  i^rand  events 
comprehended  under  the  last  vial ;  namely,  the  division 
of  the  great  city  into  three  partsy  the  fall  of  the  spiritual 
Babyton,  and  the  battle  of  Armageddon ;  I  shall  bring 
together  into  one  point  of  view  the  four  prophecies  of 
St.  John,  Daniel,  Zcchariah,  and  Joel,  relative  to  the 
awful  events  with  which  the  1260  years  will  conclude  ; 
in  order  that,  by  comparing  them  with  each  other,  a  yet 
stronger  light  may  be  thrown  upon  this  period,  which  is 
destined  to  witness  not  only  the  overthrow  of  the  Anii- 
christian  fact  ion, hut  likewise  the  rest'  ration  (f  the  Jexvs* 

1.  "And  I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white 
horse  ;  and  he,  that  sat  upon  him,  was  called  Faithful 
and  True,  and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make 
war.  And  his  eyes  were  as  a  iiame  of  lire,  and  on  his 
liead  were  many  crowns  ;  and  he  had  a  name  written, 
that  no  man  knew  but  he  himself.  And  he  was  clothed 
with  a  vesture  dipped  in  blood:  and  his  name  is  called 
the  Word  of  God.  And  the  armies,  which  were  in 
heaven,  followed  him  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine 

•  At  least  it  receives  confirmation,  so  far  as  protcslant  countries  arc  confirm- 
eil;  \.\w\x\^\\the  t-iunii'itiiessis,  scuttcretl  lliroiigli  popish  rof^ions,  will  continue 
to  projjliesy  in  sackcloth  to  the  time  "/the  en  J.  This  liislinclion  I  have  alre.ij^- 
staled  very  fully. 


QS8 

iinen,  white  and  clean.  And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a 
sharp  sword  that  with  it  he  should  smite  ih.e  nations  : 
and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  he  Ireadeih 
the  winepress  of  the  liejccness  and  wraih  of  Mrnighty 
Ood.  And  he  hath  on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a  mune 
written  King  of  kings  and  Lord  ol  lords.  And  1  saw  an 
angel  standing  in  the  sun  :  and  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying  to  all  the  fowls  that  fly  ni  the  midst  of  heaven, 
•Come  and  gatlier  yourselves  together  unto  the  supper  of 
the  great  God  ;  that  ye  may  eat  the  flesh  of  kings,  and  the 
flesh  of  captains,  and  the  flesh  of  mighty  men,  and  the 
flesh  of  horses,  and  of  them  that  sit  on  iheni,  and  the 
flesh  of  all  men  both  free  and  bond,  both  small  and 
^reat.  And  I  saw  the  beast,  and  the  kings  of  the 
earth,  and  their  armies,  gathered  together  to  make  war 
against  him  that  sat  on  the  h  >rse,  and  against  his  army. 
And  the  beast  was  taken,  and  with  him  the  false  prophet 
•that  wrought  miracles  before  him,  with  which  ho  deceived 
them  that  iiad  received  the  mark  of  the  beast, andthem  that 
worship|)ed  his  image.  These  both  were  cast  alive  into  a 
lake  of  lire  burjiing  with  brimstone.  And  the  renniant 
were  slain  with  the  sword  of  him  that  sat  upon  tiie 
horse,  which  sword  proceeded  out  of  his  moutii  :  and  all 
the  fowls  vverefllled  with  their  flesh."* 

%  "  I  ijeheld,  till  the  thrones  were  set,  and  the  Ancient 
of  days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as  snow,  and 
the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool:  his  tlirone  was 
like  the  flery  flame,  and  his  wheels  as  burning  lire.  A 
flery  stream  issued,  and  came  fortji,  from  before  him  : 
thousand  thousands  ministered  unio  him,  and  ten  thou- 
sand times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him  :  the  judg- 
ment was  set,  and  the  books  were  opened.  I  beheld 
then  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  which  the 
/i^/f/<?  horn  spake  :  I  beheld,  even  1 11  the  beast  was  slain, 
and  his  body  destro3^ed,  and  given  to  the  burning  flame 
— The  little  horn  shall  wear  out  the  vSaints  of  the  Most 
High; — and  they  shall  be  given  into  hi?,  hand  until  a 
time,   and  times,   and  the    dividing   of  time,     iiut  the 

•  Rev.  xix.  U— 21- 
VOL.  II.  SO 


Q.54 

judgment  shall  fit  ;  and  they  shall  take  away  his  domin- 
ion, to  consume  and  destic)y  it  unto  the  end.  And  the 
kingdom,  HJid  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  tlie  king- 
dom under  the  w  hob  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  \v'hr>se  kingdom  is 
an  everlaFting  kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and 
obey  him." 

"  And  a  king  shall  do  according  to  his  will  : — .^nd  at 
the  time  of  the  end  a  king  ol  the  south  shall  butt  at 
him:  and  a  king  of  the  no  th  shall  come  against  him 
iikea  vrhiriwind  with  cliariots,  and  with  horsemen,  and 
many  ships.  Yet  he  shall  enter  into  the  countries,  and 
shall  overflow,  and  pass  over,  and  shall  enter  into  the 
glorious  land,  and  many  countries  shall  be  overthrown: 
but  these  shall  escape  out  of  his  hand,  even  Kdoni,  and 
IMoab,  and  the  chief  of  the  children  of  Ammom.  He 
5>hall  stretch  forth  his  hand  also  upon  the  countries  ;  and 
the  land  of  Egypt  shall  not  escape.  But  he  sliall  have 
power  over  the  tr.'asures  of  gold  and  silver,  and  over  all 
the  precious  things  of  Kgypt :  and  the  IJbyans  and  the 
Ethiopians  shall  be  at  his  steps.  But  tiiiings  out  of  the 
east  and  out  of  the  north  shall  trouble  him  :  therefore 
lie  shall  go  forth  with  great  fuiy  to  destroy,  and  to  de- 
vote many  to  utter  destruction  under  the  pretext  nf  le- 
iigion.  Ami  he  shall  plant  the  curtains  <{  his  pavilions 
between  the  seas  in  ti.e  glorious  holy  mountain  ;  yet  he 
shall  come  to  his  end  and  none  shall  help  him.  And  at 
that  time  .shall  Michael  stand  up,  the  grea'  prince  which 
standc'h  for  the  children  of  thy  people  ;  and  there  shall 
be  ji  time  of  trouble,  s^ch  as  never  was  since  there  was 
tt  nation,  even  to  that  same  time  :  and  at  that  time  thy 
peop!  ^  shall  be  delivered,  every  one  that  shall  be  found 
written  in  the  book."* 

3.  *'  Ikhold,  I  will  make  Jerusalem  a  cup  of  trembling 
unto  all  the  [)cr)ple  roundabout,  wh<n  they  shall  be  in 
the  siege  both  against  Judali  and  .lerusalem.  And  in 
that  day  will  I  make  Jerusalem  a  burthen.'^ome  stone  for 
all  people  :  all,  that  burthen  themselves  w,th  it,  shall  he 
cut^  in  pieces,  though  all  the  peo])le  of  the  earth  be  gath- 

*  Dan.  vii.  xi.  jii. 


^3d 

ered  together  against  it.  In  that  day,  saith  the  Lord,  I 
will  smite  every  horse  with  astonisliment,  and  his  rider 
with  madness  :  and  I  will  open  mine  eyes  upon  the 
house  of  Judah,  and  will  smite  every  horse  of  the  peoi)le 
with  blindness.  And  the  governors  ot  Judah  sliall  say 
in  their  heart,  The  inhabitants  of  Jeiusalem  shall  be  my 
strength  in  the  Lord  of  hosts  their  God.  In  that  day 
will  I  make  the  governors  of  Judah  like  an  hearth  of  lire 
amojig  the  wood,  and  like  a  torch  of  lire  in  a  sheaf;  and 
they  shall  devour  all  the  people  round  about,  on  the 
right  hand  and  on  the  Mt  :  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  in* 
habited  again  in  her  own  place,  even  in  Jerusalem.  The 
Lord  also  shall  save  the  tents  of  Judah  first,  that  the 
gl  )ry  of  the  house  of  David,  and  the  glory  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Jerusalem  do  not  magnify  themselves  against 
Judah.  In  that  day  shall  the  Lord  defend  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Jerusalem  ;  and  he,  that  is  feeble  among  thera> 
at  that  day  shall  be  as  David ;  and  the  house  of  David, 
shall  be  as  God,  as  the  angel  of  the  Lord  before  thera^ 
And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  I  will  seek  to 
destroy  all  the  nations  that  come  against  Jerusalem.  And 
I  will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  suppli- 
cations :  and  they  shall  look  upon  me  whom  they  have 
pierced,  and  they  shall  mourn  for  him,  as  one  that 
mourueth  for  his  only  son,  and  shall  be  in  bitterness  fbr 
him,  as  one  that  is  in  bitterness  for  his  first  born.  In. 
that  day  shall  there  be  a  great  mourning  in  Jerusalem, 
as  the  mourning  of  the  vintage  shouting  of  Rimmon  in 
the  valley  of  Megiddon.  And  the  land  shall  mourn 
every  family  apart — All  the  families  that  remain,  every 
family  apart,  and  their  wives  apart.  In  that  day  there 
shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to  the  house  of  David,  and  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  for  sin  and  for  uncleanncss 
— And  one  shall  say  unto  him,  What  are  these  wounds  in 
thine  hands  ?  then  he  shall  answer.  Those  with  which  I 
was  wounded  in  the  house  of  my  friends — In  that  day 
shall  there  be  upon  the  bells  of  the  horses,  Holiness 
unto  the  Lord  :  and  the  pots  in  the  Lord's  house  shall  be 
like  the  bowls  before  the  altar.  Yea,  every  pot  in  Jerusa- 
letn  and  in  Judah  shall  be  holiness  unte  ihof.  Lord  of  hosts  . 


'236 

and  all  the}',  that  sacrifice,  shall  come  and  lake  of  theiuv 
and  seethe  therein  :  ajid  in  that  day  there  shall  be  no 
ntovea  trafiickcr  in  tiie  house  of  the  Lord  of  hosts."* 

4  **  H\n\v  ye  the  trumpet  in  Zion,  and  sound  an  alarm 
in  my  holy  mountain  :  let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  land 
tiernbie  :  for  the  day  of  the  Lord  coineth,  for  it  is  nigh 
at  hand:  a  day  of  darkness,  and  of  gloominess,  a  day  of 
clouds  and  of  thick  darkness,  as  the  morning  spread  up- 
on the  niountaljis  :  a  great  people  and  a  strong  ;  there 
h:Uh  not  been  ever  the  like,  neither  shall  there  be  any 
more  cdtei  it,  even  to  the  years  of  many  generations  f 
A  fire  de\()urcth  beiore  them  :  and  behind  them  a  llame 
burneth  :  the  land  is  as  the  garden  of  Eden  beiore  them, 
and  liehind  them  a  desolate  wilderness  ;  yea,  and  nothing 
shall  escape  them — Before  their  faces  the  people  shall 
be  much  pained  :  all  faces  shall  gather  blackness — They 
shall  run  to  and  fro  in  the  city  :  they  shall  run  upon  the 
Mail  :  they  shall  climb  up  upon  the  houses  ;  they  shall 
enter  in  at  the  windows  like  a  thief.  The  earth  shall 
(juake  before  them  :  the  Ixavens  shall  tremble  :  the  sun 
and  moon  siiali  be  dark,  and  the  stars  shall  withdraw 
their  shining.  And  tlie  Lord  shall  utter  his  voice  before 
his  army:  for  his  camp  is  very  great:  for  he  is  strong, 
that  executeth  his  word  :  lor  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  great 
and  \'ery  terrible  ;  and  who  can  abide  it? — Then  will 
the  Lord  be  jealous  for  his  land,  and  j)ity  hi  i  people. 
Yea,  the  Lord  will  answer, and  say  unto  his  j)eopl(^  Be- 
hold, 1   will  send   y(  u  corn,  and  wine,  and  oil ;  and  3c 

*Zechnr.  x'li.  xiii  xiv. 
1 1  np^irclu  nd,  tint  by  (liis  expression  \vc  must  understand  the  Lift  attempt  «' 
Sii'an  tiirair.st  tite  J.ainb  iii  the  c.osc  t.f  the  .Millennium  ;  wlieii,  utur  "tlie  >cars 
of  iiiur.N  j^eiicTation.s,'  subbcqut  ir,  to  th'  oiili  I'lrcs  of  "  llie  gnat  anil  MrijJip 
pt-diilt"  hfii-  prediclctl.  hi-  shall  .slii  up  from  tin-  futir  ♦jiia'tersof  ilie  eartli  the 
nnlKMis  stjli-d  by  M.  JoJm  Co;'  ami  ^l  ga^.  iMeainvliite,  durin}^  ilif  nuilcnnian- 
I'l  >i,  lliurc  sliuU  h«  nouclike  ilmi  strong-  pcopU,  till  thtr  years  oi  its  many  pen- 
eruti<.:i^  slrdl  ji.ive  fully  elafiscd.  The  f.'i^  (».•.</ .^/./j^oy,  mentione<l  by  St  JoliP., 
are  evuhn'lv  iJie  same  as  tin-  lio^  ««.«/ J^fc.y*^,  pvei.iclcd  by  K/ckicI-  1  he  tx- 
|it:diliniu.f  </.('«<    haiinni.  •j.\;,;m\'^\  Palestine    bi.a.Ys  n  .strong  rescmlilame  in    nvinj 

{I  >in;»to  the  exp<-dition  of  the  iiifiL  I  king  and  thcfuUe pr;[thet.  Yet  it  ccrtdn- 
y  <'i4ii:i'>i  l.y  th-  ■•.tjrtir,  both  b«c.iiiseSl  Ji  hn  iiWoi'ms  na  iliu!  itsh:dl  inkt  i)'ace 
:U  ilu- etid  'J  ifir  .)Ji/Uiiitiii:n  ;  and  berausi;  K/.tkiel,  in  sinct  coi  icsponikucr 
wiili  h  ni.  a.s^••lts  ilial  il  sii:di  be  dine  led  a^^uiusi  ilii-  Jews  so  loiii;  iilter  their 
l\!>I..iration  Id  llieir  own  land,  llu-it  ilie\  "ib  itld  be  iliveilinif  there  in  all  the  laif- 
fitU'ue  of  itiuvfK'ctiitif  liicuntii.  ^bee  t'./.ek.  X?.";x  iii.  8,  1 1,  1  J,  14.)  The  fxar 
of  (Jng  uud  »M^ii;0^  is  fully  lUscussed  in  q\\  unpublislkcd  \\  oik  on  the  Jii  "tra- 
t.o-i  'J'  Itr;Kltt).d  the  tterihroTf  'ij'  .hitichrii^. 


2S7 

shall  be  satisfied  therewith  :  and  I  will  no  more  make  you 
a  reproach  among  the  heathen.  But  I  will  remove  far 
olT  from  you  the  northern  army,  and  will  drive  him  into 
a  land  barren  and  desolate,  with  his  face  toward  the 
east  sea,  and  his  hinder  part  toward  the  utmost  sea  : 
and  his  stink  shall  come  up,  and  his  ill  savour  shall 
come  up,  because  he  hath  done  great  things — Be  glad 
then  ye  children  of  Zion,  and  rejoice  in  the  Lord  your 
God — And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  the  midst  of  Is- 
rael, and  that  I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  and  none  else : 
and  my  people  shall  never  be  ashamed.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  afterwards,  that  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit 
upon  all  flesh  ;  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall 
prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  your  young 
men  shall  see  visions.*  And  I  will  shew  wonders  in 
the  heavens  and  in  the  earth,  blood,  and  fire,  and  pillars 
of  smoke.  The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and 
the  moon  into  blood,  before  the  great  and  the  terrible 
day  of  the  Lord  come.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that, 
whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
delivered  :  for  in  mount  Zion  and  in  Jerusalem  shall  be 
deliverance,  as  the  Lord  hath  said,  and  in  the  remaiant 
whom  the  Lord  shall  call.  For,  behold,  in  those  days, 
and  at  that  time,  when  I  shall  bring  again  the  captivity 
of  Judah  and  Jerusalem,  I  will  also  gather  all  nations, 
and  will  bring  them  down  into  the  valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  and  will  plead  with  them  there  for  my  people,  and 
for  my  heritage  Israel,  whom  they  \m\e  scattered  among 
the  nations,  and  parted  my  land. — The  children  also  of 
Judah,  and  the  children  of  Jerusalem,  have  ye  sold  unto 
the    sons  of    the  Ionim,t   that  ye  might  remove  them 

This  is  applied  by  St.  Peter  to  the  effuti'Ai  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  thoujjh  strictly  relating  to  the  era  of  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  and 
the  glorious  pniod  of  the  millennium  TUe  frst  «f/wnf  of  Christ  is  frequently 
considered  by  the  inspired  writers  as  a  sort  of  t}pe  of  his  sccmid  advent 
wiieiice  we  find,  that  preilictions,  which  properly  belong'  to  the  one  period,  are 
often  applied  by  anticipation  to  the  other.  Thus,  in  a  similar  manner,  the 
apostles  apply  the  proijhecy  of  David,  in  the  second  I'salm.  to  the  conapiracy  of 
tim  chief  prifsts  -^ith  lltrod  and  Pontius  I'i.ate  against  'Mr  Jyird :  yet,  if  any  one 
\\;ll  compare  that  seci.nd  Psalm  with  the  dcscri/ilioJi  rf  the  fiord  of  (iod  renting 
h:.i  congrc^a-ed  enemies  m  the  nineteent/i  chapter  rf  the  .  ip'.aihpse,  he  will  be 
rnnvinced,  that  i»  does  not  receive  it.s  ultimate  arcomplishnuMit  till  the  second 
advent,  wliether  fiteral  or  sj^iritual,  at  'Jie  commencement  of  r/jc  miilenniiim 

t  By  then  Jovim  seein  to  be  meant  all  the  various  luorsuippers  of  the  lonaK  or' 
,\'Ht>r  (.hre,  both  In  the   li;ist  and  in  the  West;  not  the  fmiaity  of  U-crce  e.y 


QS8 

far  from  their  border.     Behold,  I  will   raise  tliem  out  of 
the  ()l?ice  whither  ye   have   sold  them,  and  wdl   return 
your  recomj)ence  upon  your  own  head:  and  1  will    sell 
your  sons  and  your  daughters  into  the  hand  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Judah,   and  they  shall  sell  them  to  the  Sabeans, 
to  a  people  far  off:  for  the  Lord   hath   spoken  it.     Pro- 
claim ye  this  among  the  Gentiles  :  Sanctify*  war,  wake 
np  the  mighty  men  ;  let  all  the  men  of  war  draw  n=ar  ; 
let  them  come  up.     Beat  your  plowshares   into   swords, 
and  your  pruning  hooks  into  spears  :  let  the  weak  say,   I 
am  stroiig.     Assemble   yourselves,  and  come,  all  ye  na- 
tions, ajid  gather  yourselves  together  round  about:  thitiier 
cause   thy  mighty    ones   to  come  down,   O  Lord.     Let 
the  nations  be  wakened,  and  come  up  to   the  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat  :  for  there  will  I  sit  to  judge  all  the   nations 
round  about.     Put  ye  in  the  sickle,  for  the  harvest  is 
ripe  :  come,  get  you  down,  for  the  press  is  full,  the  fats 
overflow  ;   for    their  wickedness  is   great.     MultitudeSy 
multitudes,  in  the  valley  of  concision.     The  sun  and  the 
moon   shall    be  darkened,  and  the  stars  shall  withdraw 
their  shining.     The  Lord  also  shall  roar  out  of  Zion,  and 
utter  his  voice  from  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  heavens   and 
the  earth  shall  shake  :  but  the  Lord  will   be  the  hope  of 
liis  people,  and  the  strength  of  the  children  of  Israel.     So 
shall  ye  know,  that  I  am  the  Lord  your  God  dwelling  in 
Zion  my  holy  mountain:  then  shall  Jerusalem  be  holy, 
and  there  shall  no  strangers  pass  through  her  any  niore."t 
Such  are  the  Joitr  most  remarkable  prophecks,  which 
treat  of  the  e\^ents  that  are  to  take  place  at  the  close  of 
the  1'2C)0  ijears.X     Those  ot  Daniel  and  St.  John  are  strict- 
ly chronological   ones,    and  are  therefore  in   some  mea- 
sure their  own  inteipreters :  and,  as  for  those  of  Zecliariah 
and  Joel,  although  they  be  not  marked  by  the  chronolog- 

elutifrlt/.  Tlie  dispersion  of  the  Jc-Lcs  extends  nearly  to  the  ^v]lole  world  :  and!^ 
so  widely,  in  old  times,  did  ?Ae -.uors/i//»  o/"r/je  Jonah  also  extend.  I  have  al- 
ready considered  the  subject  in  a  Dissertation  on  ihc  JJvsteries  of  the  Cabiri. 

*  So  the  word  is  properly  rendered  in  the  nnargin  of  our  translation  of  the 
Bible. 

+  Joel  ii.  iii. 

f  To  discuss  all  tlie  prophecies  relative  to  those  events  would  occupy  too  . 
large  a  portion  of  a  Work  like  liie  present,  which  professes  to  treat  peculiarly 
of  the  events  comprehciuled  vw//;//*  the  1260  years.  The  restoration  of  Israel 
And  the  aveithr orv  of  ^iiiti Christ,  which  are  here  very  briefly  noticed,  are  con-' 
sidercd  at  h.rge  in  my  unpublished  Work,  which  is  pryfcssedly  dedicated  W 
tUat  purpose. 


SS9 

teal  numbers  and  the  long-continued  and  connected  se- 
ries of  events  which  foiTO'So  striking  a  feature  of  the  other 
predictions,  yet  they  contain  within  them  facts  which 
are  amply  sufficient  to  shew  at  what  era  they  will  be  ac- 
coniphshed.  They  both  foretell  the  resforat^on  of  the 
Jews  :  consequently  all  the  matters,  of  which  they  speak 
as  connected  with  that  restoration^  must  be  the  same 
matters  as  those  of  whtch  Daniel  speaks  as  being  similarly 
connected  with  it.  Hence  it  will  follow,  that  the  de- 
struction '/  th'  nations  in  thev'civity  of  Jerusaleniy  pre- 
dicted by  Zeciianah  as  contemporary  with  tiie  resiorntign 
of  the  Jews,  must  be  the  same  as  the  oie^throxv  oj  the 
inJidfUdiig  in  Palestine,  predicted  by  Daniel  as  likewise 
contempoiary  with  the  restoration  'f  the  Jnvs.  Hence 
al«o  it  will  follow,  that  the  fierce  people  symbolized  by  a 
fi'ght  of  locuslSy  so  accurately  described  at  the  begin- 
ning oi  the  prediction  of  Joel,  as  spreading  desolation 
wherever  they  come,  as  wonderfully  succeeding  m  all 
their  enteiprizes,  as  running  to  and  fro  in  the  great  city, 
as  scaling  the  walls  of  fenced  cities  with  open  violence, 
as  entering  insidiously  in  at  the  windows  like  a  thief, 
as  causing  tremendous  revolutions  in  the  political  heav- 
ens ;  that  ttvs fierce  people  can  he  no  other  than  the  peo- 
ple of  Duri/eVs  infidel  lavg,  who  are  to  commence  their 
reign  oi  hovoc  and  plunder  under  the  Ih  rd  woe-trTimpety 
during  the  comparative!}  shor^  time  which  the  devii  halh 
before  the  termination  of  the  1*260  i/ears,  beiore  the  com- 
mencement of  the  restoration  of  the  Jews.^  It  will  like- 
wise follow,  that  the  invj.sion  of  Palestine  hi)  the  liorthem 
army,  or  the  army  of  Antich'Sl  evteri'g  it  by  way  of  the 
north,  is  the  same  as  the  si..diar  expeaitiai  oj  the  in  eel 
kuig  :  and  that  thr  destruction  (f  this  northern  artny  iiitk 
its  J  ace  to  the  eastern  sea,  and  iff  hinder  pa>t  towaias  the 
ut.itostsea,  is  the  same  event  as  t  :e  de.  tr:iciiinoj  tlie  in- 
fidel kiiig,  af'er  he  has  planted  the  curt  uns  of  his  pavil- 
ions between  the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  viouniain  ;  for 

*  Since  the  first  edition  of  this  work  was  pubrished,  I  have  read  Cliandler's 
Pai'aphrase  of  Jotl,  ar.d  am  more  convinced  *;han  ever  I  was,  that  this  locust- 
armij  cannot  mean  a  fight  of  mere  literal  Iziisis  as  he  suppost-s,  bat  inusi  de- 
note, like  the  parallel  prophecy  in  Rev.  ix.  a  Jhq-ht  of  sj,mtiolical  locus'S  ;  which 
.S2/»j/w//co/ /oc?<.y/s  the  whole  context  of  the  pi  edictiou  eaches  us  must  mean 
the  diso'.ating  armies  of  Jlntichrtst.  This  point  is  futly  discussed  in  my  itnpnb- 
lished  'SVork  on  the  lieitoratian  of  Israel. 


240 

ill  both  cases,  the  scene  is  equally  laid  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ot  Je  usalem  between  th&  eastcrii  or  dead  scay  and 
the  fveteni  or  Mediterranean  sea.  It  will  lastly  follow, 
that  the  great  battle  of  tlit  nation  ,  in  the  valley  of  Jeho- 
shaphiify  is  the  same  as  thegrcat  battle  of  the  beast,  the  false 
prophety  and  the  /cing.s,  a'  Annngcddon  ;  and  as  the  con- 
clusion of  t'ic  time  of  jiiuwumplcd  troubUy  during  wliich 
Daniel,  like  Joel,  predicts  that  tiie  restoration  of  the  Jews 
will  lake  place. 

It  appears  then  from  these  concurring  prophecies,  that 
the  final  war  of  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  against  the 
Ciosj.tl,  though  pro!->aMy  first  raging  with  great  violence 
in  Kurojx?,  during  t/ie  tartlupiake  by  n'tiich  the  Latin  city 
is  divided  into  three pt^rtSyUnd  by  which  M^  islands  and 
mountains  or  smaller  states  of  the  empire  are  swalloned 
np  into  some  grcvd  sche?ne  oj  mi /nitons  partition :  or,  in 
the  language  of  Joel,  during  llie  time  that  wonders  are 
shenn  in  the  heavens  and  in  the  earth,  bloody  and  fire^  and 
pillars  of  smoke  :  the  final  war  will  manifestly  be  decided 
jn  Palestine  between  the  two  seas.'* 

The  corresponding  and  joint  declaration  of  Daniel, 
"Zechariah,  and  Joel,  relative  to  fhe  country  which  is  ulti- 
mately to  be  the  seat  of  this  last  war,  is  confirmed  in  a 
very  remarkable  manner  by  St.  John.  In  liis  brief  ac- 
count ol  the  vintage,  under  which  Popery  and  Infidelity 
are  for  ever  destroyed,  he  informs  ns,  that  the  nine  press, 
meaning  the  winepress  of  Ann'>geddon,  should  be  trodden 
fvilhnut  the  city,  and  that  blood  should  come  out  of  it, 
even  to  the  ho  ses'  bridles,  by  the  space  of  1600  furlongs. 
J3oth  these  descriptive  marks  perfectly  correspond  with 
the  lard  of  Palestine;  the  land,  in  which  by  the  unani- 
mous tt^stiniony  of  the  j)ropliets  the  last  great  controversy 
of  tlie  i^ord  will  be  carried  on.  In  ono  sense,  that  coun- 
trv  is  within  the  great  ci'y  ;  and,  in  another  sense,  wdhont 
\{.  It  is  xiithin  it,  if  the  whole  Hvmnn  empire  be  consid- 
ered, as  including  both  is  jroitr  seat  in  the  If'esfy  and 
its  Eastern  conpiesfsfrom  the  third  or  Macedonian  beast. 

•  "  I  have  an  unfashionable  partiality,"  says  Bp.  Horsley,   "  for  the  opiniorjt 
of  aTtt>r|tilt\.     1  think  ihcie  is  urouncl  in  tht  pmphcciLS  for  the    noiioii  of  the 
■,       rs,  that /-'fi/<jf;««  IS  the  stape,  on   which  .^nnc/imr,  in  the  height  ol 
;,  vill  perish. "     Letter  on  tlie  I8ih  chap  oflsaiuh. 


"But  it  is  ivithout  \\\{the  revived  ov  Latin  ovpire  be  con- 
siderr (1,  because  tfuil  empire  was  confined  exclusively  to 
the  (Ve^t.  Hence  we  finfl  it  said,  in  perfect  harmony 
with  this  suj)position,t:iatour  Lord  was  crucified  in  the 
great  city;*  because  he  suflered  during  the  existence 
of  the  ar^cieni  Ro'>^mii  cmlnre^  -which  coniprohended  the 
sovereignty  both  ot  the  East  ;  nd  of  the  /Vest.  And 
hence  we  moreover  find  it  said,  that  the  ivine-press  of 
Armageddon  shouhl  be  trodden  nithont  the  city,  bcciuse 
at  the  time  when  this  event  is  to  happen,  the  East  should 
not  form  a  part  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  revived  or  ^atin 
evilnre :  and  history  accordin.c;ly  testifies,  that  it  never 
did  form  any  part  of  it  t  This  land,  wiilwut  the  city, 
^»vhere  the  iigurative  wine-press  is  to  be  trodden,  is  de- 
scribed by  St.  John  as  extending  1(>00  firbvgs:  and 
all  the  other  prophets  declare,  that  the  land  in  question 
is /'fl/ei/iVe  ;  lience  we  are  naturally  led  to  expect,  that 
Palestine  should  extend  \600/iirl(<?2gs  Now  it  is  highly 
worthy  of  observation,  that  the  length  of  that  region  he- 
ixveen  the  two  seas  which  is  destined  to  wiiness  the  fall  of 
■hiticfirist  and  his  congregated  host,  if  a  line  be  drawn 
along  the  sea-shore  Irom  its  southern  to  its  northern  iron- 
tier,  amounts  exactly  to  l600 dovish  liisin  or  Stadia.X 

Not  merely  the  land  however  is  pointed  out,  where 
this  great  battle  is  to  be  fougiit,  but  even  tlie  x'cr^i  place 
in  that  land.  Zechariah,  as  we  have  seen,  fixes  in  gene- 
ral terms  the  scene  of  action  in  Pcdcsiine  and  in  iheneigh- 
hoiirliood of  Jerusalem  :  Joel  likewise  fixes  ihe  scene  of 

*  Rev.  xi  8. 

t  The  temporary  prevalence  of  tlie  Latins  in  the  East,  during  the  time  of 
tlie  crusades,  forms  a  solitary  exception  to  this  tr^enerai  ride. 

%  See  n'Vnville's  Map  of  I'alestine  with  scales  of  measures.  This  coinci- 
-ileiice  bi  iween  the  tcngtli  of  J'aiestine  and  the  160U  stadia  was  noticed  by  Je- 
rome ;  and  it  probably  was  one  reason  why  t!ie  fathers  nglitiy  believed,  that 
.ir.iichrist  should  perish  in  that  country.  Mr.  Mede  ment'ons  the  circum-" 
stance  :  but,  from  an  idea  that  the  citij  means  the  Htcrjl  city  of  Home,  instead 
of  the  lioman  empire,  he  supposes,  contrary  to  the  exjjress  declarations  of  all 
the  prophecies  which  treat  of  the  subject,  that  the  last  great  vjar  will  be  de- 
cided -leifhout  the  walls  of  Jfome  and  iji  the  territories  'f  the  Fope  ;  and  thence 
observes,  that  trie,  measure  of  Peter's  patnmor.v,  from  the  walls  (.f  Home  to  the 
last  mouth  of  the  Po,  is  1600  frlott^s  (Comment  Ap'>c  in  -\  indemiam.) 
Vpon  this  it  wiil  be  sufficient  to  observe,  tluit  the  li'hole  lengih  ot  Uie  papal 
dominions  is  considerably  more  than  1600  fttrio^gs  .-  ard,  even  'f  the  coin- 
cidence had  been  exact,  nothing  would  have  been  proved  thfreby.  because 
the  prophets  unanimously  direct  our  attention  to  quite  another  country  iiame. 
'y,  Palestine,  which  is  found  to  be  precisely  16U0 /;.'!. 'cn^j in  length.  See  Pol. 
Synop.  in  loc. 

VOL.  n.  51 


242 

action  in  Palesi'tnCy  declaring  that  the  nnriJtern  arnn/  shall 
he  destroyed  httncen  the  two  sea^  :  Paiiiol  no  less 
explicitly  aflirms,  that  the  hf/idrt  /c/'',?,  after  having;  j)lant- 
ed  the  curtains  of  his  pavilions  bttxcccn  the  seas  \\\  the 
gloriois  holy  mountain,  shall  come  to  his  end,  none  hc- 
ins;  aMe  to  help  him  :  and  St.  John  asserts,  that  ftic  nine- 
prrss  shall  he  trodden  hi  a  land  which  extends  I6OO  fiw- 
longs — In  ad'lition  to  this^^z/erfl/ statement  of  the  iohji- 
iri/->  uiiere  these  events  are  to  happen,  Joel  further  in- 
forms us,  that  the  battle  of  Uie  nations  shall  not  only  be 
fought  helxcf  en  the  two  seasy  hut  in  the  valley  of  Jehosha- 
fhal ;  and  St.  John  predicts  very  definitely,  that  this  sanie 
battle  shall  not  only  Ix;  fr)ught  in  a  land  xchich  extends 
lOVK)  ji>rlongSi  but  in  a  a  certain  place  of  thai  land  called 
Armageddon — The  ralleiiof  Jeho.shaphat  therefore,  and 
Armngeddon,  are  one  and  the  same  region — Now  the 
u'otd  Jehoshiiphat  signifies  the  judi^ment  of  the  Lord^ 
and  the  xalleij  of  thehaille  is  indiTcrently  s.  vied  by  Joel 
the  valley  'fJchosh  phat  or  the  jndi^nient  of  the  Lord-,  and 
the  valley  of  concision  or  destruction.  It  is  plain  there- 
fore, that  this  is  not  the  proper,  but  only  a  descriptive,* 
name  of  the  place  ;  that  is,  of  sofnt  place  or  other  beliceen 
the  txvo  seas — Here  then  S(.  John  steps  forward,  and  fur- 
nishes us  with  the  literal  proper  name  of  the  region, 
which  is  thus  to  be  made  the  scene  of  the  just  judgment 
of  the  Lord.  Armas^eddon  signifies  the  destruction  of  Me- 
gidih:  and  J/ri,'7V/<'/oisa  town  situate /^r/«Y'(';/  the  txco  seas, 
in  the  half-tribe  ol  Manassetii,  at  a  small  distance  from  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean. f  In  the  valley  of  tins  place, 
Josiah  lost  his  life  in  his  latal  encounter  with  Pharaoh  king 

•  That  Jehoshaphat  is  only  a  ilcscriptive  name  of  Uie  pl.ice,  is  evident  from 
the  context : — "  Uie  valley  of  Jchosliapltat,  Jor  there  vtill  I  fJehovakJ  tit  f 
judge  the  nations  rouml  about," 

f  Armapcddon  is  the  abbreviated  compound  of  I'lDO'ilDnn  .Xrma-Mapred- 
don,  the  Jevotm;^  to  uttrr  distruction  at  .Mi-^ildo.  "  Uie  ilnquf.crasis  cst.ut  in  nc 
mine  CSmDN  prn  VOiTDTDK  Kc."  bee  I'ol.  Sjnop.  in  loc.)  1  prefi-r  this 
derivation  of  tlic  Word  to  that  iiioj;oged  by  Caiijift.  lie  conceives  it  to  be 
compounded  of  .Ir  and  JMrffidikn,  and  thenCv-  to  bij^iify  t'-.e  mouiituin  »/  ,1/c- 
giiLli)  Snch  a  supposition  however  by  no  means  tallies  rithcr  with  the  ordi- 
naf)  Unpiui,'e  of  Scripimc  employed  in  speakinj?  «if  McRiddo,  or  with  tlie 
parallel  pro|)hccy  in  the  book  of  Joel^  Ttit  valley  of  .Mcgiddo  is  twice  spoken 
of:  (~  Chron.  xxxv. 'J2.  Zrchur.  xii.  U)  the  mountain  of  Megiddo  never; 
«nd,  agreeably  to  this  phra!»col()}fj,  the  future  stajrc.of  the  preat  battle  of 
Arma^Tfddon  is  termed  lu-  Joel  the  xutilc;/,  not  the  mountain,  of  Jehoshaphat. 
Jlence  I  think  it  scared}  probable  Ul.it  Jrmageddon  should  si^Uy  the  motri 
itiii  of  AIcgi<Uo 


S43 

of  Egypt:  and  it  appears,  that  this  valley  of  the  des'mcUon 
of  Megiddoy  or,  as  it  is  termed  by  Joel,  ////v  valU'ij  of  the 
judgment  of  the  Lord-,  is  hereafter  to  be  the   scene  of  a 
yet  more  dreadful  conflict. 

I  have  observed,  that  the  gathering  together  of  the 
kings  ofth(f  ecvth  to  the  battle  of  Armageddon^  may  pos- 
sibly mean  tlie  gnt  cring  together  of  some  great  conjed- 
erary  of  the  infidel  '■opish  pozvers  against  the  converted 
Jt:c;  s'ippnrtcd  hi/  the  arms  of"  Protestantis7n,  to  tlie  place 
appHiited  for  th.dr  destruction.  This  conjecture  is 
strengthcued  by  a  ceHain  peculiarity  of  ex[)rcssion,  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  tauglit  both  Joel  and  Daniel  to  adopt  in 
their  respective  predictions  concerning  the  great  troul)les 
about  to  come  to  pass  at  the  end  of  th<'  IQGO  years.  Joel 
describes  the  proclamation,  by  which  the  nations  are 
to  be  gathered  together,  as  inviting  them  tosahctify  xvar : 
and  Daniel  represents  the  inf  del  tyrant  as  g^^'^g  ioiXn  in 
great  wrath  to  devote-,  under  the  pretext  of  relig'on,  many 
to  utter  destruction.*  From  these  expressions  1  am 
much  inclined  to  think,  that  the  gathering  together  of  t  e 
beast,  the  false  prcphc^t,  and  the  /cings  of  the  Latin  earth, 
will  be  for  the  purpose  of  undertaking  what  a  lapist 
would  denominate  a  liJy  war :  that  is  to  say,  a  war  some- 
what similar  to  the  ancient  holy  crusade  against  the  Wal- 
denses  of  Provence;  a  war  entered  into  under  the  cogni- 
zance oi  the  tvov.s  tor  the  pious  purpose  ot  exterminating  all 
those  whom  the  Chun  h  'f  Lioyne  tli  nks  proj)er  to  denom- 
inate heretics.^     This  infamous   prostitution  of  the  sa- 

*  Such  is  tlie  proper  meanini^oftlie  word  0*1(1  Ifurcin,  here  used.  Tlioue^h 
Bp  Ni;wton,  1  am  persuaded,  ir\terprets  the  whole  of  this  prophecy  very  erro- 
reously,  yet  lie  is  pertectiy  right  in  w  hat  lie  says  respecting  tlie  verb  Harem. 
•'  'I'iie  original  word,  which  wc  translate  utterly  to  make  iruniy.  signifies  to  ana- 
thematise, to  consec  ate,  to  devote  to  utter  perdition  ;  so  that  it  strongly  imijlies, 
th  ii  this  war  sliould  be  made  upon  a  religious  account  "  (Dissert.  XVH.) 
D'nnn-  Analhemaiizavit,  anathemate  vcl  anathemati,  internccioni,  furd.i- 
tioni,  devovit  :  consecra\it,  dcvotum  eflecit.  (lUixtoif.  Lexic )  D'inn. 
Occidit,  dispcrdidit,  devastavit,  morti  addixit,  aiuithematizavit,  anathemati 
subjecit.     (Jalas.  Concord- 

•}•  Mr  Whitaker's  idea,  tliat  Jerusalem  is  ulttviately  to  be  the  seat  of  the  Pope, 
is  perhaps  not  altogether  itahrobakle  ,-  but  1  cannot  find,  tliat  there  is  any  ex- 
press warrant  for  such  a  supposition  in'Scripture.  Mr.  Whiiaker  refers  to 
Uev.  xi.  7.  8.  in  conhrmation  of  his  opinion  ;  but  tins  p.iss.igo  afl'orus  no 
proof.  Jerusalem  is  never  styled  f/ie^'reai  c/fv.  That  title  is  exclusively  ap- 
plied to //if /fojucn  ejn/)jic,  which  is  here  likewise  intended.  (Com.  p.  4-11.) 
-Mr.  W  hitakcr,  since  this  was  written,  has  laboured  in  a  pamphlrt,  which  he 
Ins  published  agaiiisl  mc,  to  prove  lliut   the  great  c.';/  moiin.'j  Jernaiem  ,-  but 


644 

creel  name  of  religion  will  however  be  amply  repayed  upon 
their  own  head.  Tlie  jinna,  or  destr  'iji.i^c^  anatlicmai 
wiiich ///t  false pr'^1)het  shall  fuhninate  a/ainst  his  ene- 
mies, an'!  which  his  zealous  coadjutor,  the  athcislico  papal 
tyrant,  will  go  (brth  in  great  iury  to  put  in  execution 
against  those  whom  he  hath  religiously  devoted  to  de- 
struction, shall  prove  an  Arma  only  to  themselves.  Ac- 
cordingly we  Olid,  what  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that 
the  same  word  Anna,  the  radical  verb  of  which  Daniel 
uses  to  express  the  manner  in  which  the  iiijidtl  kivg 
should  go  ibrth  in  his  wrath,  is  united  by  St.  John  in 
composition  with  the  proper  name  Alegiddo :  as  if  he 
wished  to  intimate,  that  they,  who  had  pronounced  an 
An/ia  against  all  their  opponents,  should  themselves  feel 
the  balcl'ul  eOects  oi  the  Lord's  Jrmn  at  Arnia-Mi gid- 
don^  The  very  league  of  tliejal.se  pr  phct  indeed  with 
the  beast  and  the  kings  of  tht  earthy  might  alone  lead  us 
to  conclude,  that  this  war  should  be  a  religious  war: 
for,  if  it  were  a  war  undertaken  only  upon  common  prin- 
ciples, it  is  not  easy  to  assign  a  reason  why  the  false  pro- 
phet, should  be  evidently  so  much  interested  in  its  success. 

The  following,  as  far  as  I  am  able  to  collect  from  pro- 
phecy, seems  to  be  the  order,  in  which  the  great  eventf^ 
that  begin  to  take  ])lace  at  the  close  of  the  i'2ij0 years  will 
succeed  each  other .f 

At  the  pouring  out  of  (he  seventh  vial,  the  great  Latin 
city  will  be  divided  into  three  parts  ;  and  the  expeditioa 
oi  the  wilpul king  against  Palestine,  predicted  by  Daniel,^ 
will  commence.  Jlie  I'JGO  years  having  now  expired^ 
the  retoration  0/ ///te/Mri- will  likewise  commence  :  for 
it  is  declared,  that  their  restoration  shall  at  once  be  con- 
temporary with  the  time  of  itnexaniplcd  trouble  which 
marks  the  time  oj  the  end,  and  shall  begin  to  take  place 

lie  appears  to  nie  to  have  coir.pletcly  failed  in  establishing  his  position,  in 
which  indeed  he  runs  counter  to  llie  opinion  of  Mede,  Nawton,  and  all  our 
best  commentators. 

•  .Mr  llcmin;,'- has  much  the  same  remark.  After  observing  that  ^rma  sig- 
nifies both  an  anat':cma  and  a  s!t:ytf/itcr,  he  adds,  "  that  both  the  amitlwrniis  dal't- 
ed  agiinsl  the  saints  by  tlie  Itonianibts,  and  their  armies  made  use  of  ajjjiinst 
them,  may  be  liere  alluded  to  "     .\poc.  Key,  p.  63. 

t  I  purposely  jijivconlya  very  brief  .statement  of  these  matters,  and  omit  all 
refetences  to  particular  prophecies,  as  I  propose  to  discuss  them  at  large 
in  a  bi  |)arate  work  on  the  Jics'.oralion  of  Israel  and  the  QVCithro'iJ  of  the  .Inti 
christian  coitfuicracj. 

i  Dun.  .\i.  40—15. 


245 

so  soon  as  (he  three  ti7nes  a7id  a  half  terminate.  Gue 
great  body  of  the  Jezvs  w  ill  be  converted  and  restored  by 
the  instrumentality  of  so  »e  mighty  maritime  nation  of 
faithful  worshipper  Si  and  therelore  by  some  niari  time  na^- 
tion  hostile  to  the  viezvs  a?id principles  of  J ntichrist.'^' 

*  Bp  Horsley's  translation  of  the  13th  chapter  of  Isaiali,  and  some  of  his  re- 
marks «pon  the  prophecy  contained  in  it,  are  so  remarkably  apposite  to  the 
plan  of  the  present  work,  that  I  shall  take  tlie  liberty  of  transcribing  them. 

JSAIAH  XYIII. 

1.  Ho  !  land  spreading  wide  the  shadow  of  (thy)  wings  which  are  beyond 
the  rivers  of  Gush. 

2.  Accustomed  to  send  messengers  by  sea,  even  in  bulrush  vessels  upon  the 
surface  of  the  waters !  Go,  swift  messengers,  unto  a  nation  dragged  away 
and.  plucked,  unto  a  people  wonderful  from  their  t>eginiiing  hitherto,  a  nation 
expecting,  expecting,  and  trampled  under  foot.  Whose  land  rivers  have  spoil- 
ed : 

3.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers  upon  earth,  shall  see  the 
lifting  up,  as  it  wei-e,  of  a  banner  upon  the  mountains  ;  and  shall  hear  the 
souniiing,  as  it  were,  of  a  trumpet. 

4.  For  thus  saith  Jehovah  unto  me  ;  I  will  sit  still,  (but  I  will  keep  my  eye 
upon  my  prepared  habitation,)  as  tlie  parching  heat  just  before  lightning,  as 
the  dewy  cloud  in  the  heat  of  harvest. 

5.  For,  afore  the  harvest,  when  the  bud  is  coming  to  perfection,  and  the 
blossom  is  become  a  juicy  berry,  he  will  cut  off  the  useless  shoots  with  prun- 
ing hooks  ;  and  the  bill  shall  take  away  the  luxuriant  branches. 

6.  They  shall  be  left  together  to  the  bird  of  prey  of  the  mountains,  and  to 
the  beasts  of  the  earth.  And  upon  it  shall  the  bird  of  prey  summer,  and  all 
the  beasts  of  the  earth  upon  it  shall  winter. 

7-  At  that  season  a  present  shall  be  led  to  Jehovah  of  hosts,  a  people  drag- 
ged away  and  plucked  ;  even  of  a  people  wonderful  from  their  beginning  hi- 
therto :  a  nation  expecting,  expecting,  and  trampled  under  foot,  whose  land 
rivers  have  spoiled,  unto  the  place  of  the  name  of  Jehovah  of  hosts.  Mount 
Zion. 

COMMENTARY. 

The  shcdovi  of  thy  w'lngs^  The  shadow  of  wings  is  a  very  usual  image  in 
prophetic  language  for  protect!'  'n  afforded  by  the  stronger  to  the  weak.  God's 
protection  of  his  servants  is  described  by  their  being  safe  under  the  shadow 
of  his  wings.  And,  in  this  passage,  the  broad  shadowing  wings  may  be  in- 
tended to  characterize  some  great  people,  who  should  be  famous  for  the  pro- 
tection they  should  give  to  those,  whom  they  received  into  their  alliance  -, 
and  i  cannot  but  think  this  the  most  simple  and  natural  exposition  of  the  ex- 
pression. 

7^0  send jnessenger.i.']  The  original  word  m>^>v  may  betaken  for  persons 
employed  between  nation  and  nation,  for  the  purposes  either  of  negociation  or 
commerce. 

Bulrusli  vessels."]  Navigable  vessels  are  certainly  meant — If  the  country 
spoken  to  be  distant  from  Egypt,  vessels  of  bulrush  are  only  used  as  an  apt 
image,  on  account  of  their  levity  ;  for  quick  sailing  vessels  of  any  material. 
The  country  therefore,  to  which  the  prophet  calls,  is  characterized  as  one, 
wliich  in  the  days  of  the  completion  of  this  prophecy  should  be  a  great  mari- 
time and  commercial  power,  forming  remote  alliances,  making  distant  voyages 
to  all  parts  of  the  world  with  expediiion  and  security,  and  in  the  habit  ot" 
alfording  protection  to  their  friends  and  allies.  Where  this  country  is  to  be 
found,  is  not  otherwise  said,  than  that  it  will  be  remote  from  Judca,  and  with, 
respect  to  that  country  beyond  the  Cushcan  streams. 

A  nation  dragged  mvay.']  The  dispersed  Jews  :  a  nation  dragged  away  from 
',fe  proper  scat^  and  plucked  of  its  wealth  and  power;  a  people  wonderfo.lfrom. 


!?46 

Those  consequently,  who  are  thus  converted  and  brought 
back  by  sea,  must  clearly  be  such  Jews-,  as  were  either 
scattered  through  the  dominions  and  colonies  oithe  viari- 
timc  power,  or  through  those  of  other  smaller  maritime 

the  beginning  to  this  very  time  for  the  special  providence,  which  ever  has  at- 
tentled  ihem.and  directed  tlieir  fortunes  ;  a  nation  still  liiigeringin  expectation 
of  tlie  Messiuli,  wlio  so  lo  g  since  came,  and  was  rejected  by  them,  and  now 
is  coming  again  in  glory  ;  a  nation  universally  trampled  under  foot ;  whose 
land  rivers,  armies  of  foreign  invaders,  the  Assyrians,  Babylonians,  Syro-Ma- 
cedoniaiis,  liuniuns,  Saracens,  anil  Turks,  have  over-run  and  depopulated. 

^It  tnat  s.aso.ia  prtsent  shall  be  ltd -^  Immediately  afler  tlie  purgation  of 
the  (Church,  at  tlie  very  time,  wlien  the  bird  of  prey  with  all  the  beasts  of  the 
earth  Antichrist  with  his  rebel  rout,-shall  have  fixed  his  seat  between  the 
seas  in  tlie  holy  mountain,  a  presi'nt  shall  be  brought ;  the  nation,  described 
in  ver.  2  a->  those  to  whom  the  swift  messengers  are  sent,  after  their  long  in- 
fidelity,  shall  be  brought  as  a  p.esent  unto  Jehovah.  (Comjiarc  Ixvi.  0.) 
Tliiy  shall  be  convt-rted  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the  truth,  and  they  shall 
Ik-  bi-out^ht  to  the  place  of  the  name  of  Jehovah,  to  mount  Zion  :  they  shall  be 
settled  in  peace  and  prosperity,  in  the  land  of  their  original  inheritance — 
This  then  is  the  sum  of  this  prophecy,  and  tiie  substance  of  the  message  sent 
to  tlie  people  dragged  away  and  plucked.  Tiii.t,  in  the  latter  ages,  after  a 
long  suspension  of  tiie  visible  interpositions  of  L'rovidence,  God,  who  all  the 
while  ivgaiMb  that  dwelling  place  which  he  wdl  nt  ver  abandon,  and  is  at  all 
tinu-s  directing  the  events  of  the  world  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  own  pur- 
poses of  wisdom  and  mercy  ;  immediately  before  the  final  gatlieringof  his  elect 
from  the  four  winds  of  tiei^vt  n,  w  ill  purify  his  Church  by  such  signal  judgments, 
asshail  rouse  the  attention  of  the  whole  world,and,  in  the  end,  strike  all  nations 
wi>J»  r.l.gidus  awe.  At  this  period,the  apo>tate  faction  w  ill  occupy  the  Hulj  Land. 
This  faction  will  certainly  be  an  instrument  of  those  judgments,  by  which  thff 
Church  will  be  purified  'I'hat  purification  therefore  is  not  at  all  inconeistent 
Willi  the  seeming;  prosjicrity  of  the  affliirs  of  the  atheistical  confederacy.  But 
after  such  duration  as  C;..d  shall  see  fit  to  allow  to  tlie  plenitude  of  its  power, 
th'-  Jews,  converted  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  will  beunexpectedl)  restored  to  their 
ancient  possessions  The  swift  messengers  will  certainly  have  a  considera- 
ble share,  as  instruments  m  tlie  hand  of  God,  in  the  restoration  of  the  chosen 
pt-ople  :  otherwise,  to  what  purpose  are  they  called  upon  (ver.  1.)  to  re- 
ceive their  commission  from  ilie  prophet!  It  will  perhaps  be  some  part  of 
their  business  lo  afl'oid  the  Jews  ilie  assistance  and  protection  of  their  fleets. 
Tliis  seems  to  be  insinuated  in  the  imagery  of  the  hi  st  verse.  Rut  the  princi- 
pal part,  tliey  will  have  to  act,  wili  be  that  of  the  carriers  of  God's  message 
to  his  people.  Ihis  cliaracter  seems  to  describe  some  christian  couii:ry, 
where  the  prophecies,  relating  to  the  latter  ages,  will  meet  with  particular 
attention  ;  where  the  literal  sense  of  those,  which  promise  the  restoration  of 
the  Jewish  pi  ojile,  will  be  strenuously  upheld  ;  and  where  these  will  be  so 
successfully  CNpuunded,  as  to  be  the  p/iiicii.al  means,  by  God's  blessing,  of  re- 
moving the  veil  from  the  hearts  of  the  Israelites.  Those,  who  shall  thus  be 
the  instruments  of  this  blessed  work,  may  well  be  described,  in  the 
figured  language  of  prophecy,  as  the  carriers  of  God's  message  to  his 
people  Tiie  situation  of  the  country,  destined  to  so  high  an  office,  is 
not  otherwise  described  in  the  prophecy,  than  by  this  circumstance;  Uiat  it 
is  to  be  beyond  the  n.ers  of  Cusli :  that  is,  far  Ut  the  West  of  Judca,  if  these 
nveis  of  Cushare  to  be  understood,  as  they  have  been  generally  understood, 
♦  of  the  Nile  and  other  Ktlnopian  rivers  ;  far  to  the  i-ast,  if  of  ihe  'I'igris  and 
Euphrates.  I'he  one,  or  the  other,  they  must  denote  ;  but  which,  is  uncertain. 
It  w  ill  be  natural  to  ask  of  w  iiat  importance  is  this  circumstance  in  the  ch.irac- 
ter  of  the  country  ;  which,  if  it  beany  Ihmg,  is  a  geographical  character,  and 
yet  leaves  the  particul  ir  situation  so  much  umiitermined,  that  we  know  not  in 
what  qiiancr  of  the  world  to  look  for  1\k  country  intended,   whether  in  the 


Q47 

nations  in  alliance  with  and  professing  the  same  faith  as 
t/ie  great  naval  power  itself.  Another  cnnsidcrahlo  body 
of  the  Jews  there  is  reason  to  believe  will  be  restored  by- 
land,  and  in  an  unconverted  state,  by  tJie  u4)it'cir-is'h  n 
faction  :  and  that  for  mere  political  purposes.  Those 
consequently,  who  are  thus  brought  back,  must  be  such 
Jezvs  as  are  scattered  through  the  territories  of  the  injidel 
king  and  his  vassal  allies. 

Daniel  has  given  us  a  wonderfully  minute  accorint  of 
the  progress  of  the  Antichri^tian  coiij  edcr^ci)  to  Palestine : 
which,  as  might  naturally  be  expected  from  the  circum- 
stance oi the  maritime poiier  Q,(yix\v(\2cci(S\x\g  at  sea,  is  plainly 
by  land.  This  expedition  of  theinji'el  king,  which  we 
must  conclude,  both  from  local  and  chronological  evi- 
dence, to  be  the  same  as  the  expedition  oUhe  ha^t  under 
Ids  last  head,  the  false  prophet,  and  the  kings  oj  the  La!  in 
earth,  will  at  its  first  setting  out  be  opposed  by  two  kings 
of  the  south  and  the  north.  Now,  if  the  infidel  king  be 
Fr  nee,  he  must,  in  his  attempt  to  invade  the  hoy  land 
from  his  empire  in  the  West,  necessarily  pass  through 
Tu>key.  Here  therefore  most  probably  will  be  the  first 
collision.  The  Ottoman  power,  as  we  learn  from  St.  John, 
will  have  previously  fallen  under  the  si.vth  apocalyptic 
vial :  but  in  whose  hands  Turkey  and  Asia  minor  will 
then  be,  no  one  can  at  present  with  certainty  determine. 
In  spite  however  of  all  the  opposition  made  by  the  txvo 
kings.  Antichrist  will  enter  into  the  countries,  overflow- 
ing them  like  a  resistless  torrent  ;  will  pass  over  the  nar- 
row channel  of  the  Constantinopolitan  sea ;  and  will 
force  his  way  into  Palestine.  Such  being  his  progress, 
he  must  unavoidably  enter  the  holy  land  from  the  north  : 

East  Indies,  or  in  the  western  parts  of  Africa  or  Europe,  or  in  America  ?  I  an- 
swer, that  ilie  full  importance  of  this  circumstance  will  not  appear,  till  the 
completion  of  the  prophecy  shall  discover  it.  But  it  had,  as  I  conceive,  a 
temporary  importance  at  the  time  of  the  delivery  of  the  prophecy  ;  namely, 
that  it  excluded  Egypt.  The  Jews  of  Isaiah's  time,  by  a  perverse  poficy, 
Tvere  on  all  occasions  courting  the  alliance  of  the  E.y^yptians,  in  opposition  to 
God's  express  injunctions  by  his  prophets  to  the  contrary.  Isaiah  therefore,  as 
if  he  would  discourage  the  hope  of  aid  from  Egypt  at  any  time,  tells  them, 
that  the  foreign  alliance,  which  God  prepares  ibr  them  in  the  latter  times,  is 
not  that  of  Egypt,  which  he  teaches  tliem  at  all  timt-s  to  renounce  and  to 
despise,  but  that  of  a  country  far  remote  ;  as  every  country  must,  tliat  lies 
either  West  of  the  Nile,  or  East  of  the  Tigris.  Up.  of  St.  Asaph's  Letter  on 
Isaiah  sviii. 


248 

hence  his  invasion  is  so  frequently  spoken  of  as   proceed- 
ing from  that  quarter. 

Successful  in  his  first  attempt,  and  having  placed  his 
n\\\es  the  ufico?iverte(i  JeTVS  in  Jerusalem  and  its  vicinity, 
he  will  next  direct  his  steps  towards  E^i^ypt.  Edom,  and 
Moab,  and  the  chief  of  the  children  of  Avnnoiiy  will  nev- 
ertheless escape  out  of  his  hand.  For  (his  they  have  to 
thank,  not  his  moderation  and  clemency,  but  merely  their 
local  situation.  A  map  will  best  explain  the  reason  of 
their  security  The  districts,  which  those  nations  for- 
merly occupied,  lie  so  far  to  the  east,  as  to  be  entirely 
out  of  the  way  of  any  army  which  is  |)assing  from  Judea 
mto  Egypt.  But,  over  other  countries  more  closely  ad- 
joining to  Egypty  he  will  stretch  forth  his  hand :  and, 
Avhile  £'o'j//;^  is  unable  to  escape  his  marauding  rapacit}^ 
those,  whom  Daniel  calls  the  Luhim  and  the  C/ishh/i, 
will  be  compelled  to  attend  his  steps,  and  probably  either 
augment  his  armies  or  perform  the  m.ore  menial  offices  of 
his  camp. 

In  the  midst  of  his  African  conquests,  he  will  be  troubled 
by  tidings  out  of  the  east  and  the  north.  What  these  tid- 
iings  are,  Daniel  does  not  positively  determine  :  but  the 
subsequent  context  plainly  shews,  that  they  must  relate 
to  the  approach  of  s(^me  new  enemy,  and  to  some  disa- 
greeable intelligence  resjx^cting  Jerusalem.  From  these 
f{afa,andhy  the  assistance  of  other  parallel  prophecies, 
we  may  form  no  imjirobable  covjecturc  at  least  respect- 
ing those  tidings  out  of  the  east  and  out  of  the  north, 
Avhich  are  described  as  sogrievoush;  troubling  Antichrist. 
Weieit  the  great  1/iaritimepozvc?^  hv'ingmghy  sea  its  al- 
lies, the  converted  J ezvs,  A?,  i\  present  to  the  Lord  of  iiosts, 
to  mount  Zion.  Now,  in  whatever  })art  of  the  world  this 
power  may  he  situated,  whether  far  beyond  the  eastern 
or  the  western  (  ushean  streams,  it  is  plain  that  its  navy 
oan  only  approach  Palcst'uic  by  the  way  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean sea.  Such  then  will  indisputably  be  its  course. 
The  maritime  expedition,  which  \\c  may  conceive  to  set 
sail  at  some  indefinite  jieriod  alter  the  close  of  the  126'0 
years,  in  order  that  we  may  allow  a  sufiicicnt  space  of 
time  for  the  collecting  together  and  converting  such  of 
fhe  Jexvs  ns  are  destined  to  be  restored  by  the  agency  of 


Qi9 

ike  greed  nnvaf  pnrver,  at  length  reaches  Poles  fine :  but 
the  believin,ir  JexvSi  andtheirprotectors,lindtliems£l.esop- 
posed  hy  the  ^(nhelieving  Jezvs,  and  the  troops  which  Anti- 
christ had  left  behind  him  to  garrison  Jerusalem  and  otlier 
strong-holds.  Apparently  after  no  trifling  bloodshed,  and 
(if  r  judge  rightly  from  some  prophecies)  when  the  -  o^'xert- 
ed  Jews  had  suffered  very  considerably,  the  eyes  of  their 
unconverted  brethren  will  unexpectedly  be  opened ; 
they  will  spiritually  look  upon  him  whom  they  have 
pierced  ;  and  throwing  off  the  base  yoke  of  Antichrist, 
they  will  cordially  join  such  of  their  nation  as  had  embra- 
ced Christianity,  and  had  allied  themselves  iotJie  faithful 
maritime  power.  Thus  will  the  Lord  bring  to  salvation 
the  tents  ofJudah  first ;  or  that  body  0/  the  JexcSy  who 
are  attached  to  the  army  of  t lie  great  maritime  nntu  u,  and 
who  have  not  yet  acquired  a  permanent  settlement  in  ci- 
ties: and  afterwards  i'/zd'  house  of  Dax:id->  and  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Jerusalem  ;  or  those  Jews,  who  have  been  restor- 
ed in  an  unconverted  state,  and  have  been  placed  in  their 
ancient  metropolis  by  Antichrist* 

At  the  period  when  these  events  happen,  and  that  they 
zvill  happen  may  be  collected  with  suflicient  clearness, 
we  may  suppose  'Antichrist  to  he  in  Egypt  and  Lybia: 
for  to  what  other  time,  in  the  course  of  his  whole  pro- 
gress, can  w^e  with  equal  propriety  ascribe  them  ?  Thus 
situated,  he  would  plainly  receiv'^e  the  intelligence  from 
the  north  and  from  the  east.  From  the  north  and  the 
north-east  he  would  learn,  by  means  of  some  light  ves- 
sels, first  that  the  navy  of  the  maritime  power  was  ap- 
proaching, and  afterwards  that  it  had  safely  reached  the 
coast  of  Palestine  :  from  the  east  and  the  north-east 
he  would  learn,  by  means  of  his  own  fugiti\'e  troops 
which  had  been  stationed  in  Judea,  that  the  maritime 
power  had  completely  succeeded  in  its  Ih'st  attempt,  that 
it  had  brought  [>ack  a  large  body  of  converted  Jews,  and 
that  those  who  had  been  restored  by  Antichrist  in  an  un- 
converted state  had  suddenly  embraced  the  faith  of  pro- 
testant  Christianity,  and  had  revolted  from  him  to  their 
already  believing  brethren.  Unless  we  admit,  that  ei- 
ther this  or  something  hke  it  will  be  the  case,  we  shall 
find  it  no  easy  matter  to  account  for  the  fury  with  which 

VOL.  If.       *  ^2 


Q50 

Antichrist  is  represented  as  returning  into  Judcay  wliich 
he  had  already  subdued,  and  as  besieging  Jerusalem, 
which  he  had  already  given  to  his  allies  the  u7iconverted 
Jews.  For,  that  certain  unl^clieving  Jews  will  be  con- 
verted in  Jerusalem,  is  plainly  asserted  by  Zechariah  : 
and,  that  the  city  will  afterwards  be  besieged  and  taken, 
is  asserted  both  by  Zechariah  and  Daniel.  But  all  those 
JewSy  who  are  restored  b}'^  the  maritime  power^  will  re- 
turn in  a  converted  state,  as  is  manifest  from  the  language 
used  by  Isaiah  \^  by  whom  then  can  the  unconverted  Jews 
have  been  restored,  except  by  Antichrist-,  who  will  make 
himself  master  of  the  whole  land  of  Palestine;  and  why 
, should  he  afterwards  besiege  them  in  Jerusalem,  except 
on  account  of  their  conversion,  mentioned  by  Zechariah, 
and  their  revolt  from  his  cause?  for,  if  they  had  not  re- 
volted from  him  after  their  conversion,  no  reason  can  be 
assigned  why  he  should  so  bitterly  attack  them. 

Troubled  with  such  unpleasant  tidings  from  the  east  and 
from  the  north.  Antichrist  hastily  quits  Egifpt  and  Lybia, 
and  retraces  his  steps  to  Judea.  Going  forth  in  the 
height  of  his  fury,  he  threatens  to  destroy  all  such  as 
should  oppose  him :  and,  calling  in  the  aid  of  Popish  bi- 
gotry, he  sanctifies  his  expedition  by  representing  it  as  a 
holy  crusade  against  heretics  ;  and,  with  banners  blessed 
by  the  false  prophet-,  who  (as  we  have  reason  to  believe 
from  the  Apocalypsef)  will  be  his  attendant,  he  devotes 
many  to  utter  extermination  under  the  blasphemous  pre- 
text of  religion.  His  wonted  success  at  first  attends  him. 
He  besieges  Jerusalem,  now  occupied  by  his  enemies, 
and  takes  it.  Here  he  exercises  his  usual  barbarity  ;  a 
barbarity,  increased  ten-ibld  by  the  defection  of  his  late 
allies.  The  houses  are  rifled,  and  the  \^'omen  are  ravish- 
ed, by  liis  licentious  soldiery.  Half  of  the  inhabitants 
are  made  captive  :  but  the  other  half  are  permitted  still 
to  remain  in  the  city,  under  the  control  most  probably 
of  a  strong  garrison.  Thus  does  he  plant  the  curtains  of 
his  tents  between  the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain : 
and  thus  is  Jerusalem,  now  for  the  last  time,  trodden 
dovvn  of  the  Gentiles. 

During  these  disasters,  the  troops  of  the  maritime  pan 

♦  See  the  preceding  extract  from  Bp.  Horsley.        f  1^>'-  *'*•  15>  "^ 


251 

er  appear  to  have  retreated  towards  the  sea-shore,  in  or- 
der that  they  may  be  able  to  regain  their  ships,  if  all  fur- 
ther resistance  should  prove  fruitless.     Here  they  would 
doubtless  be  joined  by  the  great  body  of  their  allies,  the 
Jirst  converted  Jewsy  and  by  such  of  those  that  were  af-^ 
terwards  converted,  as  were  able   to  elfect  their  escape 
from  the  rage  of  Antichrist.     To  this  devoted  host  the 
tyrant  now  directs  his   attention.     Anticipating  an  easy 
victory  over  his  last  enemies,  either  by  suddenly  cutting 
them  oil' from  their  ships,  or  by  compelling  them  to  re- 
cmbark,  and  with  proud  exultation  looking  forward  to  the 
uncontrolled  empire  of  the  civilized  world,  he  leaves   Je- 
rusalem, and  advances  with  his  whole  army  to  Megiddoi 
JBetween  this   town  and  the  sea  we  may   suppose  the 
troops  of  the  maritime  power  and  the  Jews  to  have  taken 
their  position,   hopeless  probably  of  victory   from  their 
vast  disparity  in  numbers  to  the  huge  hosts  of  their   ene- 
my.    But  the  battle  is  not  always  to  the  strong,  nor   the 
race  to  the  swift.     At  this  anxious  moment,  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  is  suddenly  manifested  in  the  midst  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  Jehovah  himself  becometh  a  wall  of  fwe  around 
her.     Tlie  Almighty   Word  of  God  goeth  forth,  like  a 
man  of  war,  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength  •  and  all  his 
saints,  the  innumerable  armies  of  heaven,  are  with  him. 
His  awful  commission  is  from  the  Most  High.     For,  af- 
ter the  manifestation  of    the  glory,  the  Lord  of  hosts 
sendeth  him  unto  the  nations   that  liave  spoiled  his  an- 
cient people ;  that   he  may  shake  his  hand  over  them, 
that  they  may  become  a  spoil   unto  those  whom  they 
had  made  their  servants,  that  they  may   know  that  the 
Lord  of  hosts  hath  sent  him,  that  they  may  learn  by  bit- 
ter experience   that   he  who  toucheth  Judah  toucheth 
the  apple  of  his  eye.     The   tremendous  vision  halts  for 
a  moment  on  the  mount  of  Olives  ;  which,  like  Sinai  of 
old,  acknowledges  a  present  God,  and  with  a  mighty 
earthquake  cleaves  asunder  in  the  midst.     It   then  ad- 
vances to  the   valley  of  Megitldo,   and  hovers  over  the 
heads  of  the  palsied  troops  of  Antirlirist.     The  divine 
word   displays  himself  to  the  assembled  nations.     The 
faithful  look  up  with  awful  wonder,  knowing  tliat   their 
redemption  draweth   nigh.      Kvery  eye  sc^^tli  him  :  and 


2.0« 

they  also,  his  kijiclrecl  after  the  flesh,  which  pierced  hiiij 
now  beliold  him  in  his  glory.  He  cometh  with  clouds  ; 
and  all  the  kindreds  ol  the  Latin  earth  wail  because  of 
him.  He  descendeth  in  his  wrath :  he  treadeth  the 
wdne-press  in  the  tury  of  his  indignation :  his  garments 
are  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  his  enemies.* 

It   appears   from  comparing  various   prophecies  toge 
ther,  that  the  overthrow  of  the  Antic  hnstian  confederacy 
will  be  efiected  partly  by  supernatural  and  partly   by  na- 
tural agency,     Christ  will   indeed    tread  the  wine-press 
alone,  for  to  his  sole  might  will  the  victory  be  owing  : 
yet   will   he   likewise  use  the  vistrumentality  of  others. 
While  he  miraculously  smites  his  enemies  with  a  dread- 
ful  plague,  so  that  their  llesh  shall  consume  av/ay  while 
they  stand  upon  their  feet,  and  their  eyes    shall  consume 
away    in    their  holes,  and  their  tongue  shall  consume 
away  in  their  mouth  ;  he  will  send  likewise  among   them 
a  great  tumult  from  the  Lord,  so  that  they  shall   lay  hold 
every  one   on  the   hand  of   his  neighbour,  and  his  hand 
shall  rise  up  against  the  hand  of  his  neighbour.    Judah 
also,  summoned  to  the  dreadful  task  of  vengeance  by  his 
God,  shall  take  an  active  part  in  the   destruction  of  his 
enemies  :  for,  in  that  day,  the  Lord  will  make  the  gov- 
ernors of  Judah  like  a  hearth  of  fire  among  the  wood, 
and  like  a  torch  of  fire  in  a  sheaf ;  and  they  shall  devour 
all  the  people  round  about,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the. 
left.     Thus  will  A?itichrist  come  to  his  end,  and  none 
shall  help  him.     Thus   w'lW  the  beast  now  under  his  last 
head  be  taken,  and  with    him    the  false  prophet  tha' 
wrought  miracles   before  him,  with  which  he  deceived 
them  that  had  received  the  mark  of  the  deast,  and  them 
that  worshipped  his   image.      These  both  will  be  cast 
alive  into  a  lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone  :  and  the 
remnant  will  be  slain  with  the  sword  of  that  Almighty 
Conqueror  who  sitteth  upon  the  white  horse,  the   sword 

•  After  a  lonp  and  attentive  examination  of  the  subject,  1  rest  in  Mr.  Mede's 
opiniiin.  that  tlierc  will  be  some  preternatural  m.-tnifestation  of  the  Messiali, 
thoug;h  i  cannot  think  that  he  assifjns  to  it  its  proper  place  in  the  succession 
wf  events.  He  supposes,  liiat  it  will  be  rhc  cduse  of  tlie  conversion  of  thr 
Jews  :  wliereas,  accoriliiifj  as  iriattfrs  ai)pear  to  me,  they  will  be  previously  con- 
verted ;  and  ('lirist  will  be  revealed,  not  to  turn  tluvi  to  the  faith,  but  to  exc 
cute  judgment  upon  his  enemies  See  Isaiah  Ixiii.  1 — 6  Dan.  vii.  9,  10,  11.  Joc! 
iii,  16.  Zechar.  ii.  «— II.  xiv.  3,  4,  12,  13.  2  Thcss,  ii.  8.  IJev.  six.  11— 5?1- 


'i5S 

that  proceedeth  out  of  his  mouth ;  and  all  the  i'owls  will 
be  filled  with  their  flesh. 

Since  the  Jtxvs  are  to  be  restored  in  the  midst  of  war  and 
bloodshed,  or,  as  Daniel  expresses  it,  during  a  time  of 
trouble  such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation,  we 
may  reasonably  suppose  that  great  numbers  of  them  will 
perisii.  Accordingly  we  find,  that  their  return  from  the 
countries  of  their  dispersion  is  expressly  compared  by 
Ezekiel  to  their  ancient  exodas  from  Egypt.  As  God 
pleaded  with  their  fathers  in  the  wilderness  of  the  land 
of  Egypt ;  so  will  he  likewise  plead  with  them,  causing 
them  to  pa  PS  under  the  rod,  and  purging  out  from  among 
them  the  rebels.  It  is  probable  indeed,  that  only  a  small 
part  of  the  first  generation  of  those  that  are  restored  will 
quietly  sit  down  under  their  own  vines  and  under  their 
own  fig-trees.  One  whole  generation  of  the  Israelites-, 
that  were  brought  out  of  Egypt,  perished  in  the  course 
of  jorty  years  in  the  wilderness  :  and  there  is  reason  to 
think,  that  the  conversion  and  restoration  of  Judah,  and 
the  expedition  and  destruction  of  Antichrist^  will  occupy 
a  period  of  not  less  than  oO  years.  The  swift  messen- 
gers of  the  great  maritime  power  will  begin  the  work  of 
converting  the  Jews,  that  is  to  say  such  Jews  as  are  scat- 
tered through  the  countries  subject  to  their  influence. 
Ajitichrist  mean  while  will  collect  the  unconverted  Jew& 
from  those  parts  of  the  isles,  or  the  regions  of  Europe,* 
which  are  under  his  immediate  control,  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  them  back  in  an  unbelieving  state  to  their 
own  country:  but  whether /zd-,  or  whether  the  maritime 
power,  will  absolutely  begin  the  work  of  restoring  the 
ancient  people  of  God,  cannot,  I  think,  be  certainly  gath- 
ered from  Scripture.t     His  plan  will  be  a  plan  of  pure 

*  By  the  isles  of  the  Gentiles  the  Jews  understood  all  those  countries  luhich 
they  could  not  reach  from  Palestine  except  by  sea.  Hence  the  name  was  given 
to  Europe,  in  contradistinction  to  Asia,  whicli  to  them  was  strictly  continental. 
See  Mede's  Works,  Book  I  Disc  49  p.  -272. 

t  That  the  maritime  power,  mystically  termed  by  Isaiah  the  ships  ofTarshish, 
will  be  the  first,  or  (as  tlie  original  expression  is  rendered  by  the  jlxx  and  in 
the  Latin  translation  of  the  Arabic  version)  among  the  first,  to  attempt  the 
conversion  of  the  Jews  ;  and  that  they  will  afterivards  bring  back  to  Palestine 
such  as  shall  be  converted  by  their  instrumentalit)',  seems  to  be  revealed  with 
sufficient  plainness  :  but  it  is  no  where,  I  believe,  positivelv  declared,  that 
they  shall  begin  the  work  of  restoring  the  Jews.  Since  part  of  them  are  to  be 
bToughth^ckhy  Antichrist  in  &n  unconverted  slAie,  and  part  by  the  maritime 
i>Qrtver  in  a  <oii%-ertcd  state,  it  certainly  is  possible  that  Antichrht  roav  begin.to 


^54 

Machiavelian  policy :  and,  considering  the  frailty  of  hu- 
man nature,  it  is  much  to  be  feared  that  the  plan  of  the 
maritime  poicer,  strenuously  as  that  power  ^vill  exert  itself 
in  converl'iiig  no  less  than  in  collecting  the  Jews,  will  be 
soinevvhut  alloyed  by  worldly  motives,  and  will  not  be 
adopted  simply  from  a  desire  to  promote  the  glory  of 
God.  Most  probably  politics  will  have  taken  such  a 
turn  at  that  eventful  period,  as  to  make  it  seem  to  be  the 
interest  of  both  those  great  powers  to  attempt  the  resto- 
ration of  the  Jews.  Thus  doubly  brought  back  by  two 
mighty  contending  nations,  and  thus  ])lunged  into  the 
midst  of  perils  and  of  war  during  the  space  of  30  yen7\<i 
(for  so  long  a  time  will,  1  think,  intervene  between  the 
first  effusioii  of  the  seventh  vial  at  the  close  of  the  1Q60 
Tjearsy  when  they  begin  to  be  restored,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  Antichrist  iiCMegiddo),  the  Jews  must  inevitably 
suffer  many  calamities  ;  and  we  are  taught  accordingly 
by  Ezekiel,  that  such  will  assuredly  be  the  case. 

When  the  army  of  Antichrist  is  miraculously  over- 
thrown, the  Lord,  who  forgetteth  not  mercy  even  in  the 
midst  of  judgment,  will  not  make  an  entire  end  ;  but 
will  spare  some  of  the  least  guilty  of  his  enemies,  reserv- 
ing them  for  the  noblest  purposes  Zechariah  teaches 
usTthat  even  so  much  as  a  third  part  shall  be  spared. 
These  may  be  supposed  to  be  less  hardened  in  wicked- 
ness than  their  associates  ;  and  to  have  taken  a  part  in 
the  exj^edition,  either  through  the  inveterate  prejudices 
of  a  Popish  education  (the  expedition  having  been  bless- 
ed and  sanctified  hy  the  false  prophct)y  or  through  the 
tyrannical  compulsion  which  we  have  already  beheld  An- 
tichristian  France  begin  to  exercise  over  her  degraded 
allies.  Nor  will  they  only  be  spared  :  plucked  as  brands 
out  of  the  burning,  they  will  likewise  be  converted  by 
the  mercy  of  God  to  a  zealous  profession  of  genuine 
Christianity. 

Thus  wonderfully  preserved  and  converted,  they  will 

restore  tlw  one  Jlvuion  previous  to  the  restoration  or  even  the  cotivcrtion  of  thr 
oi/ur  lUviaion  Most  prob.»bly  however  U>e  two  events  will  be  nearly,  if  not 
altoRellier,  contemporary.  The  prophecy,  contained  in  Isaiah  Ix.  8,  9.  relates 
solely  Uy  ihc  lestoratior.  tf  the  couvcrte,lJfu-s,  because  they  aie  Ueclarcd  to 
be  brought  unto  the  name  of  U>e  Lord  :  and  we  arc  taupht,  that  .some  power, 
n.yslically  termed  the  shipf  nf  Tarshish,  shaU  bc  among  the  fusl  to  uuderiake 
liiia  great  vutcrpriz^;, 


Q55 
•••t>< 

become  proper  instruments  to  accomplish  the  yet  unful- 
filled purposes  of  the  Most  High.  Scattered  over  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth,  they  will  carry  every  where  the 
tidings  of  their  own  defeat,  of  the  marvellous  power  of 
the  Lord,  and  of  the  restoration  of  JuclaJi.  Meanwhile 
there  is  some  reason  to  suppose,  that  the  awful  a))parition 
of  the  ShecJunah  will  still  remain  suspended  over  Jerusa- 
lem, visible  at  once  from  its  stupendous  height  to  a  whole 
hemisphere,  and  bearing  ample  attestation  to  the  veracity 
of  the  fugitives.*  Nor  will  they  carry  their  message  in 
vain.  Judah  is  indeed  restored  :  but  the  lost  ten  tribes 
f>f  Israel  are  still  dispersed  through  the  extensive  regions 
of  the  north  and  of  the  east.  These,  accordinc:  to  the 
sure  word  of  prophecy,  however  the}'^  may  be  now  con- 
cealed from  mortal  knowledge,  will  be  found  again,  and 
will  be  brought  back  into  the  country  of  theiv  fathers. 
All  nations  and  all  tongues  shall  come  and  see  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  ;  for  he  will  set  among  them  a  sign,  even  the 
sign  of  the  Son  of  man,  the  sign  of  the  illuminated  She- 
chinali  ;  and  will  send  unto  them  those  that  have  escaped 
from  the  slaughter  of  the  A 7iti christian  Confederacy,  that 
they  may  declare  his  glory  among  the  nations.  (  on vi ne- 
ed by  ocular  demiOnstration  that  God  dotli  indeed  reign 
in  Zion,  and  at  once  divinely  impelled  and  enabled  both 
to  seek  out  from  among  them  and  to  find  the  long-lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ^  they  will  bring  by  land,  in 
vast  caravans,  r\\  the  brethren  of  Judah  for  an  oHering 
unto  the  Lord,  as  the  great  niaritime  power  had  already 
brought  the  convei^led  Jercs  for  a  present  unto  the  Lord 
to  his  holy  mountain.  Then  shall  the  stick  of  Joseph  be 
united  for  ever  with  the  stick  of  Judah  :  Ephranu  shall 
be  no  more  a  separate  people  :  but  the  whole  house  of 
Jacob  shall  become  one  nation  under  one  king,  even  the 
mystic  David,  Jesus  the  Messiah. 

The  various  prophecies,  which  speak  of  the  restoration 
of  the  ten  tribes,  certainly  cannot  rehite  to  the  restoration 
of  those  detached  individuals  out  of  them,  who  returned 
with  Judah  from  the  ISabylonian  captivity'.     This  is  man- 

•  I  apprelierd  it  was  from  passages  of  this  import,  tliat  Mr.  Mede  supposed 
that  the  Jews  would  be  converted  by  a  superuatural  manifestalion  of  Clirist. 
Had  he  said  the  ten  tribes,  instead  of  »/ie  Jft;*.  I  belicre  kc  would  have  ap- 
proached irery  near  to  the  truth, 


iiest,  both  because  their  restoration  is  represented  as  per- 
fectly distinct  from  the  restoration  oiJudalu  and  because 
it  is  placed  at  once  subsequent  to  that  event  and  to  the 
overthrow  of  Antichrist.  In  fact,  the  converted  fugitives 
from  the  army  oi  Antichrist  a^^o  described  as  being  greatly 
instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  restoration  of  the  ten 
tribes.  Hence  their  restoration  is  plainly  future ;  and 
hence  we  cannot,  with  any  degree  of  consistency,  apply 
the  predictions  which  foretell  it  to  the  return  of  a  few  in- 
dividuals from  Babylon  with  Jiidah.  Of  the  Jewsy  who 
were  carried  away  captive  to  Babylon,  only  a  very  small 
part,  according  to  Houbigant  not  more  than  a  hundredth 
part,  returned  to  their  own  country.  Those,  who  were 
left  behind,  will  doubtless,  at  the  time  of  the  second  ad- 
^'ent,  be  brought  back  along  with  their  brethren  oithc  ten 
tribes  ;  just  as  those  individuals  of  the  ten  tribes  who  re- 
turned with  Judah  from  Babylon,  and  (adhering  to  him 
notwithstanding  the  Samaritan  schism)  were  afterwards 
scattered  with  him  by  the  Romans,  will  he  brought  back 
with  their  brethren  the  Jexvs.  So  far,  but  no  further,  the 
otherwise  distinct  restorations  of  Jiidah  and  Joseph  will 
in  some  measure  be  mingled  together.  This  circum- 
stance is  very  accurately  noted  by  Ezekiel,  even  when 
predicting  the  two-fold  restoration  of  Jvdah  and  Joseph^ 
and  their  subsequent  union  under  one  king.  He  sjicaks 
neither  of  Judnh  nor  Jose1)h  simply  ;  but  styles  the  one 
division  Judah y  and  the  children  of  Israel  his  companlonsy 
and  the  other  division  Josephy  and  all  the  house  of  Israel 
his  companions  ;  thus  plainly  intimating,  that  ^6;?«<?  of  the 
children  of  Israel  shall  return  with  Judah  ;  but  that  mem- 
bers of  all  the  tribes,  not  of  the  kingdom  of  the  /c«  tribes 
only,  but  of  all  the  tribes,  shall  return  with  Joseph.* 

I  have  stated  that  the  restoration  of  Jndali  will  com- 
mence at  the  close  of  the  1260  years,  and  have  intimated 
it  to  be  probable  that  it  will  not  be  completel}'  effected 
till  a  period  of  30  additional  years  shall  likewise  have  ex- 
pired. This  conjecture  is  founded  upon  a  remarkable 
chronological  {passage  in  the  book  of  Daniel.  The  pro- 
phet teaches  us,  that  15  years  will  intervene  between 
.'be  expiration  of  the  1260  ^ear*  and  the  commencement 

•  See  Bp.  Horslej  'a  Hosea,  p.  59,  60. 


^57 

fl(f  the  Millennium  :  and  these  75  years  he  divides,  with- 
out specif ving  any  reason  for  such  a  division,  into  30 
years  Rn(\  ^5 y tars.  What  particular  event  will  happen 
at  the  era  of  tiie  division,  we  undoubtedly  cannot  deti'r- 
mine  with  any  degree  oi certainty ;  because  Daniel  has  left 
it  wholly  undetermined:  but  we  must  conclude,  that  the 
point  of  the  division  will  be  marked  by  some  signal  event ; 
otherwise  how  can  we  rationally  account  for  its  having 
been  made  ?  Now,  when  we  find  by  comparing  pro[)he- 
cy  with  prophecy,  that  the  restoration  of  Judak  will  pre- 
cede the  restoration  of  Israel,  and  that  the  restoration  of 
Israel  \w\\\  not  even  so  much  as  commence  till  the  resto- 
ration of  at  least  the  main  body  of  Judah  is  compULedy 
and  till  the  power  of  AnticJirist  is  broken  :  it  is  at  least 
highly  probable,  that  the  30  years  will  be  occupied  in 
the  conversion  and  restoration  of  Judak,  in  tke  great 
eartkquake  or  political  convulsion  that  divides  the  Latin 
'empire  into  three  parts,  in  the  wars  of  Antichrist  with 
the  /kings  of  the  South  and  the  IVorthy  in  his  grand  expe- 
dition against  Palestine  and  Egypt,  and  in  the  conterapo- 
xary  naval  expedition  oithe  maritime  power  undertaken  for 
the  purpose  of  bringing  heick  the  converted  Jezvs  ;  that 
ihe  30  years  will  close  with  the  complete  overthrow  of 
Antichrist  in  the  valley  of  iMegiddo,  an  event  than  which 
one  cannot  conceive  one  better  calculated  to  mark  a  sig- 
nal chronological  epoch ;  and  that  the  45  years  will  be 
employed  in  the  wanderings  of  those  who  escaped  from 
the  rout  of  the  Antichristian  army,  and  who  will  cany 
every  where  the  tidings  of  God's  supernatural  interfer- 
ence, and  in  the  subsequent  conversion  and  restoration 
of  the  whole  house  of  Israel.  I  wish  this  to  be  under- 
stood only  as  a  conjecture  ;  for  it  would  be  folly  to  speak 
positively  beibre  the  event. 

When  Z//e  45  j/6Y/rj"  shall  have  expired,  when  the  whole 
family  of  Jacob  shall  have  been  converted  and  restored, 
and  when  the  stick  of  Judali  shall  have  united  itself  for- 
ever with  the  stick  of  Joseph  ;  then  will  connne/icc  the 
season  of  millennian  blessedness.  We  have  reason  to  sup- 
pose, that  the  ancient  people  of  God,  now  converted  to 
the  faith  of  Christ,  will  be  greatly  instrumental  in  spread- 
ing the   glad  tidings   of  the  Gospel  among  the  heathen 

VOL.  rr.  '  r,?j 


25S 

nations,  already  prepared  to  receive  it  by  so  many  super- 
naiural  interpositions  of  Providence,  and  by  beholding 
with  their  own  eyes  the  glory  of  the  Lord  permanenily 
jnaniiested  over  Jerusalem.  According  to  the  united 
testimony  of  many  of  the  prophets,  Israel,  after  his  res- 
toration, will  be  sown  among  the  Genfitcs  ;  and  will  thus 
be  made,  in  a  wonderful  manner,  from  first  to  last,  the 
seed  of  the  Church.  This  preaching  of  the  Gospel  by 
the  rnnverted  Israelites,  unlike  the  preaching  of  it  by 
that  fiist  handful  only  of  seed,  the  Hebrew  Apostles  of 
our  Lord,  will,  I  apprehend,  be  totally  unattended  by 
persecution  or  opposition  :  for  all  trials  of  that  nature 
would  be  incompatible  with  the  predicted  peace  and 
blessedness  of  the  Millennian  Church.  God  will  in- 
cline the  hearts  of  the  Gentiles  to  receive  the  word  glad- 
ly. Great  shall  be  the  day  of  Jezi^ael  For,  if  the  fait 
of  the  Jews  be  the  riches  of  the  world,  and  the  dimin- 
ishing of  them  the  riches  of  the  Gentiles  ;  how  muck 
more  their  fulness  ?  Nay,  instead  of  opposing  or  slight- 
ing the  truth,  so  eager  shall  the  heathens  be  to  receive- 
it,  that  out  of  all  the  languages  of  the  nations  ten  men 
sliall  lay  hold  of  the  skirt  of  only  one  Jew,  declaring, 
with  a  holy  vehemence,  their  full  determination  to  go 
with  him,  inasmuch  as  they  have  heard  that  God  is  with 
him  of  a  truth.  In  short,  the  whole  world  shall  press 
eagerl}^  to  Jerusalem  to  behold  the  glory  of  the  l^ord-. 
and  to  receive  instruction  from  the  lips  of  his  servants. 
All  nations  shall  flow,  like  a  mighty  torrent,  to  his  holy 
mountain,  assured  that  he  will  teach  them  of  his  ways, 
and  cause  them  to  walk  in  his  paths  ;  that  the  law  shall 
go  forth  out  of  Zion,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Je- 
rusalem, 

It  is  not  impossible,  that  some  may  feci  a  curiosity  to 
know  ivhnt  luUion  is  intended  by  the  great  viaritime  pon- 
cr  destined  to  take  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  conver- 
sion and  restoration  of  Jitdah.  On  this  point  their  curi- 
osit}'  cannot  be  gratiiicd  ;  at  least,  not  with  any  degree 
of  precision.  Vet,  all  hough  we  presume  not  to  say,  that. 
this  or  that  particular  viodern  nation  is  intended;  we 
may,  by  comparing  prophecy  with  projjhecy,  ascertain 
both  the  region  in  which  that  nation  is  to  be  sought,  and 


259 

the  relifrious  character  of  that  nation.  The  result  of 
such  a  compat ison  is  briefly  as  follows :  that  the  imri- 
t me  Dnwtr  must  not  only  be  sought  for  genera  lif  m  the 
West-,  but  pa^^t^cula  ///  in  tlie  isles  of  fite  Gen  i  es  or  Eu- 
j'ope  ;  and,  not  only  geritrally  in  the  isles  of  the  Ge  tiles 
or  Europe,  h\i\  part'cularlij  h\  the  believing  isles  of  the 
Gentiles  nvpiote'tant  Europe.^'  Farther  than  tiiis  J  can- 
Jiot  find  that  we  have  any  authority  to  .idvance,  and 
therefore  1  shall  not  attempt  to  advance  further :  but  I 
shall  content  myself  with  resting  in  the  conclusion,  that 
ihe  maritime  power  will  be  that  state  of  proiestant  Eu- 
Q^ope  which  shall  p  ^s.ess  a  decided  naval  superiority  at  the 
4ime  when  the  1^60  years  siiall  expi^^e.  This  mighty 
maritime  power t  and  other  smaller  pro' est (mf  maritime 
/;o?t'f  r^  its  aUies  dese^'ibed  by  the  prophet  under  the  gene- 
ral name  of  the  isles  of  the  Genliles,\  \'i\\\  clearly  be  the 
agents  in  converting  and  restoring  those  Jews  who  are 
not  under  the  influence  ni  Antichrist. 

From  what  has  been  said  concerning  the  events  which 
are  to  take  place  at  the  close  of  ^/it"  Vl&d  y^ars^  the  i'ollow^- 
ing  positions  may,  1  think,  be  coll9cted. 

1  The  Jeivs  most  certainly  will  be  restored.  2.  They 
will  as  certainly  be  converted  to  Christianity.  3.  They 
will  begin  to  be  restored  as  soon  as  the  VlQO  years  shall 
have  expired. J  4.  They  v/ill  be  restored  in  two  great 
.fl'visinns.  5.  The  first  of  these  divisions  will  be  lesfor- 
ed  in  a  converted  state  by  the  prevailing protestant  mari- 
time power  of  the  day.  6.  The  second  will  be  restored 
in  an  unconverted  state,  and  in  opposition  to  the  views  of 
the  maritime  power,  by  a  confederacy  consisting  of  the 

•  This  comparison  is  drawn  out  at  length  in  my  unpublished  Work  on  tlic 
restoration  of  Israel  and  Che  ove  throve  of  Amiclvtst. 

t  Isaiah  Ix  9.  That  part'cf  the  isles  of  the  Gniiiles  is  of  course  here  spoken 
of,  which  is  not  subject  to  the  control  of  .'huichist 

i  Since  Daniel  declares,  that  the  Jews  will  bej^in  to  be  restored  at  the  end  of 
the  1260  i/ears,  and  since  ouc  Lord  no  less  expresslj'  predicts  that  "  .Jerusalem 
shall  be  troddi.-n  down  of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be  ful- 
filled ;"  it  is  manifest,  that  (Lose  limes  will  begin  to  be  fulfilled,  so  soon  as  t/tc 
1260  ?/ears  shall  have  expired,  and  that  they  will  be  completely  fulfilled  when 
the  .Intichristian  c.oifederaoj  is  broken,  and  when  tlie  Je-cvs  are  wluilly  restored. 
Thus  wonderfnlly  do  both  liiese  prophecies  harmonize  with  St.  .John's  des- 
cription of  the  final  hat'le  of  Arm  r^cddon  and  the  vi  itage  ;  as  well  as  with  the 
parallel  predictions  of  Joel,  Zechariah,  and  others  of  the  ancient  oi  ophets. 
The  fulness  of  the  Gentiles,  mentioned  b.  St.  Paul  as  the  era  nf  tht  rector atioi  of 
the  Jc-vi,  must  therefore  mean  their  attaini  ig  to  that  height  of  -n-ichdiuss  ivhic/i 
should  marl:  th'-prriod  ivhen  their  times  should  be  fidf.l'ed.    Ivom.  xi.  ZSy 


HomuH  htast  under  liis  last  head.,  the  false  prophet y  and 
the  vassal  kings  of  the  earth  or  Latin  empire.  7.  The 
coiifi'(lrra-y,  one  member  of  which  is  certainly  the  at/ie- 
is'ico-p'-pul  ki»g,h{i\'\ng  sanctified  their  war  l)y  procla- 
inati' in,  v\  ill  successfully  invade  Palestine  by  hmd,  will 
occujjv  Egypt,  will  return  and  sack  Jerusalem,  and  will 
plant  the  curtains  of  their  pavilions  between  the  seas  in 
the  glorious  holy  mountain.  8.  Their  triumph  however 
after  this  last  exploit  will  be  but  short.  Assembling 
themselves  together  at  Megiddo,  they  will  suddenly  be 
overthrown  by  the  divine  Word  of  God,  and  will  be  agi- 
tated hysuch  a  preternatural  confusion  as  to  draw  exery 
riian  his  sword  against  his  fellow  :  so  that  the  bulk  of 
this  m>gh!y  northern  //m?/ shall  miserably  perish  between 
the  seas  of  Palestine  ;  and  the  ivfidel  tyrant  himself  come 
to  his  end,  none  being  able  to  help  him.  9.  ^J  he  Latin 
city  will  be  divided  by  an  earthquake  into  three  parts  at 
the  first  effusion  of  the  seventh  vial  ;  the  earthquake-,  the 
expedition  of  Antichrist^  and  the  rout  at  Armageddon,  he- 
ing  equally  comprehended  under  Me 5flWf  t'/fl/.  10.  Two 
out  of  tiiree  parts  oi  the  besfial  confederacy  will  be  de- 
stroyed at  Alegiddo.  11.  The  power  oi  t lie  beast  and. 
the  false  prophet  will  be  for  ever  broken  by  their  last  de- 
cisive overthrow  in  the  valley  of  the  L.ord's  judgment. 
ri.  The  tJiird  part  of  tlie  bestial  confederacy  will  be 
spared,  and  converted.  1.3.  This  third  part  will  be  scat- 
tered among  the  nations,  and  will  be  instrumental  in  pre- 
paring the  way  for  the  restoration  and  conversion  of  the 
ten  tribes.  14.  The  ten  tribes  \\i\\  he  restored,  and  will 
be  for  ever  united  with  the  tribe  of  Judah,  so  as  to  form 
with  it  only  one  nation.  15.  At  the  end  of  7 •) years, 
after  the  termination  of  the  1260  years,  the  season  of 
millennian  rest  will  commence.* 

•  Thoiiph  I  am  unal)leto  asspiit  to  the  inpfcniotis  Afr.  Kinp's  scheme  of  apo 
calypiic  iiUerpretatioii,  his  remarkb  vipon  I'alisline,  cons'ultTetl  as  tl»e centre 
ot  the  milknnian  empire  of  C))rist  upon  eartl),  are  highly  worlliy  of  notice 
"  How  capable  this  country  is  ol  a  more  imiveriial  intercourse,  than  any  other 
vith  all  parts  of  the  earth,  is  most  remarkal)le  ;  and  deserves  well  to  be  ron- 
sidered,wjien  we  read  the  numerous  proplacics  which  sjicakof  its  future  splen- 
dour and  {;rc."itne88,  when  its  people  hhall  atlengtli  be  feathered  from  all  parts  of 
the  cartii  unto  which  tliey  are  scattered,  and  ho  restored  to  their  own  land. 
Tlure  is  no  rej^ion  in  the  world,  fco  which  an  access  from  all  parts  is  so  open- 
By  means  of  the  lilack  sea,  and  the  Mediterranean,  there  is  an  easy  approach 
ffom  all  parts  of  Europe,  from  apreat  part  of  Africa,  and  from  America.    Uy 


<S6l 

All  these  waiters  are  clearly  predicted  by  theprophets. 
The  maiinef,  in  which  they  will  be  accomplished,  aflords  a 
vast  field  for  conjecture:  but  iheir  accompliskment  itself'is 
no  vain  speculation  :  in  God's  own  good  time,  that  must 
take  place  : //ore;  it  will  take  place,  we  know  not  beyui,d 
what  is  revealed.  Respecting  the  yet  future  and  mys- 
terious Millennium-,  the  less  that  is  said  upon  the  subject 
the  better.  Uuable  myself  to  form  the  slightest  concep- 
tion of  its  specific  nature,  I  shall  weary  neither  my  own 
nor  my  reader's  patience  with  premature  remarks  upon 
it.  That  it  will  be  a  season  of  great  blessedness  is  cer- 
tain :  further  than  this  we  know  nothing  definitely. 
**  The  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God  :  but 
those  things  which  are  revealed  belong  unto  us  and  to 
our  children  for  ever,  that  w^e  may  do  all  the  words  of 
this  Law."* 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Becapitiilation  and  Conclusion. 

FROiVI  what  has  been  said  we  learn,  that  the 
1'260  dai/s  are  the  appointed  hour  of  the  powers  of  dark- 
nessy  the  space  of  time  allotted  for  the  prevalence  both  of 
Popery  and  Aloliammedism,  and  for  the  short-lived  tri- 
umph of  Antichrist. 

In  the  year  606,  the  saints  seem  to  have  been   first  giv- 
en by  the  secular  power  of  the  Roman   empire   into  the 

means  of  the  Red  sea,  and  the  Persian  gulph,  and  the  well-known  roads  from 
thence,  there  is  an  approach  from  the  rest  of  Africa,  from  the  East  Indies,  and 
from  the  Isles.  And  lastly,  by  means  of  the  Caspian,  the  Lake  or  sea  of  IJay- 
kall,  and  the  near  communication  of  many  great  rivers,  the  approacli  is  faci- 
litated from  all  the  northern  parts  of  Tartary.  In  short,  if  a  skilful  geo- 
grapher  were  to  sit  down  to  devise  the  fittest  spot  on  the  globe  for  universal 
empirt'  ;  or  ratlier,  a  spot,  where  all  the  great  intercourses  of  human  life 
should  universally  centre  ;  and  from  wiience  the  expended  effects  of  universal 
benevolence  and  good-will  should  flow  to  all  parts  of  the  earth;  and  wiiere 
universal  and  united  homage  should  be  |)aid,  with  one  consent,  to  tiie  Most 
High;  he  could  not  find  another  so  well  suited,  in  all  circumstances,  as  that 
which  is  with  emphasis  called  The  Holy  Land  These  ol)servations  perliaps 
may  not  deserve  great  weight,  but  thty  ought  not  to  be  wholly  neglected  ;  es' 
pecially  when  it  is  considered,  liow  many  passages  of  Scripture  there  are, 
which  plainly  declare,  that  the  time  shall -dX.  length  come,  when  Zion  shall  be 
tJie  joy  of  tiie  whole  earth."     Note  to  Hymns  to  the  Supi-eme  Being,  p.  1J6. 

•  Dout.  7i\l7i.  i?9. 


band  of  the  f*apal  little  hum  ;  consequently  from  this 
year//z<?  1Q60  days  ought  most  probably  to  be  computed. 
T//e  crsolalvig  trafirg?'(.ss/ofi  of  the  Mohammedcn  Utile 
horn  however  is  destined  to  prevail  during  the  same  space 
ol  time,  thdt  the  Papal  little  horn  is  {)ermitted  to  reign. 
Hence,  in  order  that  the  two  periods  of  1 260  years  each 
might  be  made  to  synchronize  together,  it  seemed  neces- 
sary, that  tilt  desolaling  transgression  of  Moliamnicdism 
should  first  make  its  appearance  in  the  very  year  that  tlie 
saints  were  delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  Papal  Utile 
horn.  Accordingly  we  find,  that  it  did  first  make  its  a|>- 
pearance  in  that  year  ;  for  the  year  6o6  is  the  most  pro- 
per date  of  the  Moliaiiunedan  ivipost lire,  because  in  that 
year  Mohammed  first  retired  to  the  cave  of  Hera. 

1.  The  Papal  horn  arose,  as  we  have  seen,  at  the  pre- 
cise time  when  Daniel  predicted  that  it  should  rise  ; 
Tiamely,  while  (he  Roman  emp're  was  falling  asunder,  and 
^vhile  ten  iudepeiulent  kingdoms  were  springing  up  out  of 
its  ruins.  It  arose  gradually  and  almost  imperceptibly 
among  and  behind  the  ten  horns  uf  tiie fourth  hcast ;  three 
of  zvhirh  were  successively  eradicated  before  it,  and  by 
their  fall  gave  it  an  opportunity  of  becoming  a  temporal 
no  less  than  a  spiritual  power.  For  sometime  after  its 
rise  it  was  only  an  ecclesiastical  kingdom  :  but  that  king- 
dom, though  small  at  first,  continued  perpetually  to  in- 
crease in  size;  till,  in  the  year  606,  when  the  PoJ)e  was 
declared  Universal  Bishop  and  supreme  head  of  the  ca- 
'holic  Churchy  it  became  a  mighty  ecclesiastical  onpirc. 
At  this  era,  which  seems  to  be  the  proper  date  of  the 
lQGOyea}\^,  and  the  epoch  when  the  old  Pagan  Roman 
heast  which  had  been  mortally  wounded  by  the  Sword  of 
the .  Spirit  under  his  sidih  head,  revived  under  the  same 
sixth  heady  by  setting  uj)  a  spiritual  tyrant  in  the  Church, 
and  by  relapsing  into  idolatry.  St.  John  first  introduces 
7]pon  the  stage  tlie  pozccr  which  Daniel  symbolizes  by 
the  little  h(  rn  of  the  Joitrth  beast.  That  power  how- 
ever was  now  become  an  universal  empirey  instead  of 
being,  what  it  had  hitherto  been,  a  limited  ecclesias- 
tical kingdom.  Hence  the  Apostle,  instead  of  re- 
presenting the  ten-hrned  beast  as  having  likewise  a  lit- 
tle horn,  describes  him  as  attended  by  a  second  beasts 


me 

whose  character  precisely  answers  to  that  of  the  Utile, 
horn  By  tlie  in'^tigation  ol  this  corrupt  Sj.iritual  power, 
^he  ttn-liorned  beasts  or  the  secidar  Roman  empire,  waores 
war  with  thesainis  during  the  period  of  the  IQ60  days, 
through  the  instrumentahty  either  of  his  last  head  or  A^> 
ten  horns. 

2.  The  desolating  transgression  of  Mohammedism  arose, 
in  the  same  year  that  iht  Papal  horn  became  an  ia.iver- 
sal  s'nr it iial  empire.  A  few  years  after  it  rise,  it  acquir- 
ed its  predicted  character  of  a  little  horn  of  the  Macedo 
•nian  he-goat ;  and  soon,  agreeably  to  the  proptiecy,  wax- 
ed exceeding  great  toward  the  south,  and  toward  the 
east,  and  toward  the  pleasant  land.  In  the  course  of  its 
progress  it  cast  down  many  of  the  symbolical  stars,  or 
Christian  pastors,  Xo  ihe  ground;  took  away  the  daily 
s«c:ri/?c^  of  praise  and  thanksgivmg;  polluted  the  spi  itual 
sanctuary  ;  and  presumed  to  magnify  itsell  against  even 
1^he  Frinre  of  princes.  As  for  its  character,  it  was  no- 
i?oriousfor  trampling  upon  the  truth  ;  for  prospering  in  a 
wonderful  manner;  for  making  its  ajjpearance  exactly 
when  the  transgressors  were  come  to  the  full  by  public- 
ly re-establishing  idolatry ;  for  teaching  dark  sentences  ; 
for  being  mighty  not  through  its  own  unaided  power;  for 
exterminating  its  opponents  with  the  utmost  barbarity  ; 
Ibr  persecuting  with  pecuhar  violence  the  people  of  the 
Holy  Ones  ;  for  advancing  itself  by  craft  ;  and  for  des- 
troying many  while  in  a  state  of  negh'gent  security. 

In  the  Apocalypse  a  more  full  account  is  given  of  the 
agents  by  whom  this  apostate  religion  should  be  propaga- 
ted. A  fallen  star  opens  the  bottoinless  pit,  and  lets  out 
&he  destroying  king  of  t/iC  locusis.  These  locusts  are  per- 
mitted to  continue  their  ravages  during  the  space  of  five 
prophetic  months  or  \50 years  ;  which  is  found  from  his- 
tory to  be  the  precise  period  allotted  to  the  continuation 
of  the  Saracenic  incursions.  The  (ocuHs  are  succeeded 
by  an  immense  body  oi  horsemen  under /ovr  leaders  ivom 
the  banks  of  the  E/tphrates  ;  whose  conmiission  is  limited 
to  an  liour  and  a  day  and  month  and  a  year,  or  o9l  years 
and  15  days,  and  who  are  empowered  to  kill  a  third  part 
of  men  or  ttie  Roman  empire,  which  their  predecessors 
Uie  Saracenic  bcMsts  had  only  been  permitted  to  torment. 


264 

•History  accordingly  teaches  us,  that  the  Saracens  were 
succeeded  by ///f /Vr/r^  ;  who  came  under /b?^r  leaders 
from  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  ;  whose  armies  consist- 
ed almost  entirely  of  cavalry;  whose  career  of  conquest 
exactly  continued  391  years  ;  and  who  subverted  the  Con- 
stant^ nopolitan  empire,  which  the  Saracens,  severely  as 
they  haras'-ed  it,  had  never  been  able  toefiect. 

The  Mohammedan  little  horn  itself,  or  the  religion  of 
Mohammed,  is  to  prevail  to  the  end  of  '2^0  years  from 
the  invasion  of  Asia  by  Alexander  the  great  ;  which  is 
found  to  bring  us  down  exactly  to  the  year  1866,  and 
thus  to  allow  precisely  1<260  years  for  the  triumphs  of 
Mohammtdism,  reckoning  from  its  commencement  in  the 
year  6o6. 

3.  After  the  era  of  the  Reformation,  and  in  the  last 
daysoi  atheism  and  insubordination,  but  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  the  time  of  the  evd,the  infidel  knig^ 
according  to  the  sure  word  of  prophecy,  was  destined  to 
arise  ;  that  Antichrist,  who  was  alike  to  deny  both  the 
Father  and  the  Son  ;  that  audacious  tyrant  who  should 
magnify  himself  above  every  god,  who  should  speak 
marvellous  things  against  the  God  of  gods,  who  should 
neither  regard  the  God  of  his  fathers  nor  the  desire  of 
women,  who  should  nevertheless  honour  a  foreign  god 
and  acknowledge  gods  protectors,  and  who  should  be  al- 
lowed to  prosper  till  the  indignation  be  accomplished. 

As  the  contemporary  rise  and  progress  of  Popery  and 
Moharnmcdism  is  described  in  the  Apocalypse  under  the 
two  first  xvoe-trumpets,  so  the  appearance  of  tiic  great  An- 
tichrist is  announced  by  the  third.  flis  full  develope- 
menl  however  is  to  be  immediately  preceded  by  the  last 
event  oithe  second  woe-trumpet,  a  tremendous  earthquake^ 
by  which  a  tenth  part  of  the  great  Latin  city,  or  one  of 
the  ten  horns  of  the  Roman  beast,  is  to  be  overthrown. 
This  last  zvoe,  which  extends  beyond  the  termination  of 
the  1^60  years  at  least  to  the  end  of  the  seventh  vial,  if 
not  to  the  commencement  of  the  Millennium,  compre- 
hends the  j)erio(ls  of  the  harvest  and  tfie  vintage. 

Thus,  afer  the  epoch  of  the  Reform  at  ion,  and  imme- 
diately after  the  French  Revolution  of  the  year  1789,  vve 
trave  seen  the  manifestation  of  a  terrific  monster,  wiaich 


i^65 


alike  set  at  defiance  the  laxv^s  both  of  God  and  man  We 
have  beheld  scenes  of  carnage  and  impiety,  which  well  de 
serve  to  be  ushered  in  by  a  disfinct  ?voe-trumpet,  and 
which  may  justly  claim  to  themselves  the  title  of  «  har- 
vest of  GocFs  wrath.  These  scenes  have  at  length  passed 
awaj,  like  the  distempered  and  fantastic  visions  of  a  sick 
man ;  and  the  svn  of  military  tyrannyha^  beaun  to  scorch 
the  irreclairaable  inhabitants  of  iht  Papal  itoman  entire 
with  an  intolerable  heat.  The  madness  of  Me  hardest 
therefore  is  f^ast  ;  and  we  must  expect  in  due  season  the 
commencement  of  /,^6^  m/^^^^-e,  in  which  the  enemies  of 
Lrod  will  be  finally  destroyed  for  ever. 

Atpresent  we  are  living  under  the  fourth  vial:*  and 
from  the  great   length   of  time  which  both  Fofjery  and 
Mohawwedmnhave  continued,  we  cannot   be  veTv  far 
removed  from  the  end  of  thf  1260  days,  whatever  be  the 
precise  year  from  which    they  ought  to  be  dated      The 
year,  which  I  have  fixed  upon  lor  their  date,  is  the   year 
OOb ;  a  year  marked  by  so  singular  a  combination    of  cir- 
cumstances, that  I   know  not  how  any   other  can  with 
equal  propriety  be  selected.     If  then   I  be  ria!,t  in  rnv 
opinion,   we  are  now  removed  but  little  moi^  than  60 
2/ears  Irom  the  commencement  of  the  time  of  the  end  and 
of  t/ie  vintage  of  God's  wrath.     Be  this  however  as  it 
may,  we  are  undoubtedly  liviiig  in  if//e  last  days  of  dlas- 
phfuous  i?ifidelity,  m  that  RwM  period  which    is  the  ^^e- 
eidiar  reign  of  Antichrist.     The  signs  of  the  times  'all 
concur  to  teach  us,  that  we  are  fast  approaching  towards 
the  catastrophe  of  the  great  drama.     We   have  seen  the 
unexpected  union  of  Infidelily  and  Popery;  an  union, 
no  doubt  preparatory  to  the  predicted  finoL  league  of  the 
beast,  the  Sake  prophet,  and  the  kings  of  the  papal  JrthA 
We  have  seen  measures  taken,  as  it  were,  towards  mak- 
ing the  atheistical  king  the  last  head  of  the  beast  1     We 
have  seen  Palestine,  the  predicted  stage  on  which  Anii^ 
Christ  With  his  congregated  vassals  is  doomed  to  perish, 

bee./noll?''f  ^  '^^^^'^  '^  ^^  ^"  "°^  i^^P^'obable,  that  thefifih  'oial  may  have 

+  This  cof /"f  ''"''  "'^'  ^^''^^■'^  ''-''  ^'''  Published.     June  10.  ISOg!  ^ 
lo!  1806      ■^''^ '"''""' ""'^'^^^^^^^  to  be  formed.    June 


^6iy 

•  ••• T> 

brought   forward  in  a  remarkable  manner  to  public  no^ 
tice,  and  becoming  at  once  a  subject   of  political  discus- 
sion and  an  object  of  hostile  invasion.     We   have  seen 
the  khigs  devouring  the  flesh    of  tJie  great  xviwrc't  and 
making  her  naked  and  desolate,  though  her  spiritual  em- 
pire over  the  minds  of  men  still  continues.     We   have 
seen,  and  may  now  see,   tlie  waters  of  the  mystic  Eu- 
phrates rapidly  drying  up,  previous  to  their  final   cora^ 
plcte  exhaustion    under  the  sixth  vial.     And  we  have 
seen  of  late  years,  what  I  cannot  but  consider  as  at  least 
one  of  the  minor  signs  of  the   times,  an   unusual  and 
laudable  attention  paid,  in  this  protestant  country,  to  the 
predictions  of  the  ancient  prophets.     Although  the  book 
be  sealed,  and  will  not  be  fully  understood,  till  the  time 
of  the  end  ;  yet>  as  that  time  is  now  approaching,  many 
run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  is  increased.     Of  the  wick- 
ed indeed,  of  those  who  are  either  members  of  the  great 
Aposiacij^  or  have  bei  n    tainted  with    the  blasphemous 
impieties  of  Antichrist.,  none  shall  understand  ;  but  the 
spiritually   wise  children  of  the  symbolical  7voman,  they 
who  profess  the  same  evangelical  principles  as  those  who 
perished  at  the  era  of  the  Reformation  in  trying,  in  purgj 
ing,  and  in  making  white,   their  apostate  brethren,  these 
shall  understand. ^^ 

*  Compare  Uan.  sii.  3,  9, 10.  with  xi.  35.     Th?  toise,  here  mentioned,  are^ 
evidently  tlie  same  as  thosi:  men  of  utukrstantlii  g,  some  of  wliom,  al  the  time  of 
the  Refurinatinn,  should  perish  in  attemptinij  to   propas^ate  the  truth.     To 
these  spiritually  wise  children  alone  shall  it  be  given  of  their  heavenly  Father 
to  understand  the  signs  of  tlie  times  :  their  opponents,  tlirough   ignorance  or 
contempt  of  them,  will  suddenly  pull  down  swift   destruction   on  their   o\vn 
Leads.  I  know  not  any  better  comment  upon  the  words  of  the  prophet  than  the 
sciolist  Voltaire'is  pert  remark,  that  tlie   great  Sir   Isaac   Newton  wrote  his 
comment  on  the  Revelation,  to  console  mankind  for  his  superiority  over  theia 
in  other  respects.     With  regard  to  an  alieivion  paid  to  the  profilu-ciex  being  orx 
of  the  si^'vw  of  the  times,  the  opinion  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  Bp   liorsley  will 
at  least  ex(Mnpt  me  from  the  charge  of  fancifulness  in  enumerating  it  among 
them.     "  Aniong.st  the  interpreters  of  the  lust  age,"  sa.y9  Sir  Isaac  "  theye  is 
scarce  one  of  note  who   Latli   not  made   some  «hscovcries   worth   knowinpf: 
and  thence  I  seem  to  gather,  that  flod  is  about  opening  these  mysteries."     In 
a  similar  manner,  the  Hishop  remarks,  that  the   cliaracter  of   the  'maritime 
6£>o/)fc  destined  to  take  the  lead  in  the  restoration  oj  Judah  "  seems  to  describe 
some  Chrisli.in  country,  where  the  prophecies,  relating  to  the  latter  ages,  will 
meet  willi  particular  altenlifjii  ;  where  liie  literal  sense  of  those,  wliirh  pro- 
mise the  restoration  cf  the. Jewish  people,  will  be  strenuously   upheld;    .ind 
where  these  will  be  so  successfully  expounded,  as  to  be  the  principal   means, 
by  tiod's  blessintr,  of  removing  tliv    veil  from  the  hearts  of  the    Isiaelites.'' 
Itcamiot  but  be  pleasing  to  the  serious  reader  to  observe  Uie  different  estima^ 
lion  in  which  propiiecy  is  now  held  tiiionglKHit  the  protestant   kingdoni  ot 
EngUiid,  \\<in\  u;iat  it  was  by  the  Jews  previous  to  the  sacking  of  Jerusalerf.. 


mi 

As  yet  we  have  beheld  no  signs  of  the  restoration  ©/ 
:nludah:  nor,  to  all  ap[)earance,  shall  we  behold  any,  till 
the  three  times  aitd  a  /;«//"  draw  very  near  to  their  ter- 
mination.* 

But,  when  that  famous  period  shall  have  expired,  then 
^yill  commence  the  wars  of  Antichrist  with  the  kinfrs  of 
ike  south  and  the  nor th,  and  the  restoration  of  the  nncon- 
verted  Jews  through  his  instrumentality.  Then  will  the 
Lord  call  unto  the  land  spreading  wide  the  shadow  of  its 
wings,  which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of  Cush,  accustomed 
to  send  messengers  by  sea,  even  in  quick-sailing  vessels 
«pon  the  surface  of  the  waters.  Then  shall  the  swift 
messengers  go  unto  a  nation,  dragged  away  and  plucked, 
unto  a  people  wonderful  from  the  beginning  hitherto, 
a  nation  expecting,  expecting,  and  trampled  under  foot, 
^vhose  land  rivers  have  spoiled.  Then  shall  all  the  in- 
liabitants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers  upon  earth,  see  the 
lifting  up,  as  it  were,  of  a  banner  upon  the  mountains  : 
and  shall  hear  the  sounding,  as  kc  were,  of  a  trumpet.  In 
spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  atheistico-jxapal  confederacyy 
the  great  viaritime  power  of  the  day  shall  take  the  lead 
in  the  restoration  of  the  converted  of  Judah  :  while  the 
enemies  of  the  Lord,  notwithstanding  their  invasion  of 
Palestine,  and  notwithstanding  their  temporary  success 
against  Jerusalem,  bent  only  upon  the  accomj)lishment 
of  their  own  schemes,  and  unconsciously  subject  to  the 
influence  of  Satanical  delusion,!  v/ill  madly  rush  on  to 

We  are  informed  by  Josephus,tliat  in  bis  days  it  vras  no  uncommon  thing  to 
to  hear  his  hardened  coimtrymen  ridicule  tlie  oracles  of  their  ancient  pro- 
phets, which  they  had  already  defied  by  crucifying-  the  Massiah.  KccnivcoliilD 
fj.li  «y  TTK?  uvl'jk';  Qia-jj-Oi  'xy^^wTrov^  iyiKocro  ^e  ra  0£i«,  KXi  rtf;  fisv  Trjo^nV-K  Sec-jU-uj 
urrivi' ayv(iiKa.i  Xoyovonxq  i'x^'Kiux^o'i.  (Joseph  de  Bell.  Judaic.  L  4.  C  6.) 
What  a  singukr  resembhuice  there  is  between  this  state  of  the  Jews  and  that 
of  the  French  at  the  time  of  their  boasted  Revolution 

•  Since  this  was  written,  Buonapart*^  has  begun  to  assemble  the  Jeti's  in  a 
grand  council  at  Paris;.  Whether  it  will  lead  to  their  restoration,  time  alone 
can  determine  :  at  present  we  have  certainly  no  right  to  id^y  that  it  will.  The 
avoided  plan  of  the  usurper  is  to  incorporate  thL-m  with  his  other  subjects  ;  his 
rea/ plan  wjrtj/ be  something  different.  It  is  saidthat  the  Jei::s  of  Frankfort 
bave  impiously  hailed  him  as  their  expected  Messiah.  Though  I  do  not  sup- 
pose the  J/K/ir^/Ji^a/ Buonaparte  to  be  .iniic'u-is!,  it  is  worthy  nf  notice  that 
Popish  commentators  have  adopt<  d  the  l)eli'  f  of  some  of  the  fathers,  that 
whenever  .  Intichrist  should  apyiear,  the  Jf^'uis  aouU  acknowledge  him  as  their 
Messiah,  and  attempt  to  procure  tiieir  restoration  l)y  hi.-.  iTisriiineiitality.  See 
Calmei's  Diet.  Vox^ltukhrist — Cornelius  a  Lapidcs  'Comment  inDin.  vii.  Uev. 
f«iL    Kov.  ^0, 18u6. 

•i  Rev.  svi.  13,  14. 


§68 

their  own  destruction  in  the  valley  of  Megiddo,  in  tlie 
region  between  tlie  two  seas,  the  region  whose  limits 
extend  1600  furlongs. 

On  the  whole,  it  is  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  th« 
lime  is  not  very  far  distant,  when  the  symbol'cal  liecwen 
and  corfli  shall  pass  away,  and  when  the  pergonal  IFord 
shall  begin  to  tread  the  wiuf'-press  of  the  fierceness  and 
wrath  of  Almighty  God.  Never  were  there  more  awful 
times  than  these  of  the  third  woe-trumpet.  All  civilized 
government  has  been  in  a  state  of  commotion ;  and  the 
powers  of  Europe  have  been  sliaken  to  their  very  centre. 
The  end  however  is  not  yet.  The  calamities  of  the  har- 
*oest  are  but  the  harbingers  of  those  which  sliall  take 
place  under  the  last  vial  during  the  period  of  thervitage, 

I'or  ourselves,  we  have  only  to  labour,  through  the 
grace  of  God  and  the  assistance  of  his  Holy  Spirit, 
that  we  may  be  prepared  to  meet  the  Lord  at  his  coming. 
Death,  whensoever  it  shall  arrest  our  progress,  vvillassured- 
iy  be  the  end  of  the  world  to  each  of  us.  We  pervert  the 
study  of  prophecy,  if  we  make  it  only  a  mere  curious 
speculation.  We  ought  rather  so  to  read  the  oracles  of 
God,  as  to  profit  by  them  in  all  holiness  of  life  and  con- 
versation. Neither  a  heaity  reprobation  of  the  cruelties 
and  corruptions  of  Poperjj  ;  nor  an  abhorrence  of  the  im- 
pious imposture  of  JMohuvimrdism  ;  nor  a  detestation  of 
the  diabolical  principles  of  Antichrist  ;  are  alone  sufTi- 
cient  to  prepare  us  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  We  must 
beware,  lost  we  have  a  name  that  we  live,  and  are  dead. 
We  must  be  watchful,  ajid  strengthen  the  things  which 
remain  that  are  ready  to  die  ;  lest  our  works  be  nottound 
perfect  before  God.*  It  will  be  but  small  comfort  to 
each  of  us  as  individuals,  that  our  country  is  preserved 
amidst  the  wreck  of  nations  to  fulfil  the  future  higli  pur- 
poses of  theAlmight}^  if  we  through  our  own  negligence 
fall  short  of  the  promised  reward. '  In  fine,  our  eternal 
interests  will  be  but  little  benefi'ed  by  the  study  of  pro- 
phec}^  unless  we  j)ursue  it  in  the  manner  which  the 
apostle  himself  hath  proposed  to  us.  "  Blessed  is  he 
that  readeth>  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  this  pro- 
phec}',  and  Aeep  those  thijigs  whic/i  are  written  therein  :■ 
for  the  time  is  at  hand."t 

*  P,ev.  iii.  l>  2.  y  Rev.  i.  o. 


APPENDIX. 


WHEN  the  first  edition  of  this  Dissertation  was  published,  T  had 
pot  had  an  opportunity  oi'  perusing  the  recently  printed  wcrk  of  Arch- 
deacon Woodhouse  on  the  Apocalypse;  but  it  v/ould  be  unp-urdnp.uhle, 
consid<=«ring  the  plan  which  I  have  ndopied,  to  suftor  a  second  eriiiion 
to  m  ikc  its  Hp])ea!'ance  without  noticing  it.  The  thanks  of  every  bibli- 
cal stiidcnt  are  due  to  the  learned  author  for  his  very  clcur  and  con- 
vincing Dissertano7i  on  the  divine  Origin  of  the  Jficcali//ise.,)xnd  likewise, 
for  many  valuable  remarks  and  much  sound  criticism  contained  in  ins 
notes  on  the  book,  I  feel  myself /^ccii/mr/t/  gratified  and  interested  at 
finding  several  of  my  own  positions  maiiitaincd  and  established  by  a 
writer,  with  whoiu  I  have  not  ths  honour  of  being  acquainted,  and  whose 
work  I  had  not  read  at  the  ti)ne  when  my  own  was  published.  Thus, 
we  are  both  agreed,  that  Mohainmedism  conr^titutes  one  haf  of  a  grand 
ttfit  Stacy  from  the  puritu  of  Christianity  ;*  that  the  ahocaUjiiti-c  great  city 

*  The  position,  that  Mohar.miedism  is  a  Ohristian  apostacj,  is  so  abl}-  treated  by 
the  Ai-cl. deacon,  that  1  cannot  reii'a.u  f.-om  birpiigtliomng'  what  Ihave  auvady  said. 
on  the  .subject  widi  ills  quo'ations  r.'i.l  arji'ii'iipnts. 

"  .Mohainvird  did  not  prtitend  to  dtlivei  any  new  religion,  hut  to  revive  t'le  old  one.— ' 
Ik  alloved.  both  the  O'd  <v  U  A>w  Testamentu^  a:,d  thai  both  ,\I,ses  an!  Jc-iJit  lucre  pro- 
phets stilt  from  Gnd  (Prideaiix'.i  Lift-  of  Mohammt-d,  p  18.  19.) ;  that  Jr-ms,  son  of 
JM.itv,  is  the  vvofu  (fid a  spirit  serf  from  God,  a  redsemer  of  all  that  believe  in  him. 
(Sale's  Koran,  p.  I'J,  30,  6.5.  Ockley's  Hist  of  Saracens  II.  .M'-hu-mnn  d  repre- 
sents 3»iniself  as  the  Paraclete  or  Comfo:t(:r  sent  by  Jesus  Christ,  John  xvi.  7. 
(Koran,  p.  16.5  )  So,  in  Mohammed  s  ascent  to  heaven,  as  invented  in  the  Koran, 
whih'  tlie  patriarchs  and  prophet.s  confess  their  inft.noiity  to  him  by  intn  atinghis 
prayiTS,  in  tlic  seventh  heuven  he  sees  Jesus,  whose  superiority  the  false  prophet 
acKnovVledj^es  by  coiPinending- himse'f  to  liis  praye'-s.  (Sale's  Koran,  p  17.  I'ri- 
deanx's 'Life  of  Mohammed,  p.  So.)  Faith  in  the  divine  hot; ks  is  a  ntcessary  article 
of  the  J\['ihamviedan  creed  ;  and  amoii^  these  is  the  Gospel  given  to  Issa  or  Jesus, 
which  they  assert  to  b(  corriifiteJ  hy  the  Christian  .  If  (my  yew  is  luiilin^  to  becoJne 
a  ■M'havimed.in,  he 'mmt  Ji- st  he'ieve  in  Christ  :  and  this  questinn  is  ashed  him,  Dost 
th.il  cdicve  that  Chiis-t  taas  horn  of  a  liri^in  by  the  hlast  :\.  t  inspii  ation)  o/"  Go^/, 
and  ■hui  he  'j.-as  the  hut  of  the  .Texoisk  prophets  ?  If  he  answers  io  tli"  afRi  niatr.  e,  he 
is  made  a  .Vi")ii:iniipjdan.  ',  lieiai.d  on  Moham.  pref  2-5,  11.)  JMjhavirjied  arose 
to  tstaOiish  a  veiu  r^hgivn,  v.hich  came  pretty  near  t  e  .Teivish,  a"  d -ivas  not  entirely 
different  fro>n  :iict  of  several  sec' x  ofChiistians.  which  g-ot  him  a  great  jtianyfoJo-wert. 
(Le'bnit//-  Lijiter,  1706.)  The  impostor  JVlohammed  cofeaed  ;'>at  Jesus  -icus  born 
of  tne  Vi)j.n  -.Mary,  thai  he  i.;as  the  IVor  I  of  God  .'>entfi'.m  heaTcn,  the  Sfiirl:  cf  God 
(lectarci! h>;  tre  miracles  of  the  Gospel,  the  prophet  of  G'id.  w  io.;e  office  it  wds  to  deli' 
tier  the  G^jptl  and  teucU  t'e  way  of  truth,  who  is  to  come  to  judgment  and  to  des'roy 
J.ln'ic-'~ist  uud  cor.v^rt  ihf  J.v^h  j'ltis  also  he  tanght,  that  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and 
the  laiu  of  .Kos^s  and  all  the  proplie^s,  are  to  be  believed  Jh.d  thus  he  was  tetter  in- 
clined to  tiit  '^iristi  itis  than  to  the  Je~Ms.  (Spanhem  Introd,  ad  hist.  sac.  vii  p- 
609.)  ^^T■Jihamr,udi■iml>eg(tr.  as,&  c\w\?.Unu\Mvefi\\  ackvowU-dging  C/ristfor  a  pro- 
phet,  a  greater  than  JMoin;,  born  of  a  V  rgin,  the  Wo^a  of  God.  (llicaut's  Ottoman 
empire,  p  l.^S  )  Srde  asserts  the  .Mnhamruedan  rei  ^'ion  to  be  not  only  a  Chris- 
tian heresy,  but  an  iwfirovemeyit  ufien  the  very  corrupi  idolatrous  system  of  the  Jivs 
and  Christians  of  (hose  times,  (rrclim  p.  15.1  Joseph  Mede  affini-is,  that  t)ie 
Mohainmedi.rt&  are.  nearer  to  Christianity  than  many  of  tlie  ancient  lieresies,  the 
Cerinthims,  G.M>;'ic.^,  Manichees.  (Work?,  p:  64  ' )  H  hatever  good  is  to  be  fund 
in  the  JSIohamn.edini  relig:>yi'.  ('an  ( so  re  good  doctrines  and  precepts  tliere  undcniahlv 
are  m  it, J  is  in  no  sniaUmeacure  owing  to  Christianity  ;  for  JVrohan:>iit.dis'n  is  a  t>or- 
rowed  sy.ite>n,  made  vp  for  the  nidt  part  of  Judaif-m  and  Chnstiaidty  ;  aw  I,  if  it  be 
considered  in  the  viost  fir. -curable  view,  might  possibly  be  accounted  a  sort  of  Clirislian 


^70 

ienotcs,  not  merely  rAs  toivn  of  Rome ^  1)Ut  «  eorrufit  csmmunion  ;*  thaj: 
the  h'Aij  ci'ij  is  not  (Ae  litrral  Jerusulcvi.,  but  the  Christian  church  ,t  that 
thejlr.tf  beast  of  the  apoculypse  is  noi  (he  Paf.acy,  hiii  the  Roniatier/i/Jrc  ;\ 
that  the  deadly  nvound  cf  'hia  b<ast  denotes  hift  conveision  to  Christianitu 
under  Constantino,  and  that/»'&-  revived  means  hin  relafising  iruo  idolatry  ,-$ 
that /■//!?  little  horn  of  DaJiiel'ufjiirth  beaut  cannot  be  the  same  as  the  Jirst 
mficcatvfi  ic  bicujC  ;  in  other  words  that  it  cannot  be  the  same  as  the  beast 
kimnelfoi  which  it  is  only  a  member  (as  some  commentators  have  sin- 
gularly supposed,)  b»it  that  it  is  the  same  as  the  second  afivculyfitic  Seust 
or  'he  fahe  prophet  •^\\\A\the  deadly  vjound  and  revival  of  the  Jirst  apoca- 
lyptic beaut  is  enigmatically  described  by  the  phrase  too,?,  and  is  not,  and 
yet  is  ;*  that  the  time  of  the  end  denotes  the  expiration  of  the  1260  yearsi 

fcercsy.  If  the  Gospel  had  never  been  p^tachri,  it  may  be  questioned  -wJicther  Moham- 
titedism  Koiild  hai'e  existed,  (l)i'.  Jortin's  first  charg'e.)  Tht  Aiutsulmuns  are  al- 
'.'eadti  a  sort  tf  heterodox  Christ' a  s.  '/'hen  are  Chiistians,  if  Locke  reasons  j\ttij,  be- 
cause thc'i  Jirtnltf  believe  the  iminaadar-e  conception,  tliviiDi  character ,  nnl  miracics  of 
the  JMesiiah  :  hut  they  are  he.evo  Inx  in  deniiv^  vehemeiAly  his  character  cj  Son,  and 
his  equalitii,  as  God,  with  tiiC  Fa  her,  of  ivhosc  imilt/  ar.d  attri'Uies  th  y  entertain  and 
express  the  most  a'ivful  idt  :s,  -ahiic  they  consider  our  doc:rii:r  as  perfect  bhisphany,  and 
i.nsist  that  our  copies  cf:he  Scriptures  have  been  corrupted  both  by  Je^vs  and  Christians. 
SirAViUiam  Jones  in  Asiatic  Rtst  arches,  Vol.  1.  p  63. 

"  These  are  such  testimonies  ^s  have  occurred  tc-  me  in  no  very  extensive  course 
of  reading.  They  are  derived  from  authors,  who  for  the  most  part  enjoyed  fii- 
vourable  opportunities  of  examining  the  Moliammedan  tenets;  and  tht-y  exhibit 
that  religion  as  risinc:  upon  tlie  basis  of  true  i*eligion,  corrupted,  even  like  Jie 
papal,  toserve  the  purposes  of  a  worldly  and  diabolical  tyranny.  In  the  Muliam- 
medan  religion  are  these  ar\icles,  all  evidently  derived  from  tiie  (Christian,  and 
constituting  in  it  a  great  suptrioiity  above  any  thing  that  paganism  or  mt  e  pi)i- 
]osophy  have  been  able  to  jiroduce  ;  the  belief  of  the  existence  of  one  all  wist',  all- 
good,  all-powerful,  God  ;  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul;  of  future  rewards  and 
punishments  to  be  distributed  by  Jeaus  ;  <.f  the  acceptance  of  jirayer,  of  seli-lui- 
7Tiiliation,  of  almsgiving  ;  of  the  obligation  to  morality  in  almost  ail  its  branches. 
Take  from  Mohammedir>m  one  anick,  in  which  it  diHers  from  all  eligions  gene- 
rally admitted  to  be  Chrihiian,  the  btlicfofJ^Iohawmed'a  divine  m.ssion  ;  and  litde 
will  then  be  found  in  it,  which  may  not  be  (iiscovered  in  the  profission  of  many 
acknowledged  Christians.  Nay,  perhaps  it  may  appeui-,  that  tlie  creeds  of  two 
bodies  of  Christians  will  supply  <veiy  thing  which  is  to  be  found  in  Moham- 
jnedism,  exc'pting  belief  in  the  pretended  }>r<)phct  of  Mecca. 

"  On  the  whole,  when  we  considt^r  the  origin  of  Mohummedism,  and  its  near 
affinity  to  coiTupted  Ciiiibti.mitj  ;  when  we  reflect  also  on  the  amazing  extent 
of  this  superstitious  doniinatiou,  which  occii])ies  nearl)  as  large  a  portion  of  th« 
j:^lobe,  as  that  possessed  by  Ch-istians  ;  com])rizing  vast  regions  in  ancient  Greece 
und  Asia  Minor,  ui  Syria,  in  Persia  in  the  Indies,  in  Tartary,  lu  Kg>jn,  and  .Vfrica, 
uhich  were  once  Chiistian  :  we  shall  readily  admit,  that,  if  not  a  Oiiriiitian  hertay, 
it  is  at  least  a  Cliristian  upouacy  "     Apoc.ilvpse  translated,  p.  36  > — 370. 

•  P.  -93,301,  +12,  418  1  P     bo.         %  P  32t'— .38,  422—432. 

§  P.  3o6,  345,  4.6,  42y.  436.  |j  P.  362— 3 j6. 

«J  P.  42f' — 4  8.  The  Archtleaom  argues  very  forcibly  against  those  wlio  witli 
"Mcde  would  ascribe  the  liihilmrnt  of  this  mysterious  plira'si;  to  the  age  in  which 
the  vision  was  delivered  "  These  words  of  the  angel,  de.NCiibing  the  beast.  He 
\:<r,t,  and  is  riht,  and  yet  ts,  appear  to  me  in  no  wise  applicable  to  the  l\  ranny  seated 
at  Uome,  at  the  time  of  the  vision,  whm  the  an^^tl  spake  them  This  was  the  time  of 
the  Kmperor  Domitian,  whe-i  a  crut  1  persecution  raged  against  the  Church,  wiicn 
St.  John  himsilfwas  acii.allv  sufli  riig  banishment  in  I'atmos/or  t/ie  -woru  of  God 
and  the  tciitimoimf  Jcsni.  .'^iich  a  lime  can  in  no  wise  agree  with  the  repriseu- 
vation,  that  the'beust-.n.'j,  a'"//.!  "Of  It  is  therefore  probaide,  that  the  time,  in 
vhicti  the  beast  is  said  to  have  been,  and  not  to  be,  and  yet  to  be,  is  the  tiitxc 


S71 

ttiat  the  afiocalijfitic  dragon,  cannot  mean  pagan  /?o»:e,but  must  typify  t^£ 
^evi'.  ;*  that  the  period  of  1260  years,  or  at  least  a  period  of  126ft 
years,  ought  most  probably  to  be  dated  from  the  year  606  ;t  and  con- 
sequently that  we  are  rapidly  approachins^  to  the  catusirophe  of  tha 
great  apostatic  drama-l  In  these  points  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  find- 
when  he  ariseth  apin  after  his  wovmd,  to  exercise  dominion  under  the  direction, 
of  the  harlot.  This  time  was  not  arrived  when  St.  John  s^w  the  vision  in  I'atmos  i 
but,  thoug-h  future  in  tills  sensf,  it  was  present  in  another,  a.-,  belon.^in.L  to  the 
Vision  then  under  exhibition  :  tbi-  the  beast  was  then  prcseni  in  exhibition  befbrft 
St.  John,  and  in  the  act  of  re-ascending  to  power.  Tlus  will  appear  mmv  pro-, 
bable  to  those,  who  read  forward  from  this  passa,;,^e  to  the  end  of  th*-  Stii  vcrsej, 
Avhere  the  admiration  of  the  inlubitunts  of  tiie  earth  is  spoken  of  as  ytt  future  a 
and  yet  this  admiration  is  fixed  upon  this  Same  object— the  bca.st  which  was,  and 
is  not,  and  yet  is." 

*  This  point  is  e3cellently  discussed  by  the  Archdeacon,  "On  consulting  the 
writings  of  the  commentators  most  approved  in  this  coumry,  i  hnd,  that  by  the. 
dragon  is  g-enerally  undersfxid  t.)e  p.tgan  a  d litnecuiiug  p  iver  r,j  Imptnul  Jiome.> 
But,  I  trust,  a  few  observations  will  sliew  the  fallacy  of  liiis  notion 

"  Where  an  interpretation  is  exjj.essly  given  in  the  %ision,   as  in  ch.  i    CO  ;  v    6,. 
9  ;  xvil.  7  ;  that  interpretation  7nust  be  used  as  tbc  key  to  llie  mystery,  in    prefer- 
ence to  all   interpretations   suggested   by   the  mtaglnation   of  man.     Now  in  tho 
9th  verse  of  this  chapter   (Rev.  xii.)  sucii   an   i.iterpretation   is   pres-jUed  ;  the 
dragon  is  there  expressly  declared  to  be  t.at  and.  .t  s  rpcnt  caUed  the  devi' ,-  knowa 
by  tlie  name  of  A*a,5-Ao:  "i  the  Greek,  nitdof  Hatun  m  the  Hebrew  ;  -w'o  decelveth  the 
"xhole  iv'jrid.     Here  are  his  names,  and  his  acknowledged  character     No  words  caa 
more  completely   express   them      No   Roman  emperor,   nor  succession  of  em- 
perors can  answer  to  this  description.     The  same  draj^on  appears  again  in  ch  xx. 
2.  anl  (as  it  were   to  pre\ent   mis'ake)  he  is    there   described    in   the  vcrv  same 
■words.     Hut  this  re-appearance  of  the  same  dragon  is  in  a  very  late  period  "of  the 
apocalyptic  history  ;  long  after  the  expiration  of  the  1260  duvs  or  years  ;  and  event 
after  the  wild  beast  and  false  prophet,  who  derive  their  power  fi'om  the   dragoa 
during  this  period,  are  come  to  their  end      And  the  dragon  is  upon  the  scene  lon^ 
after  diese  times,  and  continues  in  action  even  at  the   end  of  another  long  period, 
a  period  of  a  thousand  years.     He  there  pursues  hi?  ancient  artifices,  deceiving  the 
nations,  e\- en  till  his  final  catastrophe,   in  ch    xx     10,  when  the   warfare  of  tho 
Church  Is  finished.     <Ja!i  this  dragon  then  be  anevipcror  of  Rnne  ?   ov  any  race, 
or  dynasty,  of  emperors  ?     Can  he  be  any  other  than  that  anci.nt  and   eternal  ene- 
my of  the  Christian  Churcli,  who  in  this,  as  in  all  other  scriptural  accounts,  is  re- 
presen«ed  as  the  original  contriver  of  «/ahe  mischief  whicii    shall  befall  it      lu 
tJiis  d;ama,  he  acts  the  same  consistent  part  fri.m  beginning  to  end.     He  is  intro- 
duced  to  early  notice  as  warring  acamst  the  Churcli  (ch.  ii     10,  13  ,— In  the    sue- 
weeding  conflicts,  the  Church  is  attacked   by  his   agents;  by  the   wild   beast  and 
lalse  prophet,  who  derive  their  power  from  him  :  and  at  length  he  himself  is  des- 
cribed, »s  leading  the  nations  against   the  camp  of  the    saints      Nothing    appears 
more  plain  than  the  meaning  of  tiiis  symbol      The  only  ajipear.mccs,    which    may 
seem  to  favour  the  application  of  it   to   Imperial   Rome  are.   the    seven   ctownei 
heads,  and  the  ten  horns  of  the  dragon.     Eu; — the  seven  moun-ains  and  ten  horns, 
of  the  latter  Roman  empire  are  filly  attributed  to  Sa.an,  b'  cause  during  the  period 
of  1260  years,  and  perhaps  beyond  it,  lie  makes  use  f)f  the  Roman  empire,  its  capi- 
tal city,  and  tei  kings  or  kingdoms,  as  the  instruments   of  his  sncc- ssf'ul  attack 
on  the  Christian  Church.     The  dragon  therefore  appears  to  me,  as  he  did  to  Vene- 
rable Bede  eleven  centuries  ago,  X.0  h^  JJiabo'us,  potentia   teire/n  mundi  armatus." 
p.  321 — ,126 

t  P.  360.  The  Archdeacon  thinks,  that  there  arc  more  than  one  period  of  1C60 
years^  (p  339 — 34'1'.)     He  by  no  means  appears  lo  me  to  prove  his  point 

i  Nearly  all  the  more  recent  commentators  on  pi'Oijhecv.  with  wiiose  writings  I 
ain  acquainted,  seem  to  agree  in  the  belief  that  we  cannot  be  far  rem<)\ed  from  "the 
ehd  of  ths  1260 years.     Tiic  very  phrasealogy  \»sed  by  the  Arcbde«con  B2»st  for^i- 


I!7S 

"ir.g  myseir  supported  by  the  amhority  of  the  Archdeacon  ;  but  in  I'a* 
viovis  other  mutters  I  am  imul^le  to  agree  with  liim. 

The  first  objections,  which  1  have  to  urge,  are  of  a  general  nature  ; 
afterv/ards  I  may  descend  to //a?Vzcw/«r.9. 

I.  My  general  objections  are  to  the  Jrchdcacnn'f!  princifile  of  afijitying 
the  afiocah/fitic  /iro/ihecies,  when  c^vv'icd  to  tlic  length  to  which  Zip  carries 
it ;  and  to  /its  system  of  arranging  the  A/iocalyfise  itaelf,  on  which  a  great 
part  of  his  subsequent  interpretations  is  founded. 

1.  He  conceives  the  prophecies  of  the  Apocalypse  "  to  be  applicable 
pru)cipally,if  notsolely,  tothefatesandfo'-iunes'ifthe  Christian  Church.^** 
Agreeaiily  to  this  sysljm,  he  interprets //^e  .s/jryir*^  sta/s,  and  the  four 
fiTHt  trunitiets^z.%  relating  solely  to  eccltsiastical  matters  ;  and  rejects  at 
once  both  the  usual  chronological  arrangement  of  them,  and  the  aimost 
universal  supposition  thai  r/(("jfer/7-^rA/;  /ri^77i//e;s  predict  the  cclamitieH 
brovght  I'.fi-in  the  Roman  cmjiir<:  by  the  incursions  of  the  various  Gothic 
tribes  and  the  final  complete  subversion  of  its  wtstcrn  division.  Tr.c  prin- 
ciple is  undcubceuiv  u  just  one  if  adopted  with  moderation;  bui  the 
Arciicicacon  clots  r-ot  advi.nce  any  arguments  ir.  favour  of  carrying  it  to 
the  It'.^s^tii  which  h«j  Uijcs,  that  are  at  ad  satisfactoiy  to  my  own  mind. 
1"he  a'lan-s  of  the  Church,  both  Levitical  and  Christian,  have  been 
more  or  lees  connected,  from  very  early  ages,  with  empires  and  king- 
doms hostile  to  the  cause  of  true  religion  :  hence,  although  the  Ciiurch 
is  the  main  end  of  prophecy,  yet,  circumstanced  as  it  has  ahvays  been, 
it  seems  nearly  impossible  to  foretell  the  fates  of  the  Church  without 
likewise  fortelling  the  fates  of  the  great  powers  connected  witli  it. 
Nevertheless,  the  Cnurch  being  the  ultimate  scope  of  prophecy,  we  have 
no  occasion  to  go  into  "  the  v.-idc  field  of  universal  history"!  to  search 
for  doubtful  interpretations  ;  we  must  confine  ourselves  to  that  portion 
of  it,  which  alone  is  connected  with  the  Church.  Accordingly  we  find, 
that  no  nations  are  particularized  in  prophecy  excepting  those  with 
which  the  Church  either  has  been  or  will  be  concerned.  Moab,  Edom, 
Amalek,  Nineveh,  Tyre,  Egypt,  the  four  great  empires,  and  a  yet  fu- 
ture confederacy  denominated  Gog  and  Magogs  are  all  very  fully  noticed  ; 
■while  the  mighty  monarcliies  of  China  and  Hindostan  arc  totally  over- 
looked. Now,  Avhen  we  must  aknowledge  such  to  be  the  case  with  the 
Old  Testament,  why  are  wc  to  conclude  that  the  apocalyptic  prcchctions 
are  framed  upon  a  dificrent  principle  I  and,  since  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  Revelation  the  Church  is  connected  with  Daniel's  fourth  beast  or 
the  Koman  emfiirey  why  are  wc  to  suppose  that  that  empire  is  never  spok- 
en of  except  when  the  ten-horned  beast  is  specially  introduced,  that  is  to 
say,  except  during  the  period  of  the  1260  years. 

The  Archdeacon's  interpretation  of  the  seals  I  shall  consider   hereaf- 

klybrotlpfht  to  my  recollection  a  conversation  which  I  once  had  on  this  subject 
with  the  late  Hp.  Horsley-  His  Lordship  avowc«l  it  to  be  liis  opinion,  thai,  before 
i/ie  present  century  elapsed,  ihe  jiroplK-C'es  respi:ctin{»-  the  destruction  of  the  Roman 
beast  and  the  overthro-w  of  the  Inttchriatiunfuction  v.ould  oe  no  loriger  a  sealed 
book.  "  'I'lie  days  will  come,"  says  the  Archd^iicon,  "  and  seem  al  no  very  great 
distance  [the present  cer.tziiy  raa;,  ;.eri>aj ;,  d'bc1o,t  tlicin),  wIicti,  the  beast  and  false 
proplielbcinp  removed,  and  Fiao)!vin  sii.ik  for  ever,  tiic  devil,  that  ancient  foe, 
:?hall  be  deprived  of  his  wonted  influence."     F.  470. 

*  Pref  p.  ?iii.  sir.  f  Ibid.  p.  xv. 


r/3 

■  ter ;  at  present  I  shall  confine  myself  to  that  of  the  trumfiets.  The  four 
Jirst  of  these  he  will  not  allow  to  relate  to  the  o-verthroiv  of  the  West' 
ern  em/iire^  on  the  ground  that  the  subject  of  the  Apocalypse  is  the 
fates  and  fortunes  of  the  Christ.an  Church.*  But  are  not  those  fates 
and  fortunes  most  closely  connected  with  the  overthrow  of  the  West- 
ern emfiire  ?  According  to  the  usual  interpretation  of  the  four  first 
trumfiets  and  the  tyranny  of  the  two  beasts  during  the  period  of  the 
1260  years.,  every  thing  appears  in  strict  chronological  order,  and  the 
one  succession  of  events  arises  naturally  out  of  the  other.  St.  Pau! 
teaches  us,  that,  when  he  that  letted,  or  the  Western  emfiire.,  should  be 
taken  away,  then  should  the  man  of  sin  be  revealed.  Now  what  is  the 
particular  portion  of  the  Apocalypse  which  we  are  now  considering 
except  an  enlarged  repetition  of  St.  Paul's  prediction  ?  He  that  let- 
ted is  taken  away  ;  and  the  man  of  sin  forthwith  rears  his  head  ; the 

Western  empire  is  taken  away  by  the  operation  of  the  four  first 
trumpets  ;  and  the  great  afiostacy  of  1260  days.,  the  reign  of  the  false 
prophet  and  his  temporal  supporter,  shortly  commences.  The  one  is 
preparatory  to  the  other  :  the  four  trumfiets  are  merely  the  prelude 
to  what  may  be  termed  the  grand  subject  of  the  Apocalypse,  a  won- 
derful tyranny  exercised  ivithin  the  Church  itself  by  the  upholders  of 
the  Afiostacy .,and a  contemfiorary  Afiostacy  in  the  eastern  world  scarcehj 
less  wonderful  than  that  in  the  western.  St.  Paul  and  St.  John  are  per- 
fectly in  unison  :  they  alike  connect  the  downfall  of  the  emfiire  with 
the  fates  of  the  Church.  Thus,  even  independent  of  the  Archdeacon's 
chronological  arrangement  which  shall  presently  be  discussed,  I  see 
not  why  the  old  interpretation  of  the  four  trumfiets.,  or  at  least  the 
great  outlines  of  that  interpretation,  ought  to  be  rejected. 

The  Archdeacon  however  brings  anargument  against  such  an  inter- 
pretation of  the  four  trumfiets  from  the  homogeneity  of  all  the  seven 
trumfiets.  He  insists  most  justly,  that  what  the  nature  of  one  is  the 
nature  of  them  all  must  be  :  and  observes  that  Mede,  in  order  to  make 
them  homogeneal,  interprets  the  fifth  and  the  sixth  trumpets  as  re- 
lating to  the  attacks  made  ufion  the  emfiire  by  the  Saracens  and  Turks., 
as  he  had  already  referred  the  four  first  to  the  attacks  fir  eviously  made 
upon  the  empire  by  the  Gothic  tribes.  But  he  adds,  that  the  seventh 
trumfiet  announces  "  most  clearly  the  victory  obtained  by  Christ  and 
his  Church,  not  over  the  Roman  empire,  but  over  the  powers  of  hell, 
and  of  Antichrist,  and  a  corrupt  world  ;  over  the  dragon,  the  beast, 
the  false  prophet,  and  in  process  of  time  (for  the  seventh  trumpet  con- 
tinues to  the  end)  over  death  and  hell.  If  then,  under  the  seventh 
trumpet,  the  warfare  of  the  Christian  Church  be  so  clearly  represent- 
ed (and  in  this  all  writers  are  agreed,)  what  are  we  to  think  of  the 
six  ?  How  must  theyhc  interpreted, so  as  to  appear  homogeneal  ?  Are 
they  to  be  accounted,  with  Mede  and  his  followers,  the  successive 
shocks,  by  v.  hich  the  Roman  emfiire  fell  under  the  Goths  and  Van- 
dals ?  Homogeneity  forbids.  They  must  therefore  be  supposed  to 
contain  the  warfare  of  the  Christian  Church.  And  this  warfare  may  be 
successful  under  the  seventh  and  last  trumpet,  when  it  had  been  un- 
successful  before,  yet  the  homogeneity  be  consistently  preserved. 
For  the  question  is  not  concerning  the  success,  but  concerning  the 
warfare.  And  the  trumpets  may  be  deemed  homogeneal,  if  they  all 

*P.  313— 232. 
VOL.  IT.  S5 


374 

represent  the  saine  ivarfure  (viz.  of  the  powers  of  hell,  and  of  tiie 
Antichvistian  world,  agamst  the  Church  of  Christ  )  whatever  may  be 
the  e>'cnt."*  Thai  the  object  of  the  sevtuh  tnunpct  is  to  introduce 
the  victory  obuuucd  by  Clirist  and  his  Chvu'cli,  and  to  usher  in  the 
happy  period  of  the  Millennium,  few  will  be  disposed  to  deny  :  but 
the  question  is, /Kj^y  is  this  desirable  objectacconiplished  ?  The  Arch- 
deacon himself  allows,  by  the  triumpii  of  the  Church  over  those  in- 
struments of  hell,  Antichrint^  the  bemtj  and  the  faUe  iirojihit.  Now> 
whetlier  I  be  riijht  or  wronij;  in  my  own  notions  oi  Antichrist^  what  is 
this  but  a  triumph  over  the  Jtionian  empire  ixndthe  a/iostatc co?njnumon 
viseparably  connected  with  it  ?  Accordingly  we  find,  that //zf  .scTcn^A 
irum/tet^  after  conducting  us  through  dx  of  its  -vials^  aJl  of  which  are 
poured  out  upon  God's  enemies,  magnificently  introduces  under  the 
{seventh  vial  the  judgment  oithr  great  /(ar/'5/,tlie  downfall  of  Babylon^ 
and  the  complete  destruction  of  the  bca&t  along  with  the  fahe prophet 
and  his  confederated  king/t  ;  in  other  words,  the  overthroiv  of  the  pa- 
pal Rojnan  empire  both  secular  andtemporul.  How  then  is  ihe  homo- 
geneity of  the  trumpets  violated  by  Mede's  c?4)osition  ?  Under  the 
fourfirst,i\\e  western  empire  falls  ;  under  the  two  next,  the  eastern 
empire  follows  the  fate  of  its  more  ancient  half ;  under  the  last,  the 
revived  beast  or  papul  empire  is  utterly  broken,  ar.d  prepares  away 
by  its  overthrow  for  the  millennian  reign  of  the  Messiah.  In  short,  as 
matters  appear  to  me,  if  we  argue  backwards  from  the  seventh  man- 
pet,  homogeneity,  instead  of  forbidding,  re-f/wirtw  as  to  refer  all  the  six 
first  trumpets  to  different  attacks  upon  the  Roman  empire,  the  final 
rviin  of  which  is  ushered  in  by  the  seventh. 

2.  But  my  objection  to  the  Archdeacon's  arrayigement  of  the  Apo- 
calypse, on  which  a  great  part  of  his  subsequent  interpretations 
necessarily  depends,  is  infinitely  stronger  than  to  his  -very  limited 
system  of  applying  the  prophecies.  It  appears  to  me  to  be  so  extremely 
arbitrary,  and  to  introduce  so  much  couh\iiiou'mto  the  threeseptenaries 
of  the  seals,  the  trumpets,  and  'he  vials,  that,  if  it  be  adopted,  I  see 
not  what  certainty  we  can  ever  have,  that  a  clue  to  the  right  interpre- 
tation of  the  Apocalypse  is  attainable. 

The  Archdeacon  supposes,  that  the  six  frst  seals  give  a  general 
sketch  of  the  contents  of  the  whole  book,  and  that  they  extend  from 
the  time  of  our  Saviour's  ascension  exento  the  great  day  of  the  Lord's 
■vengeance,  a  description  of  which  day  is  exl^.ibiled  under  -he  sixth 
seal.-\  Having  thus  arrived  at  the  consunnnaiion  of  all  things,  how 
are  we  to  dispose  of  the  seventh  seal .?  The  Archdeacon  conceives, 
that  the  sayne  history  of  the  Church  begins  anew  under  it ;  that  the 
connection,  which  had  hitherto  united  the  seals,  is  broken  ;  that  the 
seven! h  seal  stands  apart,  containing  all  the  seven  trumpets  ;  and  that 
the  renewed  history,  comprehended  under  this  seventh  seal,  begins 
"  from  the  earliest  times  of  Christianity,  or  to  speak  more  properly, 
from  the  period  when  our  Lord  left  the  world  in  person,  and  commit- 
ted the  Church  to  the  guidance  of  his  apostles.  From  this  lime  the 
first  seal  takes  its  commencement;  from  this  also,  the  first  tnnnpet."^ 
Hence  it  is  manifest, since  he  seventh  seal  brings  us  back,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  introducing  Mt- Acrrn  trumpets,  io  the  very  same  period  at 
Trbich  the  frst  seal  was  opened,  that  the  opening  of  the  seventh  seat. 

*  P.  :::'2.  +p.  i35,  174,  i96.         t  v  197,  "OO. 


^75' 

synchronizes,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Archdeacen,  with  the  ojienihg 
^f  the  first  seal^  and  that  the  seventh  seal  shigly  comprehends  exact- 
ly the  same  space  of  time  as  all  the  six  first  seals  conjointly. 

The  seventh  seal  then  introduces  and  contains  within  itself,  all  the 
<teven  trumpets,  the  first  six  of  nvhich  constitute  the  Archdeacon's 
second  series  of  prophetic  history,  as  the  first  six  seals  had  consti- 
tuted his  first  series-,  and  these  two  serieses  are  in  a  great  measure, 
though  not  altogether,  commensurate  ;  for,  though  they  both  alike 
begin  from  the  aseensiov  of  our  Lord,  the  six  seals  carry  us  to  the 
f^^y  of  jud^7nent,  whereas  the  six  trumfiets  only  carry  us  to  the  end 
of  the  1260  years* 

The  third  series  is  of  course  that  of  the  vials,  which  the  Archdea- 
con arranges  under  the  seventh  trumjiet,  as  he  had  previously  ar- 
Kinged  the  seven  trumpets,  under  the  seventh  seal.  But  where  is 
the  place  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  and  consequently  of  the  first  vial  ? 
The  Archdeacon  docs  not  bring  back  the  seventh  trumpet  and  the  first 
vial  to  the  ascension  oj  our  Lord,  as  he  had  previously  brought  back 
the  seventh  seal  and  the  first  trumpet,  but  only  to  the  beginning  of 
the  times  of  the  beast  or  the  1 260  years  ;  through'the  whole  of  which  he 
supposes  (he  sevenrhirumpet  and  its  component  vials  to  extend.  He 
conceives  however,  that  the  sixth  trumpet  introduces  Mohammedisjn 
in  the  year  606,  and  reaches  to  the  downfall  of  Mohammedism  at  the 
close  oithe  1260  years.  Consequently  the  beginning  of  the  seventh 
trumpet  exactly  synchronizes  Vi'iththe  beginning  of  the  sixth  trumpet ; 
but  the  seventh  extends  beyond  the  sixth,  and  reaches,  like  the  sixth 
seal  and  the  seventh  seal,   to  the  final  co7isiimmation  of  all  things.\ 

In  brief,  the  chronological  arrangement  of  the  Archdeacon's  three 
serieses  is  as  follows.  The  first  is  that  of  the  six  seals  ;  and  it" 
reaches  from  the  ascension  of  our  Lord  to  the  day  of  judgmen'.  The 
second  is  that  of  the  six  trumpets,  introduced  by  and  comprehended 
under  the  seventh  seal ;  and  it  reaches  from  the  asccjision  of  our  Lord 
to  the  termination  of  the  Vieo  years.  The  third  is  that  of  ('Ae  seven 
vials,  introduced  by  and  comprehended  under  the  seventh  trumpet  j 
and  it  reaches  {vomthe  conmnmcement  of  the  limes  of  the  beast  or  the 
1260  years  to  the  day  of  judgment. 

Now  it  is  impossible  not  to  see,  that  the  whole  of  this  arrangement 
is  purely  arbitrary,  tuid  consequently  that  the  various  interpretations 
built  upon  it  must  in  a  great  measure  be  arbitrary  likewise.  The 
Apocalypse  must  either  be  07ie  continued  prophecy,  like  each  of  those 
delivered  by  Daniel  ;  in  which  case  (with  the  single  exception,  as  all 
commentators  are  agreed,  of  the  episode  contained  in  the  little  book) 
ive  must  admit  it,  unless  we  be  willing  to  give  up  all  certainty  of  in- 
terpretation, to  be  strictly  chronological  :  or  it  must  be  a  book  con- 
taining several  perfectly  distinct  and  detached  prophecies,  like  the 
ivhole  book  of  Daniel,  each  of  which,  for  any  thing  that  appears  to 
the  contrary,  may  either  exactly  synchronize  or  not  exactly  synchro- 
nize with  its  fellows.  If  the  former  opinion  be  just,  the  Archdea- 
con's scheme  immediately  falls  to  the  ground  ;  for  then  all  the  seven 
tru7npets  must  necessarily  be  posterior  in  point  of  time  to  the  open- 
ing of  all  the  seven  seals,  and  in  a  similar  manner  all  the  seven  vials  to 
the  sounding  of  all  the  seven  trumpets.     If  the  latter  opinion  be  just, 

*  P.  273, 274.  f  P.  308,  399,  400, 401. 252-273,  274,  3.9,  360. 


«7^ 

then  the  question  is,  hew  are  we  to  divide  the  Apocalypse  into  distinct 
prophecies  ?  The  only  system,  that  to  my  own  mind  at  least  seems 
at  all  plausible,  would  be  to  suppose  that  each  oi  the  hrce  sefitenaries 
of  he  seals,  (he  trumpets^  and  (he  vials.,  forms  ..'.  distinct  prophecy.  If 
we  divide  the  Apocalypse  at  all,  we  must  attend  to  the  Apostle's  own 
arrangement ;  and  homogeneity  plainly  forbids  us  to  separate  the  seals 
from  the  seals^  (he  trumpets  from  the  trumpets^  or  (he  vials  from  ^he 
■vials.  So  again  ;  as  homogeneity  requires  us  to  attend  to  the  Apos- 
tle's owTi  arrangement  in  case  of  a  division,  it  equally  requires  us  to 
suppose  that  these  three  distinct  prophecies  exactly  coincide  with 
each  other  in  point  of  chronology :  otherwise,  what  commentator 
shall  pretend,  without  any  clue  to  guide  him,  to  detennine  the  com- 
mencement of  each  ?  But  rhe  seals.,  as  all  agree,  commence  either 
from  the  ascension  of  our  Lord,  or  at  least  from  some  era  in  the 
Apostle's  own  life-time  :  therefore,  if  we  divide  the  Apocalypse, 
homogeneity  requires  us  to  conclude  that  the  rumpe(s  and  the  vials 
commence  likewise  from  the  same  era.  Accordingly  I  have  some- 
Avhere  met  with  a  commentator,  whose  work  I  have  not  at  present  bjr 
me,  and  whose  name  I  cannot  recollect,  that  proceeds  upon  this  very 
principle.  He  divides  the  Apocalypse  into  the  three  prophecies  of 
the  sealsy  the  trumpets,  and  the  vials  ;  and  supposes,  that  all  these 
prophecies  run  exactly  parallel  with  each  other,  extending  alike  from 
the  age  of  St.  Johnto  the  end  of  the  world.  To  this  scheme,  when 
examined  in  detail,  the  Archdeacon,  as  well  as  myself,  will  probably 
see  insurmountable  objections.  Sir  Isaac  Newton  adopts  a  some- 
what different  plan.  He  arranges  all  the  seven  trumpets  under  he 
seven  h  seal,  and  supposes  them  chronologically  to  succeed  Mr  siac 
frsr  seals  ;  thus  making  ?/te  seals  and  'he  trumpets  one  continued 
prophecy  :  but  when  he  arrives  at  the  vials,  he  conceives  them  to  be 
only  the  trumpe(s  repeated  ;  thus  making  the  vials  a.  detached  prophe- 
cy synchronizing  with  the  trumpets.*  Nothing  can  be  more  miuiifest 
in  this  plan  than  its  arbitrary  violation  of  homogeneity.  What  war- 
rant can  we  have  for  asserting,  that  the  seals  and  the  trumpets  form 
jointly  a  continued  prophecy,  but  that  the  vials  form  a  distinct  se- 
parate prophecy  synchronizing  with  that  part  of  the  former  prophecy 
which  is  comprehended  under //if /rz/;»y/cAs?  But,  if  Sir  Isaac  vio- 
late homogeneity  in  his  arrangement  of  the  Apocalypse,  much  more 
surely  does  the  Archdeacon  :  for  he  not  only  separates  the  sevemh 
seal  and  the  seventh  trumpet  from  their  respective  predecessors,  but 
divides  the  Apocalypse  into  three  distinct  prophecies,  not  one  of 
which  exactly  synchronizes  with  another. 

A  violation  of  homogeneity  however  is  not  the  only  objection  to  the 
Archdeacon's  arrangement.  It  seems  to  me  to  involve  in  itself  more 
than  one  obvious  contradiction.  For  what  reason  is  (he  seventh  seat  styl- 
ed The  seventh  ?  The  most  natural  answer  is,  because  it  succeeds  the 
six  firs;  seals.  Now,  according  to  the  Archdeacon's  arrangement, 
it  does  no/ succeed  them  :  for  the  opening  of  it  ey.d.ct\y  synchronizes 
with  '/if  opening  of  ihr  firsi,  and  therefore  of  course  precedes  he 
opening  of  th'  rcmairiing Jive,  ■A\X\o\\^\\  tlie  contents  oi  the  seventh 
•ieal  ilself  are  chronologically  commensurate  with  the  contents  of  all 
the  other  six.  But,  if  (he  opening  of  the  seven(h  seat  synchronize 
*  Observ.  on  the  Apoc.  p.  251,  293,  295. 


with  the  ofiening  of  the  first  and  therefore  precede  the  ofiening  of 
the  remaining  five^  with  what  propriety  can  it  be  styled  fhe  sevmfh 
seal  ?  The  same  remark  applies  to  his  arrejigenient  oihe  irumfu-is. 
The  first  soundiyig  of  he  seventh  trumpet^  which  introduces  ihe 
seven  vials^  exactly  synchronizes  the  first  sounding  cf  the  sixth  ;  al- 
though, in  point  of  duration,  ^Ae  seventh  trumpet  extends  beyond  he 
sixh.  Such,  according  to  tlie  Archdeacon,  being  the  case,  why 
should  one  be  termed  the  seven' h  rather  than  tnr  other.  The  three  last 
trumpets  are  moreover  styled  Me  th<'eeivoes.  How  then  czwthe  seventh 
trumpet  be  the  third  woe,  if  it  in  a  great  measure  synchronize  with 
ihe  second  woe  ?  I  am  aware,  that  the  Archdeacon  does  not  consider 
ihe  seventh  trumpet  as  being  itself  the  third  woe,  hw\ox\\y  a?,  mivo- 
ducing,  at  some  period  or  other  of  its  sounding,  that  third  woe.*  Such 
a  supposition  however  is  forbidden  by  homogeneity  ;  for,  since  the  fifth 
and  the  sixth  trumpets  manifestly  introduce  at  their  very  earliest  blast 
the  first  and  second  woes,  we  seem  bound  to  conclude  that  the  .seventh 
trumpet  should  similarly  introduce  at  its  earliest  blast  the  third  woe. 
In  this  case  then  the  second  and  the  third  woes  exactly  commence  to- 
gether :  whence  we  are  compelled  to  inquire,  both  why  they  should 
be  styled  second  and  third  ,  and  what  event  or  series  of  events  is  in- 
tended by  the  one  and  what  by  the  other  ?  Nor  is  even  this  the  only- 
difficulty.  The  seventh  trumpet  is  represented  as  beginning  to  sound 
af  er  the  expiration  of  the  second  woe,  and  as  introducing  quickly  he 
third  woe.  It  is  lik,ewise  represented  as  beginning  to  sound  after 
the  death  and  revival  of  the  wi  nesses  ;  which  must  take  place  either 
(as  Mede  thinks)  iitthe  end  of  the  1260  years  ;  or  (as  I  am  rather 
inclined  to  believe)  toward  the  end  of  them.  The  Archdeacon  him- 
self thinks  it  most  probable,  that  these  events  are  yet  to  come. t  Now, 
in  either  of  these  cases,  how  can  the  seventh  tr^impet  succeed  the 
death  and  revival  of  the  witnesses,  liithG^m  to  sound  at  the  very 
commencement  of  the  1260  years  ;  that  is  to  say  at  the  very  commence- 
inent  of  their  prophesying  ? 

Hitherto  I  have  argued  on  the  supposition,  that  it  is  allowable  to 
divide  the  Apocalypse  into  distinct  predictions  ;  and  have  only  at- 
ten.pted  to  shew,  that  it  is  next  to  in.possible  to  fix  upon  any  unob- 
jectionable me  hod  of  dividing  it.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  maintain, 
that  the  system  of  dividing  it  rests  upon  no  ^olid  foundaiion.  If  we 
carefully  read  the  Apocalypse  itself,  we  shall  find  no  indications  of 
any  such  division  as  that  which  forms  the  very  basis  of  the  Arch- 
deacon's scheme  of  interpretation.  St.  John  only  specifies  a  single 
division  of  his  subject,  'he  grea.  er  book  and  the  li  'le  book.  This  di- 
vision therefore  must  be  allowed;  and  accordingly  has  been  allovv'cd 
by  perhaps  every  commentator.  But  the  very  circunistance  of  such 
a  division  hem^  specified  leads  us  almost  necessarily  to  conclude,  that 
no  other  division  was  intended  by  the  Apostle  :  for,  if  it  had  been  in- 
tended, why  was  it  not  similarly  specified  \  The  Archdeacon  draws 
an  analogical  argument  from  the  distinct  prophecies  of  Daniel,  in 
favour  of  the  system  of  dividing  the  Apocalypse.  After  treating  of 
his  first  series,  that  oi  the  first  six  seals  which  he  supposes  to  exund 
from  he  ascension  of  Christ  to  :he  duv  of  judgrnen  ,hc  adds,  "  Such 
appears  to  be  this  general  outline  of  the  Christian  history.  Many  iia- 
*  P.  409,  note.  +  P  302,  303. 


ponaiit  intervals  ycL  remain  to  be  filled  up  under  the  sevemh  seal, 
Avliicli  will  be  found  to  contain  all  the  prophecies  remainint^  ;  and,  by- 
tracing-  the  history  over  again,  to  supply  many  events  which  were 
only  touched  upon  before.  This  uiethod  of  divine  prediction,  pre- 
.senting  at  first  a  general  .sketch  or  outline,  and  afterwards  a  more 
complete  and  finisiied  colouring  of  events,  is  not  peculiar  to  this 
prophetical  book.  It  is  the  just  observation  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton, 
that  the  Jtrojihecics  of  Daniel  arc  all  of  shcm  rekved  to  each  other  j 
and  that  every  fullonving prophecy  adds  something  new  to  the  former. 
We  may  add  to  this  observation,  that  the  same  empires  hi  Daniel  are 
represented  by  various  lypes  -and  symbols.  The  four  parts  of  the 
image,  and  tlie  four  beasts,  are  varied  symbols  of  the  sam.e  empires. 
The  bear  and  the  hc-goat,  in  difterciit  visions,  represent  the  same 
original :  and  so  do  the  ram  and  the  leopard.  We  are  not  therefore 
to  be  surprised,  when  we  find  the  same  history  of  the  Church  begin- 
ning anew,  and  appearing  under  other,  yet  corresponding,  types ; 
thus  filling  up  the  outlines  which  hud  been  traced  before."*  This 
analogical  argument  appears  to  me  to  be  inconclusive,  on  account  of 
the  defectiveness  of  parallelism  between  the  manf'stly  distinct  pro- 
phecies of  Daniel  and  the  only  supported  distinct  prophecies  of  St. 
Jolm.  Who  for  instance  can  doubt  even  momentarily  of  the  com- 
plete distinctness  of  the  two  visions  of  the  image  and  the  four  beasts^ 
although  they  plainly  {.vewX.  oi  t  he  same  four  empires  ?  The  one  is  seen 
"by  N'ubuchadnezzar  ;  the  other,  by  Daniel  himself:  hence  the  line 
of  distinction  is  so  indelibly  drawn  between  them,  that  we  cannot  for 
a  moment  suppose  either  that  ihefcet  of  the  image  belongs  to  the 
prophecy  of  the  four  beasts,  or  that  the  first  beast  belongs  to  the  pro- 
phecy of  the  i?nage.  Much  the  same  remark  applies  to  the  three 
chronological  visions  seen  all  by  Daniel.  He  beheld  that  of  the  four 
beasts  in  the  first  year  of  Belshazzar,  that  of  the  ram  and  the  he-goat, 
in  the  third  year  of  Belshazzar,  "  after  that  which  appeared  unto  him 
at  the  first ;"  and  that  of //ic  things  voted  in  ihe  Scrip! ure  of  truth, 
in  the  thii-d  year  of  Cyrus.f  Thus  it  is  plain,  that  we  can  neither 
doubt  the  distiiicUicss  of  these  visions,  nor  hesitate  ivhere  to  draw 
the  line  of  distinction  betAveen  them.  But  will  any  one  say,  tliat  the 
same  positive  directions  arc  given  us  for  dividing  the  Apocalypse  into 
disthict  prophecies  ?  The  whole  is  evidently  revealed  to  St.  John  in 
one  single  vision,  on  one  single  Lord's  day,  and  in  one  and  the  same 
isle  of  Patmos-I  He  does  not  exhibit  himself,  like  Daniel,  as  awak- 
ing from  one  vision,  and  afterwards  at  a  considerable  interval  of  time 
as  beholding  another  :  but  he  describes  himself  as  seeing  "he  whole 
at  once,  although  the  different  objects,  which  passed  in  review  before 
him,  appeared  sometimes  to  be  stationed  in  heaven,  sometimes  to 
emerge  out  of  the  sea,  sometimes  to  occupy  the  land,  and  sometimes 
to  be  placed  in  the  wilderness.  Sucii  being  the  case,  how  can  we 
fairly  argue  from  the  distinct  visions  of  Daniel,  each  of  which  near- 
ly repeats  the  same  portion  of  history,  that  the  Apocalypse  ought 
likewibc  to  be  divided  into  distinct  visions  ?  And  what  commentator, 
■who  proceeds  upon  this  system,  can  justly  require  us  to  accept  his 
particular  division  of  the  book  ;  a  division,  which  must  be  altogether 
arbitrary  because  unsanctioned  by  St.  John  ?  If  the  Apocalypse  in 
*  P.  197.  t  l^an.  vii.  1— viii.  1  .—X.  1.  t.-Rev.  i.  9,  10. 


279 


Xohe  divided  (a  point  which  can  never  he  proved,  and  which  Indeed 
^e  whole  structure  ofthe  l,ook  seems  to  me  to  disprove,)  how  c^  the 
Archdeacon  pronounce,  with  even  an  appearance  of  ccn.imyt  at 
he  has  discovered  the  proper  mode  of  dividin- it?  When   I  an    told 
that  the  first  division  comprehends  ./..  ./^  J,-.,  .  J/.Tthe     econd 
division  rA._.„^./.^r.r.ru;../....  ushered  in  bv  ./..  ..,..;,/,  „«/     and 
the  third  duasion   ,7..  seven  vials  ushered  in  be  tke  seventh   rLnf. 
Ifeel  myscf^nakmg:  on  very  unstable  .^nound ;  for,  if  the  .wV 
lypse  be  divided  at  all,  it  seems  unnatural  to  separate  ore  Teal  Sill 
tru^nnet  from  their  respective  fellows.     But,  e^n     ran  i.;  tS^   he 
Apocalypse  ought  to  be  divided,  and  further  .-ranting  thatfhe  trch 
deacon's  division   is  the  right  one  ;  it  still  does  not  follow    Umtht 
zmernreratKnr  ought  to  be  admitted.     If  ,-/;.   six  first  .vX  co     titute 
he  first  series  what  right  have  we  to  say  that  the  second  sere^b 
t  oducedby  the  sev^rh  seal,  chronologically  commences  f  on '  The 
selfsame  era  as  the  first  ?     If  St.  John  /.'>«..//had  specified  ^  e  Arrh 
deacon's  division,  and  jo.c/us  that  his  secondvdsion^comm  n  e^ 
the   sevemhsra,as   the  second  historical  vision  recorded  h^rSn^el 
commences  with  the  ,vinged  lion:  should  we  on  that  accent  W 
any  right  to  conclude,  that  St.  John's  second  vision  ot-ht   o  be  co 
puted  from  the  same  era  as  his  first  ?  Would  it  not,  on  tL    comr T 
be  more  natural  to   suppose,  that,  since  his  first  vision  was   W  5 

It/tf  "ttf  '"^f  ^''  ^^^""^  ^'^^'«"  ^^^^  introduced  by  tlu'^fr^l 
*«/,  the  first  chronologically   succeeded  the  second,  instead  ofcl 
^^t^ncing  Mid  runninic  fiarallel  wi\h  \0  Tn  fnrt    ;f  "'^^^^^aa  ot  coju- 

pliecR-s  both  6eff!,u  and  end>  .-  but  can  we  !TnJ,t'        ?"''?"" 
.■on,  discrepancy,  if  thcy  attempt  te  divide  tfel^oea^rs^  t'T 
imct  visions  agreeably  to  ibe  analogy  of  Daniel  predic  ions 

opS;;  XtT-to'cX^e^^vife 

«llv  allowed  exception  ortbeiH.hw'  ""'""°"'''  "'"'  """"- 

and;  if  snchan  opI.Sb       ell  Snded  'since"';/ /""'/r'^''  "T"  •' 

logical  arrano-ement  nf  tKr>  a -v,,,    i  •  ^     "^^    ^"  *'"  ^-^  the  chrono- 

there  is  reasSifo  admitdn^S  V/rN  ".""'f  '  ^'""-S''  '  ^''^"'^ 
a  supposition.  Fo,  what  dol^s  V/  !  !^'  ^^  ''' ''''  P'^y^'^^^Y  <^i"  such 
ceive  it  to  ron^.fn    /  "'-^•c^M  *«//  contain,  unless  we  con- 

*;;:,^i':r"e^';;X"r:'^::!;  -"-'---i-an,  «e  ,.,'s.. 

»  Mn«ei  ^/r  i,  rrntl,  tru??!/>e.',  if  ;vc  d«  not    G-d  it 


980 

under  the  seven  viais^  those  seven  last  plagues  in  which  is  Jelled  ufi 
thewrulh  of  God?  But  if  once  we  adopt  the  belief  of  t/ie  cojitinuity 
and  indiviaibilily  of  the  Afwcalypsc  (always  excepting-  the  little  book) 
it  is  plain,  that  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  Archdeacon's  interpre- 
tations cannot  be  admitted,  because  they  are  founded  upon  its  non  con- 
iinuitu  and  d:vi.^ibility. 

II.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  offer  a  few  observations  on  some /larticu- 
lar  expositions  of  the  Archdeacon,  premising  that  it  is  not  my  intention 
to  notice  every  little  matter  in  which  I  happen  to  dissent  from  him. 

1 .  His  exposition  of  the  first  six  seals  I  of  course  cannot  admit ; 
because  extending  as  it  does  from  the  ascension  of  our  Lord  to  the 
dax!  of  judgment^  it  seems  to  me  to  militate  against  the  whole  chro- 
nology of  the  Apocalypse.  Yet  his  principle  of  expounding  the  four 
first  seals  is  so  very  satisfactory,  that  I  cannot  but  think  it  highly  de- 
serving of  serious  attention  ;  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  Archdeacon 
himseif  points  out  what  is  probably  the  right  interpretation  of  them. 
Till  now  I  never  met  with  any  thing  atisfactory  on  the  subject  :  and 
I  forbore  to  treat  of  it  in  my  own  Dissertation,  both  on  that  account,  and 
because  it  has  no  connection  with  the  1260  days  to  the  consideration 
of  which  I  was  peculiarly  directing  my  attention.  Hence  I  merely 
stated  in  a  note,  that  I  could  not  believe  with  Bp.  Newton  that  rhe 
rider  on  the  ivlvte  horse  under  the  first  seal  could  symbolize  theage  of 
Vespasian^  because  the  homogeneity  of  the  Apocalypse  required  us  to 
suppose  him  the  same  as  the  rider  on  the  ivhiie  horse  decribtd  in  the 
\9th  chapter.  But  -hat  rider  is  plainly  the  Messiah  :  whence  I  infer- 
red with  Mede,  that  the  other  rider  must  be  fhe  Messiah  likewise  ; 
and  that  his  going  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer  denoted  the  rapid 
^propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  the  pure  apostolical  age.  Yet,  though  I 
approved  of  Mede's  interpretation  of  he  first  seal,  I  could  not  but  see 
his  inconsistency  in  referring  the  three  riders  in  the  three  succeeding 
sea/s  to  classes  of  Roman  emperors  :  for  hojnogeneity  as  the  Archdea- 
con very  justly  and  forcibly  argues,  requires  us  to  suppose  that  there 
must  be  some  degree  of  analogy,  some  common  bond  of  connection, 
between  all  the  four  riders  and  all  the  four  horses  under  the  four  first 
.teals.  Bp.  Newton  avoids  the  inconsistency  of  Mede,  by  interpreting 
the  four  riders  to  denote /owr  successive  classes  of  Roman  emperors  ; 
but  then  he  equally  though  in  a  different  manner,  violates  homogeneity 
by  teaching  us,  thai  the  rider  on  the  ivhtte  horse  m  the  \9th  chapter  is 
Christ.,  but  that  the  rider  on  the  ivhite  horse  of  the  first  seal  represents 
the  age  of  Fespa.tian.  I  entirely  agree  with  the  Archdeacon,  that  the 
19' h  chapter  must  be  our  clue  for  interpreting  he  four  first  seals  ;  and 
consequently,  since  i  he  first  seal  must  relate  to  the  spiritual  victories  of 
Christ  in  the  apostolical  age,  the  three  other  seals  must  depict  three  suc- 
cessive states  of  the  Church.  These  four  periods  the  Archdeacon  does 
not  attempt  precisely  to  divide  from  each  other,  observing  both  truly 
and  beautifully  that  the  progress  of  corruption  was  gradual,  and  that 
its  tints  melted  into  each  other  like  the  colours  of  the  rainbow.  The  first 
period  is  thai  of  primitive  Christiani  y  :  the  second  is ///a/  ofinrrnal 
disseniions  leading  to  bloodshed  :  the  third  is  that  of  spiritual  bovduge 
anda  dearth  of  religious  knoivlrdge :  and  the  fourth  hfha'  ofpersecu  im. 
The  Archdeacon  thinks  that  the  vengeful  character  of  the  second seal'n^ 
*  Rev.  XV.  1.     See  13p.  Newton's  very  able  Dissert,  on  Rev-  xv. 


281 

lobe  seen  distinctly  in  the  fourth  century,  though  its  coninficncement 
maybe  fixed  from  the  end  of  tlie  second  century  :  tliat  tbe  abuses 
of  the  third  seal  did  not  arrive  at  their  height  till  the  end  of  the 
fourth  and  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  centuries,  though  their  origin 
may  be  traced  so  early  as  in  the  second  century  :  and  that  the  perse- 
cution of  the  fourth^  though  it  did  not  attain  its  utmost  horror  ti.'i  the 
tvtelfth  century,  began  in  some  measure,  under  the  influence  of  ihc 
second  aeuL  w'lXhXliQ  v&\^a  of  Constantine,  increased  under  that  of 
Thcodosius,  and  seems  to  have  been  in  positive  exi:st.ence,  at  least  so 
far  as  edicts  in  favour  of  persecution  are  concerned,  under  that  of 
Honorius.  The  cry  of  the  n^artyrs,  described  in  'he  Jifih  scal^  he 
supposes  to  be  the  cry  of  all  those  ^Yho  have  sulfered  in  the  cause  of 
Christ,  whether  by  the  instrumentality  of  pagans  or  papists.  And 
their  cry  is  at  length  hoard,  and  produces  the  opening  of  the  sixth 
seal^whxch.  usher«^  in  the  aivfiilday  oj  general  retribution.  The  Arch- 
deacon argues,  and  I  think  with  much  appearance  of  reason,  that  the 
rider  of  the  third  seal  docs  not  carry  a  pair  of  balances  (as  we  read  in 
our  common  translation,)  but  a  yoke^  expressive  of  that  sfrriiual  boa' 
dage,  which  commenced  indeed  in  the  second  century,  but  v/as  fully 
matured  by  the  agents  of  Popery  :  and,  agreeably  to  this  exposition, 
he  conceives  the  deartli  to  be,  "  not  a  famine  of  bread  nor  a  thii-jt  of 
water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord." 

Let  us  now  sec,  whether  an  interpretation  of  the  seals  cannot  be 
given, founded  upon  the  Archdeacon's  own  principle  o^ hoin.geneittj, 
and  yet  accordiiig  with  what  I  believe  to  be  the  right  chronological 
arrangement  of  the  Apocalypse. 

I  am  not  aware,  that  we  are  necessarily  bound  to  suppose  that  each 
apocalyptic  period  terminates  precisely  ^vhen  another  commences. 
St.  John  indeed  expressly  tells  us,  that  the  fir-v  woe  ceases  before  the 
second  begins,  and  that  the  second  ceases  before  the  ^/«>rf begins: 
whence  we  viuat  conclude,  that  the  three  periods  of  the  three  last 
trumpets  are  not  only  successive,  but  tha.t  each  entirely  expires  before 
the  commencement  of  anotlier.  Respecting  the  duration  of  all  the 
other  periods  he  is  totally  silent  :  whence,  although  we  are  obliged 
to  suppose  them  successive  in  point  of  co7iu)ienceme?ii,  it  is  by  no 
means  equally  clear  that  we  are  obliged  to  look  upon  one  as  ter?ninat' 
ed  when  another  begins.  As  far  as  induction  goes,  we  may  r.ther 
infer  the  contrary  :  for  it  seems r»eedless  for  the  Apostle  so  carefully 
to  inform  us,  that  each  woe  terminates  before  its  successor  com- 
mences, if  such  were  likewise  the  case  with  every  other  apocalyptic 
period.  We  may  conclude  then,  that  the  influence  both  of  each  seal 
and  of  each  vial /iro6a6/i/ extends  into  the/iccri/.-arperiodof  its  successor. 

On  these  grounds,  suppose  v/e  say,  with  the  Archdeacon,  that  the 
frst  seal  represents  'he  age  of  primitive  chnsiianitij  :  that  the  scco7id 
represents  thai  of  fery  zeal  ivithout  knoivLdge,  commencing  towards 
"  the  end  of  the  second  century  when  the  western  riders  of  the 
Church,  and  the  wise  and  moderate  I r en eus,  were  seen  to  interpose 
and  exhort  the  furious  bishop  of  Rome  to  cultivate  .  Christian 
peace,"  and  extending  so  far  as  to  h'.clude  the  schism  of  the  Donatlsts 
and  the  bitter  fruits  of  the  Aiian  controversy  :  and  that  the 
third  represents  that  of  spiritual  bondage  and  religious  dearth, 
which  began  like  its  predecessor  in  the  second  century,  but  extends 

VOL.  II.  3G 


2I8'2 

through  all  the  worst  periods  of  popery.  Suppose  ^ve  furthe? 
sav,  slightly  varying  from  the  Archdeacon,  that  the  fourth  exhibits  tc 
us  what  mi.y  emphiitically  be  termed  the  age  of  persecution,  not  in- 
deed  of  persecution  mflicted  by  the  Church,  but  of  persecution  suf' 
fercd  k'l  the  Church.  This  may  be  conceived  to  commence  about  the 
year  3o2  or  S04  with  the  dreadful  and  general  persecution  of  Diocle- 
tian. Other  persecutions  indeed  there  had  been  before  this  ;  but  none 
eiilier  of  equal  violence  or  of  equal  extent,  none  under  which  the 
Church  could  appear  so  emphatically  subject  to  the  powers  of  death 
and  hell,  none  under  which  the  slaughter  was  so  great  as  to  cause  thc 
aymbolical  horse  to  assume  a  hue  pale  and  livid-green  like  that  of  a 
half  putrid  corpse.*  The  consequences  both  of  all  the  other  perse- 
cutions, and  we  may  suppose  peculiarly  of  the  Diocletian  one,  are  ex- 
hibited to  vis  under  the  fifth  seal.  St.  John  beholds  the  souls  of  the 
martyrs  midcr  the  altar,  and  hears  them  crying  with  a  loud  voice  for 
the  just  vengeance  of  heaven  against  their  persecutors.  Their  pray- 
er is  heard,  and  is  in  a  measure  answered  under  the  sixth  seal ;  though 
it  will  not  be  completely  answered  until  the  great  day  of  retribution,  "un- 
til their  fellow  servants  also,  and  their  brethren,  that  should  be  kil- 
led as  they  were,"  ui  subsequent  days  of  popish  bigotiy,  "  should  be 
fulfilled."  The  sixth  seal  is  opened  ;  and,  at  the  very  time  when  the 
affairs  of  the  Church  appear  at  the  lowest  ebb,|the  reign  of  persecut- 
ing paganism  is  suddenly  brought  to  an  end,  and  Christianity  is 
publicly  embraced  and  supported  by  Constantine.  This  great  revolu- 
tion is  portrayed  indeed  under  images  borrowed  from  the  day  ofjudg' 
merit  :  but,  although  the  Archdeacon  applies  the  sixth  seal  literally 
to  the  day  of  judgment  itself,  he  is  too  skilful  a  biblical  critic  not  to 
know  that  the  very  images  which  it  exhibits  are  repeatedly  used  by 
the  ancient  prophets,  and  even  by  our  Lord  liimself ,  to  describe  the 
fates  of  empires.  The  reason  seems  in  some  measure  at  least  to  be 
this  ;  the  downfall  of  any  false  religion  or  of  any  antichristian  empire 
may  be  considered  as  mi  apt  type  of  the  last  day^  when  retribution 
■will  be  fully  dealt  out  to  all  the  enemies  of  God.t 

The  first  seal  then  exhibits  the  Church  of  a  spotless  white  colour, 
and  under  the  influence  of  a  heavenly  rider,.  The  second  exhibits  her 
of  a  red  colour,  and  under  the  influence  of  a  spirit  of  fiery  zeal  and 
internal  discord.  The  third  exhibits  her  as  changed  to  black,  and  be- 
ginning to  be  subjected  to  a  grievous  yoke  of  will-worship,  and  to 
experience  the  horror  of  a  spiritual  famine.     ThefAirth  exhibits  hei 

*  "  There  were  other  persecutions  before,  but  this  was  by  far  tlie  most  con- 
siderable, the  tenth  and  last  general  persecution,  which  was  begun  by  Dio- 
cletian, and  continued  by  others,  and  lasted  longer  and  extended  tarther  and 
was  siiarper  and  more  bloody  than  any  or  all  preceding ;  and  therefore  this 
was  purticidarly  predicted.  Eusebius  andLactantius,  who  were  two  eye-wit- 
nesses, have  written  large  accounts  of  it.  Orosius  asserts,  that  this  perse- 
cution was  longer  and  more  cruel  than  all  the  past ;  for  it  raged  incessantly 
for  ten  years  by  burning  the  churches,  proscribing  the  innocent,  and  slaying 
the  mart\rs.  Sulplcius  Severus  too  describes  it  as  the  most  bitter  persecu- 
tion, which  for  ten  years  togtther  depopulated  the  people  of  God  ;  at  which 
time  all  the  world  alnr.oat  was  stained  with  the  sacred  blood  of  the  martyrs, 
and  was  never  more  exhausted  by  any  wars.  So  that  this  became  a  memora- 
ble era  to  the  (Christians,  under  the  name  of  the  era  of  J)incletian,  or  as  it  i"* 
otherwise  called,  the  era  of  nuir/iirs."  Up.  Newton's  Dissert,  on  Seal  V. 
>  See  Alede,  Bp.  Xewlon,  and  the  Archdeacon. 


Q83 

wilder  the  last  and  most  dreadful  perseculion  of  paganism,  as  haviny- 
assumed  a  livid  cadaverous  hue,  as  bestridden  by  death,  and  pursued 
by  hell,  as  experiencing  the  excision  of  a  fourth  part  of  her  members 
throughout  fhe  ivhcle  A/iocalyfaic  earth  or  the  Roman  cmiiire.mxd  we 
may  add  as  falling  into  danger  of  the  second  death  through  constraii  - 
ed  apostacy.  Theffrh  exhibits  to  us  the  souls  of  the  martyrs  ;  and 
represents  their^  blood,  iike  that  of  Abel,  as  crying  to  God' for  ven- 
geance upon  their  persecutors.  And  the  sijcth  symbolically  describes 
the  overthrow  of  paganism  and  the    establisment  of  Christianity. 

The  seventh  .9ec/ introduces  the  septenary  of  the  trum/iets.  "We 
are  now  arrived  at  the  days  of  Constantine  :  "but  St.  Paul  had  predict- 
ed, that  a  great  a/tostccy  should  take  place,  and  that  a  power  which 
he  styles  the  man  of  sin  should  be  revealed,  after  he  thw  let.ed,  or 
the  Western  Roman  ernpire,  had  been  taken  out  of  tlie  way.  In  exact 
accordance  with  this  prophecy  of  St.  Paul,  St.  John  proceeds  lo 
describe  ^ndeY  the  four  frst  trumhetsthe  removal  o't  him  that  letted; 
and  then,  at  the  sounding  of  the  fifth,  \.\\q  great  ajiostacym  both  its 
branches  commeiKes  m  the  seLf-samc  year,  and  the  man  'ofdn  is  re- 
vealed. 

Such  is  the  interpretation,  which  I  give  of  this  part  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, and  which  appears  to  m.eto  accord  better  v/ith  its  probable  chro- 
nological arrangement  than  Uiat  brought  forward  bv  the  Archdeacon. 

2.  After  my  general  objections  to  the  Archdeacon's  aiTangement, 
It  may  be  almost  superfluous  to  state,  that,  if  there  be  any  cogency 
m  those  objections,  his  application  of  the  fifth  trianfiet  or  the  first 
ivoe  i&the  Gnostics  must  be  deemed  inadmissible.  Yet,  since  he 
has  objected  to  the  comm.on  exposition  of  this  trumpet  as  relatino-  to 
the  rise  of  Mohammedism  and  the  ravages  of  (he  Saracens,  it  may  be 
expedient  to  say  a  few  words  on  the  subject. 

The  Archdeacon  supposes,  that  the  sixth  trumfiet  or  the  second  wog 
does  not  relate  exclusively  to  the  Turks,  as  most  modern  commenta- 
tors have  unagmed,  but  to  all  the  professors  of  Mohainviedism,  Sara- 
cens as  well  as  Turks  ;  and  conscciucntlv  that  it  begins  to  sound  in 
the  year  606,  whence  the  rise  of  Mohammedism  is  most  properly  dat- 
ed. Such  an  exposition  of  the  t-v^o  first  woes  does  not  seem  to  me 
to  accord  with  the  Archdeacon's  own  very  excellent  principle  of 
/i07nogeneity.  In  addition  to  the  fifth  and  sixth  trumpets  being  alike 
«tyled  woes,  the  prophecies  contained  under  each  of  them  bear  a  most 
^tnkmg  resemblance  to  each  other,  insomuch  that  there  is  nothing 
else  in  the  whole  Apocalypse  that  is  at  all  similar  either  to  the  ono 
v3r  to  the  oth.er  of  them.  Yet,  besides  their  being  represemcd  as  suc- 
cessive and  as  constituting  two  distinct  woes,  there  is  a  sufficient  de- 
gree of  difference  between  them  to  shew  plainly  tliat  they  caniiot 
relate  precisely  to  the  same  people  and  the  saw.e  event.  Now,  inde- 
pendent of  the  Gnostics  not  harmonizing  with  the  chronolo-y  of  the 
Apocalypse  (if  there  be  any  force  in  tny  general  objection,)  ''l  cannot 
but  think  nomogeneity  violated  by  referring  the  one  pvopiiecy  to  the 
Gnostics Wi<\  the  other  to  the  Mohammedans.  There  is  a  greater  dif- 
ference between  the  actions  of  the  Gnostics  and  the  aciions  of  the 
Mohammedans,  tlvdn  the  obvious  similaritv  of  the  two  predictions  will 
warrant ;  and  at  the  same  time  there  is  a  less  striking  resemblance 
fefitween  their  principles,  than  the  predictions  seem  to  require.     The 


284 

cclions  of  the   Gnostics  n.nd  the  actions  of  the  Mohammedans  were 
totally  unlike  ;  and  I  can  see  no  reason  why   the  principles  of  Hic 
Gnostics  should  be  thought  to  resemble   those  of  the  Mohamviedana 
more  than  the  principles  of  many  other  Christian  heretics.     But,  in  the 
case  of  (he  Saracens  imd  the  Tttrks,  we  exactly   find  at  once   the  re-- 
f/uired  similarity  and    the  required    dissimilarity  :.   and,  while  homo- 
^eiieity  is  thus  preserved  inviolate,  the  chronology  of  the  Apocalypse 
(supposhig  it  to  be,  as   I  have  attempted  to  prove  it  to  be,  one  con- 
tinned  vidon)  remains  perfectly  unbroken.     With  so  much  in  favour 
of  Mede's  intei'pretation,  I   cannot  feel  rny  faith  in  it  sliaken  by  tha 
Archdeacon's  objectioRs.     I  fully  agree  witli  him,  that  the  fallen  star 
(f  the  fifth  trumpet  cannot   mean  Mohammed;  but  .^/k's  objection  is 
removed  by  the  interpretation  which  /have   given  of  it.     His  three 
next  objections  do  not  seem  to  me  insurmountable.     The  symbolical 
darkness  of  the  fifth  trumpet  I  do  not  conieive  to  mean  the  darkness 
of  preceding  heresies  :  it  began  to  issue  out  of  the  l>ottomless  pit  or 
hell,  when  the  false  prophet  retired  to   the  cave  of  Hera  to  vent  his 
impostm-e.     I  cannot  see,   why  we  are  bound  to  conchide  that  the 
darkness  must  extend  to  the  ''vhole  christian  world,  merely  because 
it  is  said  that  the  sun  and  the  air  were  darkened  ;  any  more  than  we 
ought  to  suppose  the  whole  7iatural  world  darkened,  because  a  great 
smoke  darkened  the  sun  and  the  air  to  the  inh.abitants  of  a  particular 
country.     The  regions,  in  which   the   Waldenses  most  flourislied, 
certainly  did  escape  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  incursions  of  the 
Saracens  ;  and  i  think,  with  Bp.  Newton,  that  tiiis  escape  is  a  suffi- 
cient fulfilment  of  the  prophecy.     The  fifih  objection  is  invalid,  sup- 
posing the  prediction  to  relate  to  the  Saracens  in  par'icular,  and  not 
to  the  Mohammedans  in  general.     The  Saracens  indeed  subsisted  as  a 
nation  more  tlian  150  years,  just  as  the  Gnostics  continued  as  a  sect 
more  than   150  years  ;  but  they  subsisted  as  an  z/^'^c^/r/d'c/ nation,  an- 
swering to  the    character  of  a  ivoe  inficted  by  locusts,  exactly  150 
years.     In  the  sixth  objection  there  is  some  weight,  but  I  cannot 
allow  it  to  counterbalance  the  arguments  in  favour  of  Mede's  inter- 
pretation.     In  prophecies  avowedly  descriptive  we  not  imfrequently 
meet  with  amixtiu-e  of  the  literal  with  the  symbolical.   Thus,  in  the 
final  battle  of  Armageddon,  if  we  compare  the  description  of  it  witli 
other  parallel  prophecies,  Christ  is /?ro6o6/i/ a  literal  character,  the 
kings  of  the  earth  and  their  armies  arc  certainly  literal  characters, 
and  the  beast  is  just  as  certainly  a  symbolical  character.     Apply  this 
remark  to  the  Archdeacon's  objection,  that  commentators,   in  order 
to  refer  the  fifth  trumpet  to  the  Saracens,  sometiiiies  expound  it  lite- 
rally and  sometimes  symbolically  ;  and  perhaps  it  may  not  be  thought 
wholly  unanswerable.*     So  again  :  whatever  might  have  been  the 
state  of  the   Turkish  nation  before  it  is  mentioned  by  St.  John,   it  was 
certainly,  immediately  before  the  period  of  its  supposed  introduction 
into  the  Apocalypse,  divided  into  four  sultanies  ;  and  those  four  sul- 
taniefi  were  seated  upon  the  Euphrates  :  whereas  the  rise  of  Moham-r 
medism  from  the  cave  of  Hera  in  Arabia  can  by  no  ingenuity  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  Euphrates.     It  is  not  sufficient  to  say,  that  the  Saracens 
were  at  a  suhsryvent  period  seated  upon  the  Euphrates  :  a  prophecy 
VClftting  to  the  rise  of  lilohammedisni,  must  conunence  from  Arubia.t 

•  P,  2\9,  250, 251,  t  P-  2n. 


S85 

With  regard  to  the  pvopviety  of  considering  the  Saracens  and  the 
Turks  as  ivocs,  the  Archdeacon  cannot  object  to  it  even  according  to 
his  own  definition  of  c  luoe  :\\  for  surely  the  rapid  propagation  of  Mo- 
havimedism  by  the  Saracens,  and  its  esiablishmmt  by  the  Turks^  may 
well  be  considered  as  tivo  heavy  ivoes  to  the  Christian  Church  ;  espe- 
cially if  wcttike  into  the  account  the  contemfiorary  rise  and  esiablish- 
went  of  the  western  apostacy.  On  the  same  ground,  neither  can  he 
object  to  the  interpretation  which  /  have  given  of  the  third  woe,  as 
ushering  in  the  open  dcvelopement  of  French  aiheisia  and  anarchy. 
But  I  much  doubt  whether  his  idea  of  the  three  Apocalyptic  woes 
be  perfectly  accurate.  They  aie  woes  to  "  the  inhabiters  of  the 
earth."*  But  the  i:ihabitcrs  of  the  earth  are  not  the  pure  church,  but 
the  idolatrous  inhabitants  of  the  jRoman  empire.  Accordingly,  all  the 
ivoes,  supposing  the  seven  vials  to  constitute  jointly  the  third  woe,  are 
represented  as  punishments  inflicted  both  upon  the  eastern  and  wes- 
tern Romans.^  The  sense,  which  the  Archdeacon  affixes  to  the  Apo- 
cahiptic  earth,  or  (as  he  sometimes  translates  the  original  word)  land^ 
isirreconcileable  vith  many  passages  wherein  that  symbol  is  introduc- 
ed '.\  therefore  I  consider  it  as  untenable.  And  I  think  his  defini- 
tion of  the  Apocalyptic  sea  to  be  equally  untenable,  and  for  the  same 
reason  .§ 

3.  The  Archdeacon  supposes  the  woman  descinbed  in  the  1 2th  chap- 
ter to  denote  the  Church,  not  merely  v/hile  christian,  but  from  the 
very  earliest  ages  ;  and  he  conceives  the  tnan-child  to  be  the  literal 
Messiah,  with  whom  the  Church  had  been  travailing  in  earnest  ex- 
pectation through  a  long  series  of  years.  The  war  in  heaven  he 
likewise  understands  literally,  and  believes  it  to  relate  to  the  expul- 
sion of  Safan  and  his  aposta-e  angels.  N3t  indeed  that  he  supposes 
a  battle  to  have  been  actually  fought ;  but  he  refers  this  part  of  the 
Apocalypse  to  the  same  conflict  as  that  alluded  to  in  Jude  6,  and  2 
Pet.  ii.  4. 

It  is  obvious,  that  this  scheme  is  liable  to  much  the  same  objections 
as  those  which  I  have  already  adduced  against  the  schemes  of  Mede 
and  Bp.  Newton.  The  whole  of  the  little  book,  as  itself  repeatedly 
testifies,  treats  of  the  1260  years.  This  is  so  manifest,  that  all  com- 
mentators, who  depart  from  such  an  opinion,  are  obliged  to  have  re- 
course to  the  most  arbitrary  glosses  upon  the  text.  Bp.  Newton 
accordingly  asserts,  that  the  flight  of  the  woman  into  the  wilderness 
mentioned  in  the  6th  verse  is  introdviced  prolcptically,  hecdMse  it  was 
posterior  in  point  of  time  to  the  events  which  he  supposes  to  be  in- 
tended by  the  war  zw  heaven.  The  Archdeacon,  in  a  somewhat  simi- 
lar manner,  would  throw  the  whole  of  thai  war  into  a  parenthesis,  in 
order  that  he  may  be  at  liberty  to  apply  it  to  the  expulsion  of  the  de- 
vil and  his  angels  from  heaven.  After  carefully  reading  however  all 
that  the  bishop  and  the  Archdeacon  have  said  in  favom-  of  their  re- 
spective schemes,  and  after  attentively  considering  the  structure  of 
the  little  book,  I  cannot  think  that  either  the  prolepsis  or  the  paren- 
thesis are  at  all  warranted  by  the  general  tenor  of  the  prophecy  ;  and 
to  myself  it  certainly  appears  a  complete  breach  of  chronological 

II  Pref.  p.  xvii. 

*  Rev.  vili.  13.  +Rev.ix.  4,  20,  21.vi.  15,  18.  xvi.  2,  5,6,9,10^12,  13,  14,17',  1?. 

*  Compare  tUe  Archdeacon,  p.  210,  2U,  with  Uev.  xiii.  8,  12,  U.    i  P.  211. 


286 

precision  to  suppose,  that  in  the  very  midst  of  an  insulated  prediction 
(severed  by  the  Apostle  himself  from  his  larger  prediction,)  M'hich 
professes  to  treat  of  the  1260  years,  we  should  be  suddenly  carried 
back  either  to  the  age  of  primitive  Christianity,  the  age  of  Constan- 
tine,  or  a  period  preceding  the  very  creation  of  the  world.  Nor  is 
this  the  only  objection  to  the  Archdeacon's  exposition  :  it  contains 
likewise  a  violdtion  of  hoinog-neity.  The  ivoman  is  said  to  be  in  the 
same  heaven  as  the  dra((on.  But  by  that  heaven  the  Archdeacon  un- 
derstands the  literal,  heaven,  out  of  which  the  apostate  angels  were 
cast.  The  toomayi  therefore  must  have  been  in  he  literal  heaven. 
But  when  was  "  the  Church  from  the  time  of  Adam"*  down  to  the 
present  time,  whether  patriarchal,  Levetical,  or  christian,  in  the  li- 
beral heaven  from  which  the  devil  was  expelled  ? 

4.  I  have  already  mentioned  the  agreement  between  the  Archdea- 
con and  myself,  that  the  first  afiocalyficic  beast  is  the  Roman  empire., 
and  the  same  as  Daniel's  fourth  beast  ;  not,  as  some  have  supposed, 
the  Pafiacy,  and  the  same  as  the  Utile  horn  of  Daniel's  beast.  The 
Archdeacon  indeed  may  perhaps  be  thought  by  some  needlessly  to 
refine  on  the  subject  if  yet  his  opinion  of  this  beasi  is  substantially 
the  same  as  my  own.  To  his  remarks  however  on  the  seventh  and 
eighth  forms  of  Roman  government  I  can  by  no  means  subscribe. 
He  conceives  the  seventh  to  be  'he  Exarchate  of  Ravenna,  and  the 
eigh'h  (unless  I  altogether  mistake  his  meaning)  to  be  a  compound  of 
all  (he  Popish  sovereigns,  a  college  (if  I  may  so  speak)  of  all  the  ten 
horns.:^  As  I  have  in  the  body  of  my  work  given  my  reasons  very 
abundantly  why  I  cannot  allow  the  Exarchate  of  Ravenna  to  be  the 
seventh  head,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  some  observations  on  the 
Archdeacon's  opinion  of  rA<?  eighth.  The  first  objection  to  it  is  ob- 
viously, that  it  confounds  the  members  of  the  beast,  making  his  ten 
horns  the  same  as  his  last  head.  The  next  is,  that  this  apparently 
distinct  eighth  head  is  to  be  one  of  the  preceding  seven  ;  so  that  the 
beast  has  really  only  seven,  though  he  may  *ff;«  upon  a  superficial 
view  of  his  histoiy  to  have  eight.  With  which  of  his  seven  prede- 
cessors can  this  supposed  collegiate  regal  head  be  identified  ?  The 
last  is,  that  the  eighth  head  of  the  beast  is  represented  as  something 
perfectly  distinct  from  the  kings  seated  within  his  empire,  although 
it  manifestly  influences  their  actions.  We  read,  that  the  beast  is  to  go 
into  perdition  while  subsisting  under  his  eighth  form  of  government. 
Now,  if  we  turn  to  the  passage  where  his  perdition  is  described,  we 
find  him  headi?ig  a  confederacy  of  those  very  kings  whom  the  Arch- 
deacon conceives  jointly  to  constitute  his  last  head.§ 

5.  Though  I  quite  agree  with  the  Archdeacon,  that  the  little  horn 
of  Daniel's  fourth  beast,  when  generally  considered,  is  the  same  as 
the  second  apocalyptic  beast  ov  the  false  prophet  ;  yet,  if  we  descend 
to  particulars,  I  am  una1)le  to  assent  to  his  exposition  of  these  kin- 
dred symbols.  He  thinks,  that  the  second  apocalyptic  beast  represents 
the  whole  of  the  great  afiostacy  ;  and  that  his  two  horns  denote,  one 
the  Papacy,  and  the  other  Mohammedism.\\  It  is  somewhat  remark- 
able, that  i  had  once  in  the  course  of  my  study  of  the  Revelation  fal- 
len upon  the  very  same  opinion  ;  but  it  is  liable  to  what  appears  to 

•  P.  315.  t  See  p   3  9— 335,  4:1,— 425,  436.  +  P.  431,43;2. 

§  Rev.  xvi.  13,  14,  xix.  I'J.  I)  P.  3j6— 574. 


287 

myself  insuperable  objections. — ^.Of  the  second  afiocahjptic  beast  strict 
unity  of  action  is  predicated  :  but  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  thai,  if  his 
two  horns  had  been  designed  to  represent  two  such  disihict tiovnrs  as 
Pofiery  and  Mohammedism^  a  separate  set  of  actions  would  have  been 
ascribed  to  each  ;  as  there  are,  for  instance,  to  the  two  Utile  horns 
described  by  Daniel,  and  (what  is  perhaps  more  strictly  analogical)  to 
the  several  horns  and  the  little  horn  of  Daniel's  fourth  beast.' — The 
second  aliocalyfitic  beast  makes  his  appearance  in  the  little  book,  • 
which  (according  to  the  Archdeacon  himself*)  peculiarly  relates  to 
^'•another  Antichristian  usurpation"  as  contradistinguished  from  the 
already  predicted  Mohammedan  usurpation,  and  of  which  "  the  west- 
ern nations  of  the  Gentiles  are  to  be  the  object :"  surely  then,  if  we 
would  be  consistent  in  our  expositions,  we  cannot  expect  to  find  in 
the  little  book  any  mention  of  Mohainmedism. —  The  secoiid  afio^falyfi- 
tic  beast  is  represented  as  being  one  false  prophet,  or  (what  amounts 
to  the  same  thing)  one  body  of  personal  false  prophets  :  now,  when 
we  consider  the  nature  of  what  Mede  properly  terms  the  counter  elc' 
ments\  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  when  we  find  that  the  true  prophets  of 
God  are  said  to  be  tivo  in  number,  we  can  scarcely  conceive  that  the 
counter-element  to  the  two  true  prophets  would  have  been  one  false 
prophet,  when  so  fair  an  opportunity  was  presented  of  producing  a 
perfect  counter-element  by  exhibiting  two  false  prophets,  namely  Po- 
pery  and  Mohammedism  :  one  false  prophet  however  is  alone  men- 
tioned ;  whence  it  seems  most  natural  to  conclude  that  one  power  is 
alone  intended.— The  power,  which  the  second  beast  exercises  under 
the  protection  of  the  Jirst^  is  among  other  particulars  (as  the  Arch- 
deacon himself  allows^)  idolatrous  ;  and,  if  the  exposition  which 
Dr.  Zouch  and  myself  give  of  the  image  set  up  by  him  be  just,  it  is 
idolatrously  persecuting  :  the  disciples  of  Mohammed  have  ever 
warmly  protested  against  idolatry,  and  have  repeatedly  charged  the 
Papists  with  being  guilty  of  it. —  The  second  beast  is  repi*esented  as 
Tery  closely  connected  with  the  first,  and  as  exercising  his  authority 
under  his  immediate  sanction :  this  perfectly  accords  with  Popery, 
but  by  no  means  so  with  Mohammedism,  which  has  ever  been  in  di- 
rect opposition  to  the  papal  Roman  empireySiUd  against  which  repeat- 
ed crusades  have  been  undertaken. — The  second  beast  is  allowed  by 
the  Ai'chdeacon  to  be  the  same  as  the  little  horn  of  Daniel's  fourth 
beast  ;  therefore  the  little  horn  must,  according  to  his  scheme,  typify 
at  once  both  Popery  and  Mohammedism  :§  but  what  is  there  in  the 
character  of  this  little  horn,  which  can  reasonably  induce  us  to  sup- 
pose that  it  denotes  two  entirely  distinct  religious  powers  ?  All  the 
other  horns  of  all  the  other  beasts  represent  each  a  single  ponver  :  ho- 
mogeneity therefore  forbids  us  to  suppose  that  it  alone  represents 
two.  Its  actions  equally  forbid  such  a  supposition.  Like  those  of 
the  second  apocalyptic  beast,  they  are  strictly  the  actions  of  one.  The 
little  horn,  for  instance,  subverts  three  of  the  other  horns.  Popery 
and  Mohammedism  cannot  both  subvert  the  self-same  three  horns  : 
and,  if  they  had  each  subverted  three,  then  their  common  symbol  the 
little  horn  would  have  subverted  six.  But  Mohammedism  rie\er  sub- 
verted cwt/  three,  and  the  little  horn  does  subvert  three  ;  therefore 
Mohammedism   can  have  no  connection  with  the  little  horn.     The 

*  P.  "277,  278,  279.    \  A»TJo-ro!;>j«  $x<rihiKn.    ±  p.  350,  S51.    §  P.  350—357. 


388 

truth  of  these  observations  will  5'et  further  appear,  if  we  consider  the 

character  of  the  myotic  a/iocalyptic  harlot.  This  character  is  so 
strongly  drawn,  that  the  Archdeacon  cannot  but  confine  it  to  the  fia- 
palapostacy.  Hence,  in  order  to^preserve  consistency,  he  is  obliged 
to  say,  that  the  harlot  is  not  absolutely  the  same  as  the  second  beast  or 
(hrj'alse /iro/h'iet,  bm  only  as  one  of  his  tnvo  horns  *  Yet,  to  any  un- 
prejudiced reader  i/;e/iar/o^  must  appear  to  perfonn  exactly  the  same 
part  to  the  ten-horned  beast  described  in  the  \7th  chapter,  thai  the  se- 
cond beast  does  to  the  tcn^horned  beast  in  the  13'A  chapter,  and  the  lit- 
tle hum  to  the  ten'horncd  beatt  in  the  7th  chapter  of  Daniel.  The 
Archdeacon  indeed  himself  both  draws  out  in  three  columns  the 
parallelism  of  the  little  horn,  the  second  apocalyptic  beast,  and  the 
man  of  sin ;  and  elsewhere  parallelizes  in  two  columns  the  false 
jirophet  or  the  second  apocalyptic  beast  and  the  harlot. \  What  then 
can  we  conclude,  h\it  thixt  AX  xX\Tte  deuotfi  one  and  the  same poiver, 
whatever  that  may  be  ;  and  consequently,  since  the  harlot  and  the 
vian  of  sin  are  exclusively  the  papal  power,  that  both  the  others  must 
be  exclusively  the  papal  power  Vikewise  ?^  Before  this  subject  is 
altogetlier  dismissed,  I  must  remark,  that  the  Archdeacon  has  adduc- 
ed some  very  forcible  arguments  to  prove  that  the  second  apocalyp- 
tic beast  cannot  denote,  as  it  hath  recently  been  conjectured,  the  infi- 
del democratic  poiver  of  Francc.%  He  seems  tome  likewise  to  describe 
most  justly  the  motives  of  the  kings  in  stripping  ^Ac  harlot.  "This  hos- 
tility between  the  kings  and  the  harlot,"  says  ^e,  "  does  not  seem  to 
proceed  from  any  virtue  in  them,  but  from  worldly  avarice  and  ambi- 
tion. Tiiey  covet  her  power  and  her  riches  ;  and  this  change  in 
their  conduct  seems  to  take  place  from  the  time  when  they  awake 
from  their  intoxication.  They,  who  had  been  the  means  of  exalting 
the  harlot,  become  the  instruments  of  her  fall."|| 

The  Archdeacon,  I  am  persuaded,  Avill  not  be  offended  at  the 
freedom  of  these  remarks.  If  we  be  rapidly  approaching  to  the 
time  of  the  end,  as  there  is  abundant  reason  to  believe  that  we  are,  we 
certainly  ought  to  redouble  our  caution  in  i.chnitting  any  exposition 
of  prophecy  which  will  not  stand  tlie  test  of  the  strictest  examina- 
tion. It  is  by  the  running  to  and  fro  of  many  that  kiiotvledge  is  in- 
creased :  and  every  person,  that  attempts  to  unfold  the  sacred  oracles 
of  God,  ought  not  only  to  expect  but  to  desire,  that  his  writings 
should  be  even  severely  scrutinized.  He  may  indeed  fuirly  demand, 
that  he  should  be  treated  with  civility  :  but,  Avhile  he  deprecates  the 
offensive  ilUberality 'of  sarcasm  and  the  disgusting  coarseness  of  vulgar 
scurrility,  by  some  esteemed  the  very  acme  of  wit  and  perfection  of 
criticism,  he  ought  never  to  shrink  from  the  manly  sincerity  of  calm 
and  dispassionate  investigation.  I  cainiot  conclude  with  greater  pro- 
priety than  in  the  words  of  the  Archdeacon  himself  "  Truth,  in  this 
important  research,  is,  1  hope,  as  it  ought  to  be,  my  principal  con- 
cern :  and  I  shall  rejoice  to  see  these  sacred  prophecies  truly  inter- 
preted, though  the  correction  of  my  mistakes  should  lay  the  foun- 
dation of  so  desirable  a  superstructure. "If 

•  p.  4.56.  4"7.  t  P-  35+,  4?3.  +  See  indeed  the  Arduleacon  him- 

self, p-  3^0,  434.  $  I'.  3^3.  II  I'.  433.  U  Pref.  p.  xx. 

rixis. 


DATE  DUE 

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HIGHSMITH         #  45220 

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BS1556.F12  18n« 

A  dissertation  on  the  prophecies    iMt 

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